Tonight on Food Network 6pm

Guy Fieri takes Diners, Drive ins and Dives on the road to Texas where he finds a Neapolitan pizza joint in Dallas that spreads Bacon Jam on its pizza.

 
Check out the show! You can also catch a rerun on June 16th at 9pm or June 17th at midnight…for you late nighters.

But stop in first to get your own jar of Bacon Jam for your pantry!

It started with ½ lb. of Cremini mushrooms, ½ of  a small red onion, 3 cloves of garlic; all minced fine in a food processor. In a skillet, I sautéed the mixture in about 3 tbsp. olive oil on medium high heat.

Because mushrooms have a high moisture level, the heat serves to remove the moisture before it can take over. When the mushroom mixture had browned, I added 1 heaping tablespoon of tomato paste (didn’t have fresh or I would have used them), 1 cup of water, ½ cup of red wine, and 2 tsp. of dried rosemary. I let this simmer for about 30 minutes uncovered so that it would reduce.

Then I made pasta, but only because I didn’t have the dried pasta in the pantry. Once the pasta was done, I added it to the mushroom sauce, with a salad on the side, and we had a different and flavorful meal. It’s always good when your loved ones complain about being so full, but reach for that one slice of bread so they can lick the pot!

Having a wonderfully flavored meal only needs a fairly well-stocked pantry, some key ingredients in the refrigerator, and a bit of imagination. Dazzle your family and friends  with your kitchen brilliance, and make this amazing meal tomorrow!

Val

Add any type of cheese you like, but we suggest gorgonzola cheese, or if you want something less pungent, goat cheese works really well.

Chicken and Mix Greens with Vinegar Glaze

4 Boneless Chicken Breast

1 tsp. Butter

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1/3 cup Champagne Pear Vinegar (you can also use other flavored balsamic)

½ lg. Red Onion thinly sliced

Mix salad greens or fresh Spinach

Gorgonzola cheese (enough to top salad greens)

Pecans, Walnuts, or Almonds (optional)

Thoroughly rinse and dry salad greens.  Place on plates, top with cheese, and put in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Using moderate heat put olive oil and butter in a large skillet.  When butter is melted, add sliced onion, and salt slightly to bring up their flavor.  Cook onions until slightly transparent.  Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then add to onions.  Sauté until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Remove from pan set aside.

Bring heat to medium, add Champagne Pear Vinegar, and stir until it reduces and thickens.  Place chicken breast into vinegar reduction, turning to coat both sides.

Retrieve salad plates from the fridge, top with sliced chicken breast, dress with vinegar reduction, and serve with a hearty roll.

This is one of our favorite quick and easy ways to eat salad, and we hope you agree! If you already have one of our smoked salts at home, sprinkle just a little over the salad for a nice added touch, especially if you are adding avocados or tomatoes. Enjoy!

At VSpicery, we are all about fresh, quality ingredients, using only herbs, spices, salts, and peppers, never any chemicals or perservatives. We provide a perfect place to shop flavor first, to sample new flavors, create culinary adventures and enjoy great time with friends. Come visit our shop, and taste our specialty… I think you’ll agree, it’s flavor!

VSpicery is available to everyone that needs freshly dried herbs and spices, without the chemicals and preservatives you find in most store bought spice blends. We hand blend all of our rubs, can create a custom blend for you, and can recreate any blend from a small sample to meet your taste or diet requirements. We have salt-free blends available as well. Call or email us to discuss creating your custom blend. Private labeling is available upon request.

VSpicery has quite a schedule in the coming months. Stay tuned for updated information on our upcoming events and market schedules.

The Saturday Morning Market in St. Petersburg will be open this Saturday for your last minute gift needs. VSpicery will have as many pre-packaged gift packs and baskets as we can make, and will be available for pickup at the market. We will also have the flavors you need to give your holiday feast the “WOW” factor. Make sure you stop by the market to support your local businesses this holiday season.

All of us at VSpicery wish you and your family a very happy holiday season, and thank you all for your business.

VSpicery just blended our special Pumpkin Pie Spice this week, and it is nice and fresh to make your pies the best. But wait! Use some in oatmeal, make a pumpkin spice latte, add some to roasted butternut squash, or mix into butter to top sweet potatoes.

We also have our seasonal Turkey Brines ready for pickup. We have two brine flavors, a savory traditional brine, and a delicious herbal brine, both complete with directions on the package. If you haven’t tried brining your Thanksgiving turkey yet, you’re missing out! These brines will make your turkey juicy, with a full, deep flavor.

MARKET SEASON is upon us. October 1st marked the start of the Saturday Morning Market (St. Petersburg 1st Street and 1st Avenue from 9am – 2pm). This market runs every Saturday through May. VSpicery loves this market, it is so much fun!

