Hey Alice - thanks for linking the site. I have tried most of the blends they have listed, the only one I didn;t care for was the Garlic & Herb one. While I was poking around the site I also found a couple of recipes that sound gerat to me - I will probably make them for our block party this weekend. Smoke and Fire Cheese Straws Ingredients 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup grated smoked Cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Chile Pepper, Ancho 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Chile Pepper, Chipotle 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cilantro Leaves 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Rosemary, Crushed 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Garlic Powder 2 slices bacon, cooked and finely crumbled 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (1/2 of 17 1/4 ounce package) 1 egg, beaten Directions 1. Mix cheeses, ancho and chipotle chili peppers, cilantro, rosemary, garlic powder and bacon in medium bowl. 2. Roll pastry into a 13x16-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Brush lightly with egg. Sprinkle bottom half of dough with half the cheese mixture. Fold top half over bottom half. Roll pastry into a 13x16-inch rectangle again. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture, pressing lightly with rolling pin to adhere cheese. Cut pastry in half crosswise, then cut into 36 (3/4-inch wide) strips. 3. Place strips on large baking sheets, a few inches apart. Twist ends of strips to create a spiral. Refrigerate 30 minutes. 4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes. Serve warm or cooled. ************************************************************ EMPANADAS The perfect finger food for your tapas tasting, these warm, crisp turnovers are filled with a spicy mixture of turkey, almonds, olives, and raisins. Makes 24 (1 empanada) servings. Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper 1/2 pound ground turkey 1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Garlic Powder 1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Paprika 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Cumin, Ground 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Oregano Leaves, Mediterranean 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection Thyme Leaves 1/2 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons slivered almonds 2 tablespoons chopped pitted green olives 2 tablespoons raisins 2 packages (15 ounces each) refrigerated pie crusts (4 crusts) Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add turkey; cook and stir until no longer pink. Stir in garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, thyme and tomato sauce. Reduce heat to low; simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in almonds, olives and raisins. 2. Prepare crusts as directed on package. On lightly floured surface, roll each crust into 12-inch circle. Using 4-inch round cutter, cut each into 6 circles for a total of 24 circles. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto half of each circle. Moisten edge of each with water. Fold in half; press edge with a fork to seal. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Pierce top of each with fork to vent. 3. Bake 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature

I've gotten to the point I don't grill burgers very often. I like a good fried burger, seared to get a nice crust without burning it and it's easier to keep it moist inside and still cooked reasonably. A good quality bun, toasted and a dash of garlic salt and pepper sometimes a drizzle of Ranch dressing and/or BBQ sauce. A couple paper thin slices of onion optional. No pickle or mustard allowed within a 100' radius. And I don't mix crumbs or egg in there, if I want meatloaf, I make meatloaf. Generally I try to get freshly ground (coarse ground) burger. Usually the cheaper end so it'll have a bit more fat but it needs to be fresh for a good burger. Frozen patties don't do it for me anymore. I press a little in the center of the burger, not all the way through, but so it's a finger thick that's about 1/2 the thickness of the thicker part. As the meat shrinks, it fills in, cooks evenly and is hot throughout.

I can't say I've never sniffed them, but I do look at them and the label each time they are used. Many of my dried herbs are from my garden, so I check to see if the color has faded (a sign they may need replenished) and the date they were dried, but I don't sniff them each time the container is used. For herbs from my garden, I find the first of the season, as soon as the herbs start to develop in the late winter/early spring, is the best time to harvest them for drying, so many of mine are nearly a year old now. I save the end of the growing season herbs for making herbed vinegars and some I dry and use as teas. And when I have large amounts of them dried, I freeze the bulk amount in vacuum-sealed bags and keep a user-friendly amount in a shaker in the pantry. Penzeys say spices have a much longer shelf-life than the generally touted 6-12-months, especially if you store them in a cool, dark, area, rather than where it's hot. Mine are in a cool, dark pantry, not next to or on top of the stove. And as Penzeys also point out, the intensity of the flavors may diminish over time, and you may need to use more the older they are, but they certainly don't need to be replenished each month!!! Especially the hard seeds like whole nutmegs, allspice, nigella, peppercorns, whole cloves, mustard seed, coriander, etc., which I grind fresh, as needed. Commercial herb blends (Mrs. Dash, Spike, McCormick Salad Supreme, etc.), I'll use, or replace, every year or two. The folks at McCormick offer “to toss or not to toss” guidelines that are more generous as well: •Ground spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric): 2 to 3 years •Herbs (basil, oregano, parsley): 1 to 3 years •Seasoning blends: 1 to 2 years •Whole spices (cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks): 4 years •Seeds: 4 years (except for poppy and sesame seeds, which should be discarded after 2 years) •Extracts: 4 years (except for vanilla, which will last forever) -Grainlady

To clarify further: It was thick slices of potato rubbed with oil and paprika and sent to the oven till they develop that nice crusty brownish layer, which is the best part. The texture came out perfect but the taste was a bit bitter. I thought nothing could go much wrong because those potatoes spent quite a while in the oven, and took 2 or 3 more bites, which was very stupid & I sure paid for it. That particular paprika wasn't even past the use-by date. Took my several months before I bought new paprika, and that new paprika sat in the kitchen for another couple of months before I picked up the courage to use it.