I teased about this awesome package that I got and asked for several testers to help out with product testing. Thank you to the 15 testers to responded! I sent each of them 1-3 samples of tsp spices, and they each cooked with the spice and gave me a short 2 sentence review.

You guys rock.

What is tsp?

tsp spices are organic spices in perfectly measured, freshly sealed, single-use packages. Each tin comes with 12 spice packets - each 1 tsp of the spice. Their products, “packets of pure adventure,” make measuring spoons obsolete and also protect spices from light and air to ensure freshness and the fullest flavor. A reprieve from spice cabinet chaos, these one-teaspoon spice packets are stored in tin cans that look great displayed on the kitchen counter, which makes them a perfect gift for home cooks.

Dried spices lose their potency after 6-12 months and the more light and air that gets exposed to the spice, the shorter the shelf life. Simply put, if you’ve still got that ground ginger in the back of your pantry, inherited from old Aunt Martha, your food is gonna taste like…well…crusty Aunt Martha. Nasty. I love the concept of tsp, because I only open what I need. the rest stays fresh and sealed.

(photo from tsp spices)

Such fancy packaging…are they expensive?

$7-$9 a box (12 tsp per box) - which is about 30% more than I pay for non-organic supermarket spice. However, I’ve learned something this year. Rather than go find the best deal possible, I’ve decided that I want to buy less and splurge on things that are beautiful, lovely to use and good for my family. I want to really savor and enjoy the things I have in my home, especially in the kitchen. Let me tell you, these spices are gorgeous.

Actually, when I first opened the package, I said out loud to Scott, “Damn. All this packaging - so wasteful! What’s the point of organic spices if you’re going to waste earth’s resources for the packaging?”

And of course, Scott replied, “Stop bitching. Reuse the boxes.” So now my boys’ matchbox cars smell like Oregano.

read on….I’m giving some tsp spice tins away!!!

What did I make with the tsp spices?

The most awesome braised chicken ever. Oranges, garlic, and a blend of tsp ginger and coriander.

Ginger, Coriander and Orange Braised Chicken

Inspired by flipping through Nigel Slater’s Appetite which has been sitting on my desk for the past 2 weeks because I can’t stop looking at it. I love his style of cooking - “a small handful of crabmeat per person” “ginger root - a small lump.” Nigel’s book teaches you how to improvise and create a dish all your own. Forget following recipes word-for-word, he gives you a template and teaches you which flavor combinations work well and when is it done.

Each recipe also has variations at the end. The “Chicken, Garlic and Herbs” recipe (this is the recipe my Ginger, Coriander and Orange Braised Chicken is based on) has options for:

• a buttery finish
• a creamy finish
• use this same recipe to cook lamb with garlic and lemon
• or even pork steaks with apple and creme

Anyways, I highly recommend this book. And hey, if Jamie Oliver says, “Nigel is a genius” then I’m totally sold.

You can substitute skin-on chicken breasts for thigh. Cut back the simmer time just a bit as the breast will cook faster than the bone-in thigh. Best to check it around the 17 minute mark, timing really will depend on how big and thick your breasts are.

6 chicken thighs, skin-on
1 oranges, cut into 8 wedges
6 cloves garlic, smashed with side of cleaver
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup white wine
2 1/2 tsp soy sauce
cilantro to garnish

In a small bowl, combine the ginger, coriander, salt and pepper. Season chicken on both sides with the spice mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. In large dutch oven or deep skillet, heat 1 tbl olive oil on high heat. When hot, place the chicken, skin side down to brown for 1-2 minutes. Turn skin side up. Turn heat to low, throw in garlic and 4 orange sections (give a nice squeeze as you throw them in to get the juice in the pan). Add wine. Cover and simmer on gentle, low heat for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to plate, leaving the sauce in the pan. Remove and discard oranges, and add the remaining fresh orange wedges. Turn heat to medium-high and add soy sauce. Cook for 3 minutes until thickened. Pour on top of chicken, garnish with fresh cilantro.

Free tsp spices

Really! Just for you! tsp is sending me 3 twin packs. So, 3 lucky ducks will get a beautiful set of spices.

How to enter

Just comment below and tell me what is your favorite spice combination? That’s it! If you want to link to one of your recipes, feel free to link away.

Contest is open until Saturday March 1st at 10pm est. I’ll take entries up until then and we’ll pick 3 winners using the nifty random number generator.

That’s it! Good luck!

My tester’s reviews

are on the next page!

Note: I was not responsible for slicing the skirt steak…that would be another person who resides at the Steamy household. We shall keep him nameless. Anyways, the skirt steak was cut incorrectly - they should have been sliced perpendicular or ACROSS the grain. Cutting it WITH the grain, like above, makes the skirt steak chewy.

Practically every other shop in San Fran’s Mission District features grilled steak tacos, and often on Sundays, we’d sleep in until 10am and lazily work our way towards the corner of Mission and 25th to La Taqueria for an early lunch. Of course, we’d always arrive the exact same time as the caravans of hungry families just getting out of church. Since the city boasts 423,468 automobiles and only 29 parking spots, it was a fierce game of strategy.

Approaching 3 miles from your destination, you start scanning in a steady, sweeping motion: left-center-right-center-left. No, you aren’t looking for parking spots - that’s totally hopeless and you’d just waste your eye-energy. You’re observing for people walking who have a high probability of returning to their cars