September’s Spice: Gochujang

First, a little transparency:  I belong to one of those subscription food programs where every week they send all of the ingredients for recipes that I otherwise would never prepare, with ingredients that can’t typically be found at my local Fareway or Hyvee grocery stores.  I’ve made black squid ink pasta, I’ve cooked with lemongrass

November’s Spice: Garam Masala

Garam masala is a blend of ground spices used in Indian cuisine.  The spice blend adds warmth, sweetness, floral notes, and a touch of heat from black pepper. It is intended to be a fragrant spice as well as flavorful. In Hindi, the word “masala” means “spices,” and “garam” means “hot.” While typical ingredients such

October: Cinnamon

Cinnamon – vs – Cinnamon Cinnamon is cinnamon is cinnamon… right?  When you hear the word, your mind goes to apple pie and cinnamon rolls.  You can’t help but think of that spicy, warm, cozy, fruity, vanilla-like scent that we love in candles and potpourri. But did you know that there are different kinds of

September: Juniper Berries

What are Juniper Berries? When I was a kid growing up in Topeka, my friends and I used to gather bowls of Juniper berries and use them as our main dietary “food source” while playing house. They always looked so cool, rattling around in the little plastic bowls we used as our dishes.  We never

Spice Club will be back this fall!

Hi all! As you may have noticed, we’ve taken a little break from Spice Club activities this summer, but plan to return, full strength, in September. We’ve got some fun, exciting changes planned when we get back, so stay tuned!

May: Black Truffle Sea Salt

(Apologies for the late date in posting this month’s blog! Between post-vacation catchup, illness, and Summer Reading Program prep, the month flew by, and I missed my deadline.  Oops!  ☹ Again, apologies to all!  Hopefully, you’ll still enjoy the black truffle salt information and recipes you’ll find here).  What is Black Truffle Sea Salt? While

April: Lavender

We’ve all smelled lavender scented candles, essential oils, and soaps.  Lavender is touted as a relaxing scent to include in aromatherapy oils and potpourri.  But did you know that lavender is also a delicious herb that can lend a wonderful floral flavor to dishes, both savory and sweet?  This month’s Spice Club selection will explore

March: Saffron

This month we’re excited to bring you the world’s most expensive spice – saffron. While you can purchase saffron as a powder, we’ve chosen to share this beautiful spice in its original form. Powdered saffron is not as strong, tends to lose flavor, and is also easily adulterated with fillers and imitations. Authentic saffron threads

February: Sumac & Za’atar

This month’s featured spice is that beautifully deep burgundy-red spice, Sumac.  While not typically a common household ingredient in the United States, sumac is quite popular and recognizable in Middle Eastern cuisine. With its trademark citrusy tartness, processed sumac has a similar smell and taste to lemon, but is not as sour. Sumac berries grow

January: Star Anise

I’ve wanted to try this month’s featured spice for awhile, just because it looks so intriguing.  This description from thepspruceeats.com is quite accurate, although the most overpowering scent that comes across to me is definitely black licorice.  “Star anise has a very strong, distinct flavor that is warm, sweet, and spicy, similar to licorice, fennel