# Your favorite seasoning/seasoning blend



## keylime (Dec 30, 2014)

What are some of your favorite seasonings and seasoning blends, and what do you use them on?


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## CraigC (Dec 30, 2014)

keylime said:


> What are some of your favorite seasonings and seasoning blends, and what do you use them on?



We use quite a few seasoning blends. Can't say we have a favorite as they are all based on the cuisine/dish we are making.


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## Kayelle (Dec 30, 2014)

Well for me, garlic is number one.  As far as a blend, and since visiting France, I've been on an Herbs de Provence kick. It's such a pleasant combination of herbs.


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## RPCookin (Dec 30, 2014)

CraigC said:


> We use quite a few seasoning blends. Can't say we have a favorite as they are all based on the cuisine/dish we are making.



Same here.  I use Emeril's Essence (mix it myself) a bit when I want to add some quick zip to something.  I like the jerk blend I get from Savory Spice Shop.  A couple of others that I really like from them too, Barrier Reef Seafood Seasoning, Cherry Creek Seafood seasoning.  I make my own SPOG blends for low and slow smoking/barbecue.

However, I'm also a believer that with many foods, salt and pepper are all that's necessary or desirable, with maybe a single herb for savory flavor.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 30, 2014)

Garlic, salt and pepper.  Extra fancy, I like lime included.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 30, 2014)

Garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, bay leaf and celery seed are the ones I reach for most often.

A nice blend for me would be.


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## keylime (Dec 30, 2014)

I love adobo!!!! Aunt bea


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## bakechef (Dec 30, 2014)

RPCookin said:


> Same here.  I use Emeril's Essence (mix it myself) a bit when I want to add some quick zip to something.  I like the jerk blend I get from Savory Spice Shop.  A couple of others that I really like from them too, Barrier Reef Seafood Seasoning, Cherry Creek Seafood seasoning.  I make my own SPOG blends for low and slow smoking/barbecue.
> 
> However, I'm also a believer that with many foods, salt and pepper are all that's necessary or desirable, with maybe a single herb for savory flavor.



Between Penzy's and Savory Spice Shop we spent $80 one day.  I love those places!


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## RPCookin (Dec 30, 2014)

bakechef said:


> Between Penzy's and Savory Spice Shop we spent $80 one day.  I love those places!



I just got a $60 order in the mail last Wednesday.  Since we live less than 1/4 mile from the post office we don't qualify for delivery and have to have a PO box instead.  Since Savory sends by Priority Mail, the package was kept overnight in the cabinet in the post office.  The postmaster said that there was no doubt what was in the package, the whole post office smelled like a spice shop (the post office here is no larger than most people's living rooms, and smaller than many I've seen).  I told her that she could expect that about every other month or so.


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## CWS4322 (Jan 1, 2015)

I don't buy spice blends, but I do like to make my own taco seasoning, bouquet garni, and Italian spice blend. My favorite spice blend, however, is my friend's curry powder. She makes a pint jar for me about 4x/year. I give her eggs and am teaching her sons how to make pasta, pie crust, etc.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 1, 2015)

bakechef said:


> Between Penzy's and Savory Spice Shop we spent $80 one day.  I love those places!




I think you showed remarkable restraint!  I'm probably lucky that the nearest Penzy's is 7 hours away.

I like McCormick's taco seasoning.  I also blend my own Emeril's.  I have a lot of different blends.  A friend started a spice business with a local chef, and gifted us with a number of their products.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 1, 2015)

I make my own Emeril's blend also, with less salt.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 1, 2015)

Yes, tastes just fine with less salt.


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## Bigjim68 (Jan 1, 2015)

I've gotten into five spice powder. And not just for asian recipes.  It's excellent on chicken among other dishes.

Different brands vary.  The one I use is simply labelled Five Spice Powder and contains Fennel, Anise, ginger, cloves, cinnamon.  Obtainable here in Chinese markets.


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## Bookbrat (Jan 1, 2015)

I went a little crazy the only time I've been to a Penzey's store. Bought several small jars of their blends. Then there are the samples they send with orders. The ones I've restocked are Northwoods and Northwoods Fire and Santa Fe seasonings, good on vegies and chicken or pork. Also their jerk chicken & fish, and  chili powders, and sweet and hot curry powders. 

