Thank you, Annie, for that tip ... my kid loves almond-cookie, so I will get the almond extract. Thank you, Cloud_Swift, for the info. on Spice House to save money. Thank you, pkramer, for that tip on Rosemary indoor. It died on me last winter. I grew up near Grand Rapids MI. Now I'm in Chicago's suburb, zone 5a, much colder than zone 5b in MI. What I grew in the summer was probably Russian Tarragon ... no smell whatsoever. The right thyme also makes a big difference ... so I make sure that pinch off a leaf to sniff before buying the herb. I'm lucky to have a sage brush that survived zone 5a winters for the past decade. I sun-dried the sage leaves in the fall ... great flavor, no sage-spice can beat. One year I used Organic Spice's Hunter Herbes de Province, that gave good flavor to all my soups. Then I bought some cheap brand recently, and it stank up my entire pot. I bought "Imitation Vanilla" last year, and it had a weird & odd chemical smell, so I threw the whole bottle away. The real vanilla is what matters. A friend gave me Organic Extra virgin Coconut oil Nutiva brand. I used 2 tablespoon of that in making granola. The fresh coconut smell perfumed the entire house, and the granola was absolutely delicious. In contrast, the coconut milk I bought from Trader's Joe, or Oriental Market has this "soapy" flavor from stale coconut, or else it's so loaded with sulfites or potassium sorbate(chemical preservatives) ... that I break out in rash. I quit using coconut milk a long time ago ... so glad to find Nutiva's extra-virgin coconut oil with the most intense, delightful fresh coconut essence. This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Fri, Jan 10, 14 at 23:33

Tanks for posting this Shambo. I've been meaning to get some Za'atar, but the blends I've seen have been more basic, with sesame, sumac, and thyme. I would think the addition of savory and hyssop would give it a lot of depth.... Emily

We are getting at least a foot starting late tonight...snow day tomorrow. On top of an existing foot or more so our driveway is getting very narrow! I ground some spices last night for an Adobo chicken dish. Made a big dutch oven version to have storm leftovers. The spice mix was a blend i just do by eye, about 3/4 cup total, then divided it and added smoked paprika and more dried chilis for some pork tips i need to roast/braise for pulled pork. I get storm anxiety about loosing power, so i need some things already roasting or resting when it hits. I'll start some bread tonight. I do save and re-wash old spice containers. But mostly use the French style working glass jars. I've had some since college and Costco has them now so i am stocked up. I make my own mustards, mayo and cocktail/ketchup style sauces so they are the most handy. Wide tops and snap-on lids. Great for salad dressings and sauces. I use ball jars for grains and seeds. The French jars are great that you can use a sharpie to label the tops and comes right off with a damp edge of a cloth with a bit of BarKeepersFriend powder. Penzeys has whole spices. I was given some spice mixes as a gift and never used them. I'm looking at one right now and it says salt, sugar, black pepper as the first three ingredients for a spice rub. Then paprika, nutmeg, sage, cayenne and red pepper. I have all that and so much better fresh ground. I just got this new batch of jars last week.

Tyler Florence used in on pitas on hi program today: Baba Ghanoush with Warm Pita Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence See this recipe on air Sunday Jun. 22 at 8:30 AM ET/PT. Show: Tyler's Ultimate Episode: Ultimate Lamb Chops Baba Ghanoush with Warm Pita 4 baby Italian eggplants (about 1 pound total), scored 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon tahini paste 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped Pita Crisps: 8 large pita rounds, cut into strips 2 tablespoons za'atar dry spice 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt Split the eggplants in half through the stem and score sides. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Grill eggplants on a very hot grill pan until skins are wrinkled and black and flesh side is nicely charred. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, cut off tops. In a food processor, combine eggplant, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and cilantro and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the olive oil and pulse again to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and some roughly chopped cilantro. Serve with pita strips for dipping. To make pita strips. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put the pita wedges in a large mixing bowl. Combine za'atar spice mix and extra-virgin olive oil and drizzle over wedges. Season with salt and toss to coat evenly. Lay out pita wedges on a roasting tray and bake in the hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through. If you prefer a crispier pita bake for a further 5 to 7 minutes. Serve warm with baba ghanoush.