some like it hot...and spicy!

Daughter had a houseguest last week from Central California, 400 miles away from here. She mentioned that she had heard good things about a spice store in Temecula, the next town over....WHAT? A SPICE STORE? IN TEMECULA? WHY DO WE NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS?!

So, on my Wednesday off, Daughter and I found OLD TOWN SPICE MERCHANTS just 15 minutes away


This wonderful shop is owned by Anthony & Sue Del Bono. It's only been open a year but is doing quite well already. There are only five stores in the country: this one, one in Lake Havasu, AZ, and 3 in Michigan. if you live anywhere near one of these locations and you love to cook, please go there ASAP!



We were so excited the minute we walked in! The aroma is incredible and there are so many varieties of so many things! If you read my last post, you know how both of us are feeling these days about food and cooking as we are trying to lose quite a few pounds between us. The aromatherapy of this place left us feeling energized and excited about trying new flavors and new recipes within the structure of the "Lean for Life" program.




SPICY CHILE POWDERS and DRIED PEPPERS




SPICE BLENDS for everything you can think of



nd even a whole section of SALTS & PEPPERS





We took home quite a few enticing flavors:


Vietnamese Cinnamon
Greek Oregano (instead of the ususal Mexican variety)
Green Chile Powder (I love green sauces on mexican food!)
Smoked Paprika
Feta Cheese powder
Balsamic Fish rub
Smoked Tomato seasoning
Autumn Spice blend

On the way home we both agreed that we needed to bring Oldest Son/Brother since he is quite an adventurous cook, even more than we are. Daughter said "Let's make it a Secret Outing!"

my kids grew up on "secret outings" in the 70's & 80's. My neighbor and I would gather all our kids together and announce a "secret outing" for the day. Then, no matter what our plan was or where we ended up, the excitment of not knowing ahead of time made it that much more fun. Whether it was the beach, a new park we'd never been to before, a children' musuem, or driving 30 minutes away to the only MacDonalds in the area with a playground (they were scarce in those days) the best part of these outings was the secret part.

When we told Son/Brother that we needed 1 hour of his time on Saturday for a "Secret Outing" he laughed (remember, he's 33 now) and started reminiscing about all the outings he remembered. He even admitted to me, after all these years, that some of those outings ended up being disappointing in the destination, but that the secretiveness of them saved the day!

He really enjoyed the shop, too, coming away with plenty of things for his next cooking adventure:

Indian Curry

White Peppercorns

Raspberry Chipotle blend

Morroccan Couscous

The green chile powder is delicious in scrambled eggs and the balsamic fish rub made great salmon patties! Tomorrow I'm making roasted tomato soup using the smoked tomato seasoning......

YAY! A REASON TO LIVE!...COOKING IS FUN AGAIN AND THE RECIPES ARE FORMING THEMSELVES IN MY HEAD AS WE SPEAK!