We like Spike also. I sprinkle it and a little cheddar cheese over steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and use it in a chicken divan-ish casserole. I put Spike or Northwoods on home-canned green beans.


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## Kayelle (Jan 1, 2015)

I forgot to mention this as one of my *favorites*. It's the perfect blend of salt, chili and lime. It's just terrific all by itself on roasted chicken, and also on fresh fruits or just about anything.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 1, 2015)

Kayelle said:


> I forgot to mention this as one of my *favorites*. It's the perfect blend of salt, chili and lime. It's just terrific all by itself on roasted chicken, and also on fresh fruits or just about anything.




OMG.  This is exactly what a friend gave me recently!!


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## Kayelle (Jan 1, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> OMG.  This is exactly what a friend gave me recently!!
> View attachment 22444



You're gonna *love it *Dawg!!  Go to the website for great uses. I love it sprinkled on fresh pineapple and cottage cheese.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 1, 2015)

Kayelle said:


> You're gonna *love it *Dawg!!  Go to the website for great uses. I love it sprinkled on fresh pineapple and cottage cheese.




Thanks Kay!  I figured I would bathe in it first.  Have never seen it here, and one of my girlfriends was so excited to gift me with it!  The Iittle bottle is habanero, she said it's muy caliente.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 1, 2015)

Kayelle said:


> I forgot to mention this as one of my *favorites*. It's the perfect blend of salt, chili and lime. It's just terrific all by itself on roasted chicken, and also on fresh fruits or just about anything.



Before I saw the pic, I knew what you were going to show.  Tajin is fantastic on any fruit, meat, dairy.  I love it stirred into V-8 juice.  I was able to get a package of the small bottles to put in my work lunch box.


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## bakechef (Jan 1, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> I think you showed remarkable restraint!  I'm probably lucky that the nearest Penzy's is 7 hours away.
> 
> I like McCormick's taco seasoning.  I also blend my own Emeril's.  I have a lot of different blends.  A friend started a spice business with a local chef, and gifted us with a number of their products.



Penzy's 10 minutes away, savory spice shop 20 minutes away, staying away from them takes a lot of restraint!  I am going to go to savory on Saturday to pick up spices for tandoori chicken.  Rob loves tandoori chicken but every place around here charges a fortune for it.  He came home with half a tandoori chicken that looked more like a pigeon, I've never seen chicken pieces that small, the chicken alone cost $12.99 FOR HALF OF A TINY CHICKEN! they put it on a big pile of sliced onions so that it looked like something in the container.  This seems to be the status quo when it comes to Indian food here.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 1, 2015)

bakechef said:


> Penzy's 10 minutes away, savory spice shop 20 minutes away, staying away from them takes a lot of restraint!  I am going to go to savory on Saturday to pick up spices for tandoori chicken.  Rob loves tandoori chicken but every place around here charges a fortune for it.  He came home with half a tandoori chicken that looked more like a pigeon, I've never seen chicken pieces that small, the chicken alone cost $12.99 FOR HALF OF A TINY CHICKEN! they put it on a big pile of sliced onions so that it looked like something in the container.  This seems to be the status quo when it comes to Indian food here.




:rolf:

Sorry for that, Bakechef, but I can't imagine a pigeon-sized half chicken!


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## jusnikki (Jan 1, 2015)

I love,love,love Old Bay Garlic and Herb...  I make sure i dont run out. Always have on hand garlic and onion powder. Oh an Happy New Year!!!


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## Kayelle (Jan 1, 2015)

Dawgluver said:


> Thanks Kay!  I figured I would bathe in it first.  Have never seen it here, and one of my girlfriends was so excited to gift me with it!  The Iittle bottle is habanero, she said it's muy caliente.



The next time I go to Costco I'm going to buy the giant size bottle that I've seen there. I love to do a beer butt chicken with *lots *of it sprinkled inside and out.


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## Andy M. (Jan 1, 2015)

I have been thinking about this thread and I have to say, I don't think I have a favorite seasoning blend.  

