"Sheryl & Cyndi chatted (snip)
I was just there this morning, Cyndi! One of my RFC friends will be passing through on his way to
the Boston area next Sunday and he's stopping here for a visit and lunch at the local pizzaria.
He asked me to pick up a bottle of Sunny Paris for him, so since it was a nice day (seasonably
cold, but sunny, bright and about 20 degrees warmer than it was the past few days.) I decided to
take a drive.
I picked up the SP for our friend, and bought myself a few things.
*** I am soooo jealous! Man, to be able to just driver over to a local Penzeys! Weatherwise
we're in the yucky teens again with icky gusty winds around 23 mph. We're supposed to back up to
30 by Friday.
I get the small jars of things the first time I buy them, because they fit in my spice chest.
Thereafter, for refills, I buy the bags and store in a cool dark place. Here's what I bought:
- Bag of dehydrated minched garlic
- bag of dehydrated celery
- small jar of seasoned salt (just to try)
- small jar of ozark seasoning (when I sprinkled some on my finger from the sniffing jar, i thought
it tasted like the colonel's 11 herbs and spices....and immediately imagined fried chicken
fingers for supper tonight!)
*** Did you get *just* seasoned salt or the newer "4S" ? I'll have to try the Ozark Seasoning next
time. I noticed in their description that it doesn't say what the "spices and herbs" are...! Maybe
it *really* is the Colonel's secret! LOL
- Parisian Bonnes herbes (why get just chives when for a dime more, you can kick them up a notch
with the other herbs? smile) This is one of my favorite blends.
*** It sounds like a very delicious blend. My first impression (since I like to *taste* flavors in
my head as I read them) was that it will probably have a pleasant *green* flavor. That's how I
associate the flavor of tarragon and chervil.
Cyndi, the Bavarian is one of my absolute favorite blends!!!! It is wonderful on pork chops or
roasts. I have also used it on lamb, with additional garlic. And Bouquet Garni is probably second
only to Sunny Paris, as far as my favorites go. It is especially good on roasted carrots, believe
it or not, and it is perfect in any chicken recipe!
*** I'm really looking forward to trying the Bavarian. The Bouquet Garni sounded as though it would
be the perfect thing to use, especially when I can't (or won't pay the $$) get fresh herbs to throw
into pots of things that require some of my favorite herbs. Sunny Paris ROCKS!!! I swear between
that and the Northwoods... YUMM!
The other night, I made a stew of chicken with carrots and celery (really, it was probably just a
thick soup) and then very wide noodles, sort of my own take on southern chicken and dumplings--and
I added a healthy sprinkle of both the Bouquet Garni and their Poultry seasoning and it was SO
delicious!
*** That *does* sound great!
Sunny Paris is very special. Try it mixed into sour cream as a topping for baked potatoes or a dip
for raw veggies! Or used as the herbs in a creamy salad dressing recipe. It really goes nicely with
dairy products, like cream cheese for canapes.
*** That too, sounds wonderful; of course, that means I'll have to stop eating it by itself!
Quoted message said:
I was going to order the Pasta Sprinkle too but the Frug in me said that I could blend my own.
But then again, I don't have
any
Quoted message said:French basil... No. I'm going to be good. Besides, I still have a little bit of the Sprinkle left
thanks to Nancy (Waving
to
Quoted message said:Nancy while remembering opening that beautiful package of
Oregano
Quoted message said:she sent with the bottle of Pasta Sprinkle!!!) ! The aroma
from
Quoted message said:that oregano was nothing short of spectacular. Pure
perfection.
Quoted message said:
While I can get supposedly fresh herbs/spices from a
semi-local
Quoted message said:health food store... theirs just doesn't compare to Penzeys'.
The only advantage to getting them at the health food store is if you can buy them in "bulk", that
is, just the quantity you desire....so if you don't know if you'd like, say, summer savory, you can
buy a tablespoon of it, and they charge by the weight. Then, I can see doing it. Otherwise, for my
money, it's Penzey's all the way.
***Yeah. That and being able to get it immediately (since I don't live near one of those heavenly
stores!). Hmm, I also only spend about $0.50 on fuel and not a couple of bucks on shipping... Pros
and cons. But the health food store DEFINITELY doesn't have the terrific blends that Penzeys offers.
Which is obviously why I've become such a fan of theirs.
And shopping there is such a pleasant experience. I've become a regular there and the clerks and
the manager always greet me warmly.
*** I can imagine that. I was blown away when I received my first Penzeys package. There was a hand
signed note in there plus hand written thank yous on the packing slip! Totally surprised me. The
incredible aromas as items were opened... oooohhhhhs, aaaaahhhhhhssss, mmmmmmmmmssss.... I was ever
so blissfully happy. While I know that my local health food store carries a lot of the same items...
it's just not the same. But then again, I love receiving boxes of goodies in the mail... kind of
like Christmas any day of the year!
There's just no comparison to buying seasonings elsewhere. The quality is better, the prices are
lower and the people are wonderful. It's exactly the sort of company I want to patronize.
***Yep. So far, they've pretty much beat out all of the others that I've considered/have ordered
from. There is one other site (can't remember its name, though) that did have peppercorns for a much
lower price but they didn't have anywhere near the variety of everything else that Penzeys offers;
therefore, I'd rather order everything from 1 source that I know and trust than trying to get it
from 2 or 3 different places (which means whatever savings I would have saved would be transferred
to the s/h costs
= no savings).
Cyndi