You can also find us at the Shops at Wiregrass on the 1st Saturday of November, December and January. February this market will go to twice a month, so mark your calendars for the 1st and 3rd Saturdays starting in February. Wiregrass’ Farmers’ Market is open from 10am – 3pm.

What’s Interesting:

We mentioned oatmeal earlier, but we have something very special coming in next week… Last year we ran across a company out of Minnesota that mills a variety of organic flours and oats. What a find! We have tried their oats finding that they are a truly a cut above. These oats make the very best and silkiest oatmeal you have ever spooned into your mouth. Also makes awesome oatmeal cookies. You use it just like that stuff in the big round canister. It is definitely worth a try, so spoil yourself a bit, you deserve it!

Some of you have discovered Skillet Bacon Jam and how this simple little condiment adds tremendous flavor to everyday dishes, from simple sandwiches and vegetables to fabulous pasta, chicken, seafood, and steaks. Skillet Bacon Jam allows your culinary brain to travel to all sorts of delightful places.

We now have Sweet Potato Butter from Low Country Produce on our shelves, which is an interesting addition to any kitchen. It can be spread on toast or biscuits, used as a topping for your favorite waffle or make a Sweet Potato Bourbon Cheesecake for your next holiday dessert – oh yeah! Customer feedback – use as a sauce over pasta!

During the summer our recipe developers worked on perfecting two new SALT FREE blends, and we are quite happy with the results. VSpicery would like to introduce you to our new Citron Pepper Blend and our Salt Free Beef Blend. The Citron Pepper Blend is full of flavor, and is fantastic on poultry, fish and seafood, and veggies. Our best comment from our tasters had to do with their disbelief that beef could taste so good without salt.

Shop News

At the request of many of our customers, VSpicery has finally added Gift Cards for your holiday gifting needs. We hear from many of our customers that most of their giftees have everything they could ever need. With our array of flavors and products, you can finally find a gift that will WOW your family and friends, ideal for enhancing the usual menu at home, perfect for novices or gourmets cooks.

Because we will be working both St. Pete’s Saturday Morning Market and Wiregrass, we are changing the Saturday hours at the shop as we adjust to this working schedule. Therefore, the 1st Saturday of the month the shop will be closed.

Have you joined our Facebook page? If not, please be sure you do. We like to share, and will be posting more recipe ideas, pictures, and updates as we progress through the holiday season.

Click this link to go directly to our Facebook page: VSpicery on Facebook

Thank you to the folks that allowed us to cater their summer gatherings. We know that they had fun and so did VSpicery!

We Like To Share

White Truffle Mayonnaise

This is wonderful to serve with cold or grilled asparagus. Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

3 egg yolks

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3/4 cup light olive oil

½ cup sunflower oil

¼ cup White Truffle Oil

2 tbs lemon juice

Method

Place the egg yolks, mustard and some salt and pepper in a blender and whiz to combine. Mix the oils in a jug, then, with the motor running, slowly pour oil through the feed tube of the blender, until you have a thick emulsion. Mix in the lemon juice and a little warm water to loosen. Keep chilled for up to 2 days, stirring in freshly shaved truffle when ready to serve, if desired.

Bon Appetit!

- Val

Kym bought me some Andouille sausage earlier in the week, and we had some Baby Bella (Crimini) mushrooms left from our last market run, so I decided to make a savory fritatta incorporating those ingredients. I set the oven to preheat to 350, and perused the fridge for ingredients. I started off by slicing half a red onion, dicing half a red bell pepper, and tossing the mushrooms in whole in an oven safe pan on medium heat. Yes, I used a whole stick of butter. That’s how I roll.

Next, I chopped four of the sausages, added them to the pan, and let the whole thing saute until the onions had clarified, and the mushrooms released their fluid, about ten to fifteen minutes on medium heat, stirring frequently. After adding the sausage to the pan, I seasoned it with Applewood Smoked Salt, Special Blend Peppercorn, and Savory Steak Seasoning. Trust me, that savory blend is not just for steak.

Next, I folded 8 large eggs, seasoned them with a pinch of salt and pepper blend, and poured it on top of the saute mix. I let it cook about five minutes to setup, then added a blend of grated mozzarella and white cheddar (about a cup total) to the top. I patted the cheese with the spatula to get it to submerge a little into the eggs, since I don’t want the cheese to burn while the eggs are cooking.

Now it’s ready to bake! I pulled the pan off and put it in the oven. At 350, it took about 45 minutes to completely cook. The cheese had browned a little on top, and the edges were separating from the pan.

When I saw Martha Stewart cook a fritatta, she flipped the whole thing upside down out of the pan on to a plate. I’m less concerned about presentation, and more concerned about eating. I ran the spatula around the edges to make sure it was fully separated, and sliced the fritatta into 8 wedges. The butter in the bottom pretty well prevents any kind of sticking, so it’s easy to serve straight from the pan.

For me, there’s nothing better than a dish like this on a dark and stormy night. It’s a fairly simple prep, and creates a dish that leaves you full, warm, and satisfied. I ate it straight up like this, and it was awesome. It’s rich, savory, sweet, and most definitely “Stick to your ribs”. I imagine it would be delicious dressed with a creamy remoulade, or something similar. (If Kym had been the one cooking instead of me, we’d probably have an example of a good sauce).

So, that’s mine. What are your comfort foods?

I’d love to see your recipes and comments, so respond below!

1. We’re Penzeys quality at Wal-Mart prices. You don’t have to order a catalog, and you don’t have to buy in bulk. We cater to everyone from the occasional household cook to the chefs who count on us for their regular spice and seasoning supply. ALL product is turned over every four weeks max, so we guarantee you freshness and amazing flavor (and by guarantee, we mean we’ll give you your money back if you are dissatisfied).

2. We’re a small family business owned and operated by Redditors. That’s got to count for something, right? If you ever have any questions or issues about anything, you don’t even have to leave Reddit. Just message epicure_illume (who is an epic lurker) or MrDubious (who people wish was an epic lurker).

3. We know what we’re talking about. It’s not bragadaccio. Think I’m joking? Call Val or David at the shop and ask them about some seasoning, spice, oil, vinegar, etc. I guarantee, you will get an education, along with three dinner ideas. Stuck on your dinner party entree? Use our contact form to ask Kym for suggestions on seasonings and preparation for your ingredients. This is a family that has lived and breathed gourmet for generations. Creative Loafing said it best:

Have a vague memory of some spice mixture from a long-forgotten recipe that you can’t find in supermarkets? Or just looking to add a dash of flavor to your everyday dishes? Then you must go to VSpicery, a kind of apothecary shop for chefs. Owner Val Herzog says she was inspired to found the store in order to share her “passion for flavor,” and it shows; watching her concoct a spice mix is a delight, like viewing a culinary version of Bill Nye the Science Guy. Just reading the product names on the shelves is fun: Himalayan Sea Salt, Key Lime Curd, Cha Cha Chili Rub — you may want to cook with them just to say you did (but make sure you get Val’s advice on what tastes good with what).

4. We’re firm believers in sustainable farming and fair trade agriculture. We only deal with suppliers who adhere to these concepts, and we go to the source whenever possible. Additionally, because we deal with the source, whenever we’re looking for something yummy we can’t find anywhere, we have it custom made for our house brands.

5. You’ll never find us in a mall. What I’m really saying is, we’ve always worked hard to keep overhead low, because we care more about the sensual experience of flavor than we do about a high profit margin. We’re able to offer such competitive pricing by maintaining a modest store front, and concentrating more on flavor and quality than how to squeeze another few bucks out of our customers. Some people have said this is a mistake, but we believe it’s more important to offer high quality, healthy gourmet products than to complete with the latest “Gourmet Boutique” at your local Consumer Plaza. That trade off hasn’t made us rich, but it does make us the best at what we do. We hope you agree.

So, Cookit, now that we’ve told you why we think you should love us, tell us what you want. Anything we can do to accomodate, we will. Oh, and please check yes. Or at the very least, maybe. We’re not very good at Forever Alone.

Click here to browse the shop.

For our final day of flavor, we are pulling out the big guns! We have two Mexican inspired rubs that have been a favorite of ours and our customers, and have won awards in cook-offs across the country. Both of these rubs were created in our kitchen at VSpicery because we were always disappointed with the taco and chili seasonings we found at other stores, so we decided to make our own blends, and now we can’t use anything else.

Cocoa Loco Taco Seasoning is an amazing array of flavor layers to it, and is definitely an “adult” taco blend. We wanted something different, that wasn’t loaded with salt. We started with cumin, chili powder, garlic and onion, then added from there until perfection was achieved. There is a touch of cocoa powder in this rub, as the name suggests, which lends a slight mole flavor to it. We grind six different chili peppers for this mix, and add a bit of lime to brighten the flavor. Excellent with fish, ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken, this blend gives great flavor and is versatile. It does have a medium heat level, so we don’t suggest it for kids, although some do like it.

VSpicery’s Cha Cha Chili blend is a combination of five chilies, cumin, paprika, onion and other spices that makes your chili come alive with flavor. This awesome flavor combination perfectly compliments beef, chicken, turkey or pork. There is a mild to medium heat level depending on how much you use, so next time you’re in the mood for chili, start with our perpetual contest winner, the Cha Cha Chili blend.

Looking to take it to four alarm fire? our Red Hot Sting Rub will do just that. This smoky, Texas style rub is a flavorful blast of Southwestern heat, and is sure to have ‘em gasping for more.