I have a bunch in my spice cabinet but can't really point to a favorite.  I have two kinds of Penzeys seasoned salt.  Cajun, Italian, Turkish seasonings.  Curry powders, etc.


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## puffin3 (Feb 21, 2015)

I make my own Sel Fou.
I made a few dozen small jars as Christmas gifts. I buy fresh horseradish, pile it, rough chop, into processer until the pieces are the size of pepper corns, spread out on a cookie sheet, roasted until just turned brown, cooled, into coffee bean grinder. Now I have dried pieces grind fairly fine but not to powder.


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## Addie (Feb 21, 2015)

Salt, fresh ground pepper, Italian mixed. I go REAL light of the pepper. I love it, it hates me. And you can never have too much garlic.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 21, 2015)

I picked up a 1/2 gal of Frank's extra hot sauce at the cash and carry place Friday. That should last me a few weeks...


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 21, 2015)

CWS4322 said:


> I picked up a 1/2 gal of Frank's extra hot sauce at the cash and carry place Friday. That should last me a few weeks...



Myrtle and the rest of the girls will get nervous if they see all of that hot sauce!


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## Cheryl J (Feb 21, 2015)

Since I've discovered Penzey's  I can't really pinpoint a favorite, but a few of my top faves are Mural of Flavor, Arizona Dreaming, and McCormicks makes a lemon pepper, garlic, and onion blend that I really like.  

I love fresh cracked pepper, and cannot do without that, I put it on everything.  My pepper mill broke a couple of days ago and I went out that same day and bought another one.  Not happy with it, but we don't have much of a choice here, so the next time I go to the city I'm going to get a better one.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 21, 2015)

Cheryl, have you considered one of the Penzeys pepper mills? I keep looking at them every time I order, but then pass. I bought a Peugeot mill a number of years ago. Even though the adjustment feature looks like it should be efficient, I noticed after using it for only a year or two that the grinds ended up being awfully close to the same medium grind whether I had it set on course or fine. It wasn't a very expensive model, but it cost plenty enough - actually more than the 6" Penzeys is right now. As a bonus, it comes full of those delish Tellicherry peppercorns.


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## Cheryl J (Feb 21, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> *Cheryl, have you considered one of the Penzeys pepper mills? *I keep looking at them every time I order, but then pass. I bought a Peugeot mill a number of years ago. Even though the adjustment feature looks like it should be efficient, I noticed after using it for only a year or two that the grinds ended up being awfully close to the same medium grind whether I had it set on course or fine. It wasn't a very expensive model, but it cost plenty enough - actually more than the 6" Penzeys is right now. As a bonus, it comes full of those delish Tellicherry peppercorns.


 
Yes, I have! In fact, I think I'm going to go ahead with a Penzey's pepper mill rather than waiting until I go to the city again.  I've browsed their catalog looking at them, and they stand behind their products, so I'm going to go ahead with that.  

That's the problem I have now with the cheapo just-to-get-me-by pepper mill I just bought - no matter how I adjust it, it only wants to do a fine to medium grind.  Sometimes I like a courser grind - like when I grill a steak.


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## Addie (Feb 22, 2015)

Cheryl J said:


> Yes, I have! In fact, I think I'm going to go ahead with a Penzey's pepper mill rather than waiting until I go to the city again.  I've browsed their catalog looking at them, and they stand behind their products, so I'm going to go ahead with that.
> 
> That's the problem I have now with the cheapo just-to-get-me-by pepper mill I just bought - no matter how I adjust it, it only wants to do a fine to medium grind.  Sometimes I like a courser grind - like when I grill a steak.



One cannot do without a peppermill. A good grilled steak just doesn't taste right unless it is covered in course ground pepper. 

I also have a matching mill to my pepper one for course sea salt. I can't remember when I last bought salt in a round box like Morton's.


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## RPCookin (Feb 22, 2015)

Addie said:


> One cannot do without a peppermill. A good grilled steak just doesn't taste right unless it is covered in course ground pepper.
> 
> I also have a matching mill to my pepper one for course sea salt. I can't remember when I last bought salt in a round box like Morton's.



