ttodd - take a ride over to 9th St. (Italian Mkt). There's a great spice store, The Spice Corner, which is about 2 blocks north of Claudio's. She has a huge selection of every spice, tea, etc. you could want for. I buy all of my spices there. Some of the more popular spices are pre-bagged, but for the most part, they bag the exact amount you need so that you don't have spices sitting around losing their flavor. Just made a trip last week for my chipoltle powder, ancho chili powder and some Herbs de Provence for Thanksgiving. I heard the owner telling an out-of-towner that they have a webiste, but that it really isn't reflective of the array of items the store carries, and the prices aren't kept current. The owner does such a huge walk-in business on 9th that the webiste isn't a priority, and I get the impression that she doesn't pay much attention to keeping it current. I've purchsed some things from Penzeys too, but since I am in the city often, I just make a side trip over to 9th, picking up this and that for dinner or entertaining. I like buying my spices as I need them so they're as fresh as possible.

hey alexa - I have this one from Diana not really fries w/dipping sauce though - if you find another, let me know! yum! sweet potatoes with bacon, romesco and spinach serves 6  posted by dlundin (Diana) 2 1/4# sweet potatoes 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 cup unsalted butter 1 tablespoon sage, julienned 2 teaspoons picked thyme leaves 1/2# slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch lardons 1/3# young spinach, cleaned 1 recipe romesco (attached) 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place them in a large bowl and toss with the sugar. 3. Brown the butter in a saucepot over medium heat. When the butter is deep brown (but not burnt!) with a nutty aroma remove from the heat for a few minutes. Then add the herbs and quickly pour the butter over the sweet potatoes. Toss with a large spoonÂbe careful of the hot butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Put the sweet potatoes on a sheetpan and bake in the oven for about 1 1/2 hour until then are tender. Toss frequently with a metal spatula to coat evenly. 4. while the potatoes are cooking, render the bacon over medium heat until the lardons are crispy but still tender and chewy. Set aside. 5. when the potatoes are cooked, toss in the bacon and then, at the last minute, the spinach until it is just wilted. Remove to a platter and drizzle with romesco. Pass a bowl of the romesco at the table for those guests who would like more. AOC romesco makes 2 cups 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 5 ancho chilis, seeds removed, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and then dried 2 tablespoons almonds, toasted 2 tablespoons hazelnuts, toasted 1 clove garlic 1 each 1" thick slice of bread, fried in olive oil until golden brown, cut into cubes 1/3 cups roasted or canned tomato 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1. in a heavy sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoon of oil and sauté the chilis for 5 minutes. Season with salt and put aside. 2. In a food processor, blend the nuts, garlic and fried bread cubes by "pulsing" with the machine. 3. When they are ground together add the chilis and 1 teaspoon salt. Pulse for one more minute. Then add the roasted tomato and the parsley. With the machine running, slowly pour in 1 cup of olive oil until you have a smooth puree. Season to taste with lemon and salt.

Minnniemom, I haven't tried this one but it sounds good to me. STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN Pork Loin Preparation: 1 3-5 lb pork loin, trimmed Using a boning knife, cut the pork loin by holding the knife at an angle, and in a spiral fashion "unroll" the meat by slicing thinly lengthwise and continuously along the side. You will be working your way to the center of the loin and will be cutting one continuous strip of meat until there is none left to cut. Cut as thinly as possible. If desired, use a meat pounder to make the resulting pork roll into a thinner slab. When done, the result will be a thin, rectangular slab of pork which you will be able to fill with stuffing and roll up jelly-roll style. Stuffing: 2 1/2 cups bread crumbs 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped finely 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/3 teaspoon onion powder 3 tablespoons water (or as needed) sage, garlic powder and other seasonings (to sprinkle on roast) 1/2 finely chopped bell pepper (optional variation) Wash the parsley well, pat dry and chop finely. Saute chopped onion in butter 2 minutes, add garlic and saute 2 minutes more. Add parsley and leave for one more minute. Stir in bread crumbs and other seasonings, mixing well. Stir in enough water to make a coherent mass. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10-15 minutes. Stuff the Pork Loin then Roast: Spray or rub both sides of the pork loin with a good quality olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, sage, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. If desired, season the inside of the roast with rosemary, basil and oregano. Place the pork on a flat surface and pat the filling out spreading it over top (this will be the inside) of the entire surface of the pork. Take on of the short ends and begin rolling this edge toward the center, a little bit at a time, continuing to roll up (jelly-roll style) until the pork loin is log shaped, with a stuffing spiral on each end. Sprinkle the top with paprika and other seasonings and set in a roasting pan. Set in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and roast until done, spraying every 30 minutes or so with olive oil spray. Internal temperature should read 165. Submitted by: CM

I make a habit of copying any spiced/flavored nut recipes I come across, so I need to get busy for a few minutes here, but I will also share this recipe. I created it for my husband and it might appeal to those who like something less sweet. You could try it with less sugar and just rely on the cranberries to counter the pepper. The paprika provides a touch of savory sweet, but it's main purpose, honestly, is to add color to the egg white. You can leave it out and the pecans will be a frosted white. Orange Cranberry Peppered Pecans 1 egg white, beaten until foamy, then whisk in 1/4 cup sugar 1 T coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 tsp sweet paprika finely grated zest of one small orange (I used a clemantine for the small batch and a large orange when I doubled it later -- both good) Blend well and then stir in 2-1/2 to 3 cups nuts (I used pecans) and a generous 1/2 cup or so of dried cranberries. Spread on parchment covered cookie sheet and bake at 300 about 15 minutes, then reduce to 250 and bake another 5-10 minutes or until the nuts are toasted and fragrant. As soon as you take them out of the oven, spread on a clean sheet of parchment to cool -- they will stick to the coating on the baked parchment when they cool if left on the same sheet. Using a silicone mat wasn't an improvement.