SpicesInc.com 6 Spice Set Giveaway
Spices are important to cooking. If I'm honest, when I think about cooking, the addition of spice is really what makes cooking an art and not just burning hunks of meat and vegetable over flame.
Knowing where your spices come from is important. You wouldn't believe how different Cinnamon from Vietnam is to Cinnamon from China. Knowing the different flavor profiles can allow you to be a better cook, and create exotically delicious baked goods.
When Greg from SpicesInc.com contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in testing out a custom built spice set, I was intrigued. When I received a box of spices that he had put together, just for me, after reading my entire blog, I was intrigued, impressed, and flat out floored.
The box I received included lovely things like Ancho Chili Powder, and my favorite, Hill Country Chili Powder - so named for just what happens to be my favorite part of Texas. You want to get your spices from someone who knows what they're talking about. Knows where their spices came from, and what that means to you and your cooking.
My adorable, beautiful, wonderful friend Aimee at Simple Bites gives you a more in-depth look at spices, and why you should buy them from someone like Greg with this timely post.
The spices she recommends are exactly the sort of spices love you'll get from SpicesInc.com. And now, you have the opportunity to win your very own customized set from them!
Would you like to win your very own custom set of 6 spices from SpicesInc.com?
Leave a comment with the following information:
· Choose any 6 spices, herbs, seasonings, chiles or extracts from SpicesInc.com
· Name your Spice Set
· Provide a couple of sentences on why you picked these particular spices. This is especially important!
You must create an original set, with an original name. You must use the names given to each spice on SpicesInc.com
An example of this would be:
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Name: Hill Country Harmonies
Spices:
- Ancho Chili Powder
- Texas Chicken Rub
- Texas Smoked Turkey Rub
- Hill Country Chili Powder
- Fajita Seasoning
- Deep South Dry Rub
I chose this spice set because it reminds me of all the good food I grew up with in South Texas. Fajitas are just as likely to be on my dinner plate as smoked turkey or brisket, and I like my food to have just the right amount of spice. I learned to eat this way from the time I was little - even enjoying spicy barbecue sausage at the age of 3!
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The SpicesInc.com will choose the winning entry based on originality, stories, and creative naming abilities. Your spice set will be sent to you, but you will ALSO have your name featured on this new custom set on the SpicesInc.com website. How cool is that?!
This giveaway is provided to you by Spices, Inc. It will close at 11:59:59 p.m. on March 31st. A winner will be chosen by Spices, Inc. on April 1st. I did receive a set of spices chosen by the team at Spices, Inc. to review, but I did not receive any compensation for this post. My opinion of the spices was formed after using them in my own cooking.
The SPICE is right!
Tahitian Vanilla Beans
Korintje Cinnamon
Baharat
Hamalayan Pink Salt
Chipotle Flakes
Organic Group Allspice
You can't go wrong with these elegant staples. Every kitchen should have the right spices 🙂
Organic Ground Allspice 🙂
What A Crock (pot)!
Poultry Seasoning
Sage
Thyme Leaf
Bay Leaf
Granulated Garlic
Sea Salt
I chose this grouping of spices because if a cook has these on hand, she can make a delicious, comforting, easy meal in the slow cooker with minimal effort and maximum flavor.
Rub they Meat
BBQ time is coming in the north and the rubs up here are weak. Need me some from around the US to get my spice loving meat done right.
Chipotle honey rub
Coco Chile Rub
Kansas City BBQ Rub
Memphis Style Dry Rub
North Carolina BBQ rub
St Louis Rib Rub
Mmm--My spice blend, which would be awesome on freshly-caught Ozark trout and other fish, would be called: Ozarks Original. The Ozarks provide a bounty of fish and other wildlife for those of us fortunate to live here. I can even picture this on fresh, wild turkey. Mmmm.
Ozarks Original Blend:
Smoky Citrus Salt
Hungarian Paprika
Black and White Peppercorn Blend
Organic Granulated Garlic
Organic Dillweed
Organic Onion Flakes
My mix would be called THE SAN FRANCISCO TREAT.
They represent tastes that have made - and continue to make San Francisco Famous. Of course, they would feature as many of the organic spices from the collection as possible.
The San Francisco Treat
1. Organic Bay Leaves. It begins with "bay!" And it is a key ingredient to the original "rice-a-roni" from the DeDeomenico recipe.
2. Pasilla Chile Powder to make taste stews and mole from San Jose all the way to San Francisco
3. Organic Saigon Cinnamon Sticks to be used in Tartine's Morning Bun Recipe, arguable one of the most famous bakery recipes in the entire city. (available online - be sure to look it up!)
4. Organic Garlic - direct from Gilroy.
5. Pacific Sea Smoked Sea Salt - folks don't know, but the Bay Area was one of the the original producers of salt. This Pacific Salt, with Northwest Alderwood represents us well
6. Chinese Five Spice, the base of Chinese cooking - sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory. We have the largest variety of Chinese cooking in the Bay area.
Flavors of India
Sweet Curry Powder
Garam Masala
Cardamom Pods
Organic Brown Mustard Seeds
Coriander Seed
Cumin Seed
I chose these six spices for their usefulness in cooking curries and dishes from India. Aromatic and earthy, Indian dishes comfort like no other!
Happy Cooking Hubby
Creole seasoning
Ceylon Cinnamon
Yellow mustard seed powder
smoked paprika
Vanilla beans
Ground white pepper
I couldn't resist listing the spices my husband loves the best. He's a fan of anything creole, my amish friendship bread, and our house seasoning (Mustard powder, paprika, salt and sugar). We both love baked goods made with vanilla and he's got a great recipe for chicken alfredo with white pepper. Maybe he'll make more for me if he gets this great spice set!
Superb Salads
Sensational Salad Seasoning
Italian Seasoning
Tuscany Bread Dipping Seasoning
Grade A1 Poppy Seed
Garlic Herb Seasoning
Salt Free Thai Spice
I love to make my own salad dressings and this set of spices is so versatile. Start with a base of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, or mayonnaise and add your seasoning of choice. It's that simple! Want a sweeter dressing, add sugar, agave syrup, or honey to the mix. Need a dressing with a more fruity flavor, add some orange, lemon or lime juice. The possibilities are endless!
Name: Where Southern Belle meets Ciao Bella
Spices:
- Smoked Paprika (Sweet)
- Basil (sweet)
- Deep South dry rub
- Mediterranean Cyprus Flake Salt
- Tomato Powder
- Seafood Boil
Sweet polenta bread next to pulled pork, and olive/cheese focaccia served alongside a Lowcountry boil...having been raised in an Italian household in the middle of South Carolina, it took me a while to realize that the combinations of food which frequently highlighted our family gatherings each week was not the product of an average culinary experience. Since then, I have come to find that there are more similarities between the classic Southern American and Italian cultures than one may think. With a deep devotion to family and community, people of both cultures strive to find the best qualities of life, much of which can be found in their sought-after culinary traditions. Unlike most busy societies who spend much of their time living to work, Southerners and Italians work to live. A recent adventure of mine has been to experiment with new fusion dishes which combine the classics of both worlds...corn fritters and mozzarella stuffed zucchini flowers, Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Osso Bucco over grits...I hope to one day publish a cookbook or open a restaurant highlighting these flavors, but until then an original spice set would be good enough for me!
Like I Like My Women:
-Habanero Flakes
-Cayenne Pepper Hot Heat
-Ancho Powder
-De Arbol Powder
-Ground Serrano
-Chipotle Powder