All salt forms have their place in cooking and baking.  Some perform better than others in certain uses.  Regardless of form, they all have essentially the same chemical make up - sodium chloride is sodium chloride, regardless of the size of the crystals.  For that matter, salt mined from the ground is still sea salt, just much older from seas that dried up.  Sea salt is best used as a finishing salt, and is generally wasted money when used for general cooking.  It takes twice as much kosher salt, and even more sea salt to equal the flavoring power of table salt.

This is from a site called The Kitchn:



> ...the only differences between kosher salt and table salt (and really, between nearly every other sort of salt) lie in the shape and size of its crystals, not its chemical makeup. Kosher salt has large, rough crystals that take a long time to dissolve in the mouth. They crunch. A tablespoon of kosher salt will actually contain fewer salt crystals, by volume, than table salt, which has much smaller crystals.
> 
> There is no difference between kosher salt and rough "sea salt". Pretty much all salt has an identical chemistry. Some are smoked, or have trace elements of minerals that change their taste or color, but any differences between "kosher" and "sea" salt, provided the shapes of their crystals are the same, are purely in the labeling.



If a recipe calls for regular "table" salt, then that's what should be used or it won't have the same flavor as what the author intended.  The smaller crystals dissolve faster and more thoroughly to impart more flavor throughout.  I can't imagine using a coarse salt for baking unless it's specifically required in the recipe.

I have regular salt, kosher salt and sea salt all in my spice cupboard.


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## Addie (Feb 22, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> All salt forms have their place in cooking and baking.  Some perform better than others in certain uses.  Regardless of form, they all have essentially the same chemical make up - sodium chloride is sodium chloride, regardless of the size of the crystals.  For that matter, salt mined from the ground is still sea salt, just much older from seas that dried up.  Sea salt is best used as a finishing salt, and is generally wasted money when used for general cooking.  It takes twice as much kosher salt for a recipe, and even more sea salt to equal the flavoring power of table salt.
> 
> This is from a site called The Kitchn:
> 
> ...



I have a small food processor. When I need table salt, I put a couple of tbs. in the small food processor, and that processes that salt 'till it is almost dust. I buy two kinds of sea salt. Course and fine. I have never liked kosher salt. I have always found it to have an off taste.


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## RPCookin (Feb 22, 2015)

Addie said:


> I have a small food processor. When I need table salt, I put a couple of tbs. in the small food processor, and that processes that salt 'till it is almost dust. I buy two kinds of sea salt. Course and fine. I have never liked kosher salt. I have always found it to have an off taste.



Kosher salt is just salt that has been rolled into flat crystals instead of the natural cube shapes..  It's properly called "koshering salt" because it has its origins in preparing certain kosher meats, for removing surface blood by dessication.    Otherwise it's no different from non iodized table salt.  Most salts are actually kosher in respect to the food preparation requirements in the Torah.  

Sea salt is the same stuff, only just with a different crystal form.  Sea salts from different regions may vary slightly in the composition of the trace compounds (most of which have no effect on flavor), but they are otherwise just NaCl.  In fact some of the additives that are put in table salt to keep it from clumping are the same compounds that are found naturally in sea salt.  

Any actual difference in taste is mostly just in one's head.  In a blind taste test, I doubt that you could tell the difference.


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## Andy M. (Feb 22, 2015)

Not all kosher salts are created equal.  Diamond Crystal kosher salt has one ingredient, sodium chloride.  That's pure salt.  Other kosher salts and table salts contain additives that prevent clumping and/or add iodine.  Sea salts are less pure.  They contain other salts and whatever else from the sea water, which explains why some are pink or black or speckled.

Measuring the different salts is also different.  Among table salt, Diamond Crystal and Mortons kosher salts there is a significant difference in crystal size so the amount of salt in a teaspoon varies.  A teaspoon of table salt is equal to 1.5 teaspoons of Mortons and 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal.  No telling with sea salts as their crystal sizes differ within a single jar.


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## CharlieD (Feb 22, 2015)

Growing up in Soviet Union, everything was a luxury, unreachable luxury. For example a tea spoon of ground black pepper was readily available at a black market, that is to say that it was not readily available in stores, for a mere 1 ruble. What do you say 1 ruble was worth? Well, a well paid plant manager was making about 300 rubles a month. 

Anyway, I grew up basically with salt as the only seasoning. In the summer time there were dill and parsley. If one was lucky enough and visited Black Sea resort one could obtain some cilantro and even fresh bay leaves. And if one was rally like he/she would find hot red pepper. Needles to say I have very undeveloped palate for seasoning. 

So my main to go seasonings are garlic salt, paprika and cayenne pepper.


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## CharlieD (Feb 22, 2015)

"Kosher salt" is either marketing ploy or simply a name. Because in reality it is not used in koshering meat. Imagine plant producing thousands of pounds of meat, using a small box of salt. As the matter of fact same kind of salt sold in Soviet Union was called cooking salt.


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## msmofet (Feb 22, 2015)

Kayelle said:


> I forgot to mention this as one of my *favorites*. It's the perfect blend of salt, chili and lime. It's just terrific all by itself on roasted chicken, and also on fresh fruits or just about anything.


 
I have never seen that. Sounds interesting.


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## msmofet (Feb 22, 2015)

I buy spices and blend for my all purpose seasoning mix. I use it on just about everything. Only one I use solo is salt for cooking pasta, potatoes and soups.

My mixed spice seasoning blend - 

Garlic powder, Onion powder, Goya Adobo Seasoning (with pepper or lemon), Accent (MSG),  Sea Salt, Ground peppercorns (4 or 5 variety blend), Cayenne, Hungarian Sweet Paprika, Hungarian Hot Paprika,  ground red pepper flakes

For poultry or pork - Add poultry seasoning.
For fish - Add (Old Bay) Lemon and pepper blend
For BBQ - Add Trader Joe smoked paprika or Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning Blend


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 23, 2015)

I go through a lot of paprika, pepper, basil, cinnamon, and Colman's powdered mustard, usually in combination with some other spice that is needed for that particular dish. I've also been on a run of using my Penzeys dehydrated chives - love them! I do mix a lot of my own blends such as for tacos, chili, and Baltimore pit beef. Even if the beef doesn't go on the grill, we still like the blend on our our roast. There is one store-bought blend I can't figure out how to duplicate it - Spice Merchants Thai Coconut Rub. Love that stuff on grilled shrimp, but boy is it pricey compared to anything that Penzeys sells. Since we don't grill shrimp often, I can get a lot of mileage out of an ounce. Running out, and my go-to store in Fort Myers is no longer there.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 23, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> I go through a lot of paprika, pepper, basil, cinnamon, and Colman's powdered mustard, usually in combination with some other spice that is needed for that particular dish. I've also been on a run of using my Penzeys dehydrated chives - love them! I do mix a lot of my own blends such as for tacos, chili, and Baltimore pit beef. Even if the beef doesn't go on the grill, we still like the blend on our our roast. There is one store-bought blend I can't figure out how to duplicate it - Spice Merchants Thai Coconut Rub. Love that stuff on grilled shrimp, but boy is it pricey compared to anything that Penzeys sells. Since we don't grill shrimp often, I can get a lot of mileage out of an ounce. *Running out, and my go-to store in Fort Myers is no longer there.*



Check this out!

Not as much fun as a spice run to Fort Myers! 

https://secure.spicemerchants.biz/sm/products/details/414/Thai_Coconut_Rub


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> I go through a lot of paprika, pepper, basil, cinnamon, and Colman's powdered mustard, usually in combination with some other spice that is needed for that particular dish. I've also been on a run of using my Penzeys dehydrated chives - love them! I do mix a lot of my own blends such as for tacos, chili, and Baltimore pit beef. Even if the beef doesn't go on the grill, we still like the blend on our our roast. There is one store-bought blend I can't figure out how to duplicate it - Spice Merchants Thai Coconut Rub. Love that stuff on grilled shrimp, but boy is it pricey compared to anything that Penzeys sells. Since we don't grill shrimp often, I can get a lot of mileage out of an ounce. Running out, and my go-to store in Fort Myers is no longer there.



 There is a store in Mashpee, MA.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 23, 2015)

*Aunt B*, I don't think I'll be ordering online. The shipping would cost more than the one seasoning! 

*PF*, Mashpee is over 100 miles away, one-way. That's a long way to go for 2 ounces of seasoning!

I did check the website before I posted my first comment, but didn't notice that they had a new store.  It turns out that Spice Merchants just opened a shop in Ann Maria Island, FL. That will be on our way to our timeshare week this fall. I'm guessing I have enough left to get me through a couple of shrimp grills, so I can wait. And then buy plenty when I get there!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2015)

I just saw the store in MA...didn't think it was 100 miles away anywhere in the state


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 23, 2015)

Well MA is small, but it's no Rhode Island.  I understand competitive swimmers can hold their breath while driving across the entire width of the state.  

From Boston to the New York State line, the MA turnpike is 138 miles long - or five miles shorter than the distance from downtown Cleveland to downtown Columbus. Seriously. Then you have that "arm" of MA. Just driving from the Cape Cod Canal to the tip at Provinetown is over 60 miles!

And all of these distances are just a burp to anyone living out west!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Well MA is small, but it's no Rhode Island.  I understand competitive swimmers can hold their breath while driving across the entire width of the state.
> 
> From Boston to the New York State line, the MA turnpike is 138 miles long - or five miles shorter than the distance from downtown Cleveland to downtown Columbus. Seriously. Then you have that "arm" of MA. Just driving from the Cape Cod Canal to the tip at Provinetown is over 60 miles!
> 
> *And all of these distances are just a burp to anyone living out west!*



DAY TRIP!!!!


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> DAY TRIP!!!!



Not with Massachusetts traffic!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 23, 2015)

I was talking about the distance in Montana...


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## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I was talking about the distance in Montana...



It always amazes me when I look at a map of the USA.  East of the Mississippi, the states are fairly small.  They almost look shriveled up, while West of the river, they are huge.  If you take a moment to look for yourself, look at the size of MA and compare it to Montana or Texas.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 24, 2015)

Most states west of the _Hudson_ are big compared to MA, and ridiculously so compared to RI. OH is more than 4 times the size of MA, and we thought a day trip to Columbus and back was nothing. Sizes just go from big west of the Hudson to bigger west of the Mississippi. I guess they got tired thinking up more new names.  I'm amazed to know that the width of MO is the almost same distance as we drive from where we now live to our daughter's house.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 24, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> It always amazes me when I look at a map of the USA.  East of the Mississippi, the states are fairly small.  They almost look shriveled up, while West of the river, they are huge.  If you take a moment to look for yourself, look at the size of MA and compare it to Montana or Texas.



And I have to drive up 3000-4000 feet to get out of my valley in any direction.  Driving across Montana is one day if you only drive during the day.  It's a good 18-20 hours to my parents in Wyoming, driving straight through.


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## Addie (Feb 24, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I just saw the store in MA...didn't think it was 100 miles away anywhere in the state.



Mashpee is in my neighborhood. It located on the South Shore and can be reached by using the Xpressway. About a 20 minute drive.


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## Addie (Feb 24, 2015)

Andy M. said:


> Not with Massachusetts traffic!



Oh how true!!! Try driving to or from the Cape in the summer. If you have to be to work by Monday morning, start your drive home around midnight the day before. Some of the traffic has thinned out by then. Not much, just some. 

I have a lawyer friend who had a summer home on the Cape in Eastham. They ended up having to sell it. She missed a couple of very important court dates on a Monday morning. Judges don't want to hear any excuses. It was more costly when she missed those court dates than renting the place out. Then there was the cost of the upkeep. Etc. She is an Ad Litem lawyer for children. Missing those dates created massive guilt in her.


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## RPCookin (Feb 24, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> And I have to drive up 3000-4000 feet to get out of my valley in any direction.  Driving across Montana is one day if you only drive during the day.  It's a good 18-20 hours to my parents in Wyoming, driving straight through.



Back in 1971, my two best friends and I had all just gotten out of different branches of the military.  None of us had been back home in Montana for more than a month, so we were basically just getting reacquainted, swapping war stories.  We hopped in Don's Chevelle and took an impromptu 3 day road trip.  We drove 1800 miles, just hitting the old places that had memories from our younger days, places we'd fished and hunted and partied, yet we never left the state, never even got closer than 50 miles from the border.  There was another time that we actually drove to Missoula for lunch... from Great Falls, 189 miles one way.  

You learn to think of distance in a different way out here in the wild west.  When I visit my brother in Idaho Falls, ID, it's about a 550 mile, 9 hour drive from Denver, with at least 1/3 of it on 2 lane highway.  I just plug in some good music and head out.  Last fall I drove from just north of St. Paul, Minnesota to my home here in NE Colorado in about 10½ hours (that means driving all the way across Iowa and Nebraska, as well as more than 100 miles of Minnesota).  Iowa and Minnesota have archaic 70 mph speed limits on the freeway.  I hate having to slow down that much.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 25, 2015)

Addie said:


> Mashpee is in my neighborhood. It located on the South Shore and can be reached by using the Xpressway. About a 20 minute drive.


Addie, I think you have Mashpee confused with some other town. Mashpee is on the Cape, over 60 miles away from Boston. Maybe you mean Marshfield? Even that is 30 miles away from you, hardly a 20 minute trip no matter how you get there.


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## Cheryl J (Feb 25, 2015)

I watched some shows on the history channel a few years back called "How the States Got Their Shapes", it was interesting.  I'll have to look at the history channel online and see if the shows are still there.  I'm on my phone now and have a hard enough time with the small print let alone having a sleeping kitty sprawled across me, or I'd look now. 

I recall them saying that rivers make a lot of the natural borders, and that when the east was colonized they had a lot denser population in small areas than the largely unpopulated west and midwest.   I guess Jefferson wanted large states west of the Mississippi  so there would be enough people per state to support its own govt. I should watch those again, Unger hosted them, I don't remember his first name.


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## Addie (Feb 25, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Addie, I think you have Mashpee confused with some other town. Mashpee is on the Cape, over 60 miles away from Boston. Maybe you mean Marshfield? Even that is 30 miles away from you, hardly a 20 minute trip no matter how you get there.



Mashpee is not located on Cape Cod proper. It is located just before you go over the Bourne Bridge. Cape Cod proper doesn't start until you cross the bridge. The very first town when you cross the bridge is Sandwich. Famous for glass making. I lived on the Cape for a few years. So I know what towns are considered "on the Cape" And properly, Mashpee is not on the Cape. Mashpee is on the Boston side of the canal. That is not Cape Cod. And it can be reached with relative ease if you leave at the right time. In the morning, everyone is driving north to Boston. So reaching the South Shore is a snap. Practically no traffic at all. My granddaughter's father lived in Mashpee for many years. I went with her when she wanted to see him.


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 25, 2015)

Addie, I don't like to argue, but I don't like to be told I'm wrong when I am not. I don't know, maybe someone moved Mashpee after you moved from the Cape, but it IS on the cape. It is due south of Sandwich, and very much on the Cape side of the Bourne bridge. From the website "capecodweb.com":

* Located on Cape Cod, the Town of Mashpee is the fastest growing municipality in the Commonwealth...*

If you go to the "capecodweb" site you can see where Mashpee is on the map for yourself. And I used Google Maps to check the distance to Mashpee from East Boston. 67 miles.

Wishing you sweet dreams. I'm heading off to bed. Again. G'Night.


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## RPCookin (Feb 25, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Addie, I don't like to argue, but I don't like to be told I'm wrong when I am not. I don't know, maybe someone moved Mashpee after you moved from the Cape, but it IS on the cape. It is due south of Sandwich, and very much on the Cape side of the Bourne bridge. From the website "capecodweb.com":
> 
> * Located on Cape Cod, the Town of Mashpee is the fastest growing municipality in the Commonwealth...*
> 
> ...



All you have to do is look at it on Google Maps.  Mashpee is south of the canal, south of Sandwich, and southeast of Bourne.


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