alfreda89: 3 foot concrete Medieval style gargoyle with author's hand resting on its head. (Chai anime)
alfreda89 ([personal profile] alfreda89) wrote2006-02-23 02:54 pm
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Affordable Luxuries

If you love to cook, even just at holidays, you owe it to yourself--try some spices from The Spice House. This is the place Alton Brown visited for his show on spices, and just opening the mailer will take your breath away.

They sell 4, count them, FOUR different types of cinnamon, from the delicate Ceylon variety folks in Europe and Mexico prefer, to the dark, heady Saigon cinnamon we couldn't buy for 25 years. They sell chocolate extract, created the same way as vanilla--as well as a "knock your socks off" vanilla. If you buy a gift pack, Spice House packs the jars with bay leaves, whole nutmegs and Indonesian cinnamon sticks.

I won't ask if you have ten year old spices in your pantry. Dump them out under the cover of darkness, and go get new ones! Some places you can buy small amounts of bulk to put back in those jars if you want!

Enjoy!

http://www.thespicehouse.com/info/location_evanston.php
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lagilman: coffee or die (s.u.r.i.)

[personal profile] lagilman 2006-02-23 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
stop that. I'm going to have a whole new pantry to fill up soon and I do NOT need the temptation!

*bookmarks URL anyway*

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Heh-heh-heh . . .
lagilman: coffee or die (Default)

[personal profile] lagilman 2006-02-24 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
oh my effing god. The paprika! For the love of humanity, the paprika!

*gives in, gets out credit card*

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
Once you order, they have you forever . . ..

[identity profile] dancinghorse.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
Ooooo! I bookmarked the site. The prices are incredibly low for what you get.

Thank you. I love spices.

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
The prices are good, although if you buy full spice bottles, since they're heavy, the shipping is moderate.

The 4 oz. bags are SO cheap for the quality! The cumin is heavenly--I use a lot of it in a private chili powder blend, so instead of crushing my own seed this time, I tried their powder.

Wow.

[identity profile] moon-happy.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
I just spent 20 minutes browsing spices. Hubby will be treated to some selections for the next gifting day, probably Father's Day. Thanks! He's one of those guys who "has everything" so this will be fun.

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
Great! I thought he'd enjoy some of these for his next marathon cookie bake-off.

[identity profile] apricot-tree.livejournal.com 2006-02-24 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
Ack! I just spent $30.... I do appreciate the link, though.

I henna my hair and I usually put semi dead baking spices in the henna mixture. Or you can try using them to freshen old sneakers.

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 05:17 am (UTC)(link)
I henna my hair and I usually put semi dead baking spices in the henna mixture. Or you can try using them to freshen old sneakers.

I have used spices to freshen things before, but I'm curious--how and why do you use them with henna? I am toying with trying henna--the medical treatment has started to effect the color of my hair, and I think harsh chemicals might be dangerous right now. I'm supposed to avoid alcohol and secondhand smoke, much less perm and color solutions...

[identity profile] apricot-tree.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
I love henna. I've used it for about 15 years. (Light Mountain Natural) I have medium brown hair so I use a red. Since my hair is dark, I leave in in about 3 hours under a bonnet dryer. This process is very restful. My husband does the actual application, although I have done it myself. The bad thing with henna is you end up smelling kind of like lawn clippings for a few days every time your hair gets wet. I usually mix a couple of tablespoons of older spices - cinnamon, cardemom, whatever you bake with. It helps the smell. Be careful if you use items that could irritate your skin (ginger/cinnomon) that you try putting some on first to see how it affects things - and don't get them in your eyes. Maybe make a paste and put it on your tummy while you read for awhile, just to be safe.

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 06:43 am (UTC)(link)
Interesting. Do you have a favorite company for the henna?

[identity profile] apricot-tree.livejournal.com 2006-02-27 01:59 pm (UTC)(link)
http://www.bytheplanet.com/Products/Henna/HennaHair/LightMountain/LightMountainHennaInstructions.htm

I don't actually buy it from here - but this is the company - and the full instructions. Our local heathfood store sells it. It has a picture of a fox on the front. (The red does anyway. :)

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2006-03-01 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
Kewl. Thanx!

[identity profile] noiseinmyhead.livejournal.com 2006-02-25 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
you're making me hungry

[identity profile] moon-happy.livejournal.com 2006-02-26 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Love that spicehouse! It solves a father's day gift crisis!
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