Every year, the week before Thanksgiving, I stock up on all of the spices, dried herbs, and extracts we’ll need for the coming year. Why? Because the Spice Islands spices (my favorite brand) are always half-off at Schnucks that week, and there are often coupons to use as well.
Here’s what I got this year:
- 2 Almond Extract
- Black Peppercorns
- Celery Salt
- Ground Saigon Cinnamon
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- Curry Powder
- Fennel Seed
- 2 Ground Cumin Seed
- Kosher Salt
- Oregano
- Sage
- Spicy Curry Powder
- Sweet Basil
- 2 Vanilla Extract
There were actually a few things I use regularly that I didn’t need this time:
- Cayenne Pepper
- Ground Ancho Chile
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Nutmeg
- Italian Herb Seasoning
- Paprika
- Whole Allspice
- Whole Cloves
- Whole Nutmeg
Yes, that’s about $50 on spices. But other than salt (of course), regular chili powder (which I usually just buy at Walmart when needed, and the store brand at that), and maybe cumin, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, I won’t need to buy anymore spices until next Thanksgiving, when I’ll need to spend at least that much again, because it will only take us a year to go through all of this. The joys of cooking and baking from (mostly) scratch!