tsp Spices Review and Giveaway...

Thanks to tsp Spices, we recently had the chance to try out an array of pre-portioned dry spices. About tsp Spices:

"We are a couple of Southern girls who wandered north, established careers, married and became moms. We met and discovered shared passions for absorbing work, creative challenges and good mayonnaise on a ripe tomato. Our company grew out of our fondness for adventurous eating and full-flavored food -- and from utter despair that we could ever maintain an orderly spice cabinet, with all those stale bottles lingering from the Clinton era, or even the days of Bush I. So we designed a product that keeps spices fresh. We're pleased to offer you organic spices sealed in flavor-saving, one-teaspoon packets. Our spices are protected from light, air and moisture, so they always taste fresh. They're pre-measured, so you don't need to hunt down those elusive measuring spoons. They're organic, so you can be confident that you are getting 100% pure flavor, no fillers or additives that are allowed in conventional spices. Our packaging let's you get full use of your spice dollar. It's also less wasteful than conventional spice bottles. Twelve teaspoon packets is only 6 grams of packaging weight, compared to 17 grams of a typical plastic spice jar. The tins and boxes we use are fully recyclable. We’re pleased to share our vision of fresh-tasting, organic spices with you through tsp spices®, featured in this website, and through Smart Spice® our grocery store brand. We hope you’ll let our spices enliven your culinary adventures with fresh flavors wrapped in style." About Sweet Basics:

Sweet Basics contains one can each of organic allspice, organic anise seed, organic cardamom, organic Korintje cinnamon, organic cloves and organic nutmeg. Each spice can contains 12 one-teaspoon packets. For baking sweets or blending chai, reach for tsp spices’ Sweet Basics. This set offers the perfect combination for all your sweetly spicy needs.

About Green Basics:

Green Basics contains one can each of organic basil, organic dill, organic oregano, organic rosemary, organic tarragon and organic thyme. Each spice can contains 12 one-teaspoon packets. These flavorful organic herbs complement the global cuisines of today’s kitchen.

A few recipes we tried using tsp spices and recipes from the tsp website:

-Chai Spice Blend
2 packets tsp spices Organic True Cinnamon (ground) 2 packets tsp spices Organic Green Cardamom (ground) 2 packets tsp spices Organic Cloves (ground) 1 packet tsp spices Organic Ginger (ground) 1 packet tsp spices Organic Coriander (ground) 1 teaspoon white pepper 1/8 teaspoon salt
This spice blend offers delightful possibilities. Steep it in tea. Sprinkle it on toast or oatmeal. Fold it into softened butter and spread it on a muffin. Stir it into sugar and roll snickerdoodles in it before placing them on the cookie sheet for baking. Add a teaspoon to vinaigrette to spice up salads with fresh greens and seasonal fruits. Mix together in small bowl. Feel free to adjust the ingredients and proportions. Create your own favorite chai.

-Herb-Crusted Chicken
1/3 cub plain breadcrumbs 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 2 teaspoons Organic Basil 1 teaspoon Organic Oregano 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons butter, melted 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the breadcrumb, cheese, basil, oregano, mustard, garlic powder, and salt in a wide, shallow dish. In another wide, shallow dish, combine the oil and butter. Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, into the oil and butter mixture and then thoroughly coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the coated chicken breasts onto the baking sheet. Bake the chicken until it is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 65 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Serves 4

-Dilled Devil Eggs
8 hard-boiled eggs 6 tablespoons sour cream 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons minced shallots 2 teaspoons Organic Dill Weed 1/2 teaspoon vinegar salt freshly cracked pepper, for garnish (optional) Paprika, for garnish, available at www.smart-spice.com
Slice each egg in half lengthwise. Scoop the yolks into a small bowl and set the whites aside. Add the sour cream, mustard, shallots,dill weed, and vinegar to the egg yolks and, using a fork, stir to thoroughly combine. Season the egg mixture with salt to taste. Place the mixture into a small plastic sandwich bag, close the zipper, and cut a small hole at one of the corners. Arrange the egg whites cut side up on a serving plate. Pipe the mixture into each of the egg white halves. Garnish the top of each deviled egg with pepper or paprika, if using. Chill the eggs in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 16 deviled eggs

What we thought: We bake and cook a lot at our house and we really had fun using tsp spices in our cooking. We tried the recipes above and we also used tsp spices in our everyday cooking including B's Mexican Rice, Monster Cookies, oatmeal and much more. The spices are AWESOME! I love that they are pre-measured...this makes it a lot easier for the kids to help add the spices with minimal waste or accidental "over" spicing:) The fact that the spices are sealed until you need them means they are always fresh and you don't have to worry about how long the jar has been opened. We generally cook with a lot of spices, but we have a few that we only use occasionally and often I can't remember how long the jar has been on the shelf...spices do lose flavor after a while:) tsp spices solved that problem! The recipes we tried were great...the herb-crusted chicken is a new family favorite and the kiddos said the deviled eggs were the best ever:) The Chai spice was amazingly versatile...I usually only make iced Chai lattes, but it really was great in oatmeal! Our whole family really loved cooking and experimenting(and especially eating) tsp spices:) ABCD Diaries gives tsp spices an A+!!

Buy It: Find these full flavored spices at tsp Spices or check the store locator for the retailer nearest you.
Win It: tsp Spices has generously offered one ABCD Diaries reader a Sweet Basics set just in time for holiday baking season! To enter, tell us which spice you're most excited about trying!
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Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at 11:59cst. Winner will be chosen via random.org and emailed. They will have 48 hours to reply. Open to US residents 18+:)

Disclosure: ABCD Diaries was given a variety of tsp spices for review purposes only. We were in no other way compensated. The opinions expressed in this post are ours and ours alone.