Much ado about spices

Food is THE central component in my life. Food is social. How many events are planned around food? Food is comfort. Was it a good day? Let's celebrate with food. Was it a bad day? Let's drown our sorrows with food. Oh you're sick? You need to eat. 

It isn't just about eating though. I think about food. ALOT. Where am I buying it? Can I grow, harvest and preserve it? What am I cooking, baking or creating?

One of my favorite things about food is to try or create new recipes. Part of that creation process are the flavors of the ingredients. Especially the herbs and spices. Combining all the ingredients to form just the right combination of  texture, aroma and taste. Every growing season I have several planter boxes filled with various herbs. I use what I can then harvest and store what I can't use.  I would say there is nothing like fresh herbs and spices. The aromas are so tantalizing!  To be honest though, the bulk of spices/ herbs I use, are dried simply because it is convenient.  I have tried many varieties and brands of spices. Generic, Store branded, McCormick, Spice Island, Simply Organic and Dean & DeLuca. But not all spices are created equally.

Recently I had the opportunity to try Penzey's Spices. They have brick and mortar stores across the country as well as a strong online presence.

The store is very well laid out. Oh and the smells are AWESOME! There are all sorts of little sections on how the spices are categorized. Salads, Grilling, Baking, Indian, BBQ, etc...

My favorite part of the trip (besides smelling all the yummy spices) is the kitchen display. ALL the Penzey stores have a replica vintage kitchen, displaying jars of cinnamon (4 varieties), cake spice, pie spice, baking spice and vanilla (as well as other baking type spices and blends!). This is the stock photo for the Cincinnati store because I actually forgot to take a picture!



I showed considerable restraint and didn't buy the whole store...but it was tempting! The Tsar Dust, Greek and Star Anise were freebies with my purchase!

Since visiting the store I have also placed an order...or 2. They have amazing service and there are always freebie spices and swag (Bumper stickers, pins, etc) in the orders.

Besides the excellent quality of the spices, Penzey's is also involved in the community and an advocate for equal rights. Yet another reason I love them! If you haven't been I suggest you go. If there isn't a store local you, order online. You will not regret it!

©My Cozy Little Farmhouse 2009-current. Unauthorized use and/ or duplication without written permission from blog author/ owner is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided acknowledgement is given to My Cozy Little Farmhouse, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Happy Earth Day!

Did you know Earth day began as a counter culture movement in 1970?  On April 22, 1970, approximately 20 Million Americans took to the streets from coast to coast,  to demonstrate and raise awareness about water, air pollution, wildlife extinction and the ravages of pesticides. It is 47 years later and we still are plagued by the same problematic issues.  Without getting too political (I really showed considerable restraint on that most unpleasant topic!), Earth Day today included the March for Science. I really hope for the sake of our planet and future generations we can continue to move forward...not back.

As for my part, I wasn't able to attend any marches but made a minor financial contribution to an agency of my choice. For more information on the various affiliated organizations and ways to help click on the attached link.

http://www.earthday.org/campaigns/

I also did my part to plant some trees. And I am pretty excited about the trees! (More on that later). 

We can all do something.

Unplug electronics and turn off lights not in use
Combine trips to reduce fossil fuel consumption
Use re-usable shopping bags
Buy local
Plant a garden and garden organically
Plant a tree (or five!)
Plant flowers for the bees
Landscape with native plants and xeriscape to limit water consumption
Avoid pesticides
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose

Each small part can educate, advocate and promote change for a healthy environment and sustainable living. Be kind to Mother Earth, she is the only one we have

©My Cozy Little Farmhouse 2009-current. Unauthorized use and/ or duplication without written permission from blog author/ owner is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided acknowledgement is given to My Cozy Little Farmhouse, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Puzzled

How many of you like jig-saw puzzles? I like them although I had not worked any for a few years. Personally, I think they are great way to slow down the frantic pace of everyday life and they provide the added benefit of working the brain. My daughter gifted me a 1000 piece puzzle this past Christmas. A 1000 pieces...Oy!

 One problem with puzzles- where can you work on them? I don't have a dedicated game room or game table. It was very annoying to have the puzzle on my dining table then have to move it when we wanted to eat dinner. I improvised at first, using 2 pieces of posterboard to carefully move and cover the in progress puzzle. That too, soon gave way to annoyance.

Another problem-my dining table is good for a quick meal, but it isn't comfortable enough to sit at for a few hours, hunched over while working on a puzzle. Although my dining table does have a nifty hidden storage tray which was great for storing the puzzle box, even though it is supposed to be used to store placemats.

I researched puzzle trays and tables and holy moly are they are expensive. ($70-$200)  I am wayyyy to cheap to drop money on those. I suppose if I had nice wooden puzzles and worked the puzzles daily maybe, just maybe, I would consider on of those fancy puzzle trays/ tables.

I rooted around the garage to see what I could DIY. I found some luan board, cardboard and an old, very oversized picture frame.

This is my first attempt to create a puzzle tray. Though not bad for 10 minutes worth of work and free materials! As you can see it is slightly larger width than my dining table.

It is nearly the same size as the chaise on my couch

But it tucks away under the couch quite nice. Which is good because I may be working on this puzzle for a very, VERY long time.

 I have several other frames, more luan board and plywood. I would like to make something smaller, with storage, and more portable. I may need to buy some dowel rods and I definitely need some felt fabric so the puzzle doesn't slide. Anyone have any nifty ideals for a puzzle tray or table?

©My Cozy Little Farmhouse 2009-current. Unauthorized use and/ or duplication without written permission from blog author/ owner is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used provided acknowledgement is given to My Cozy Little Farmhouse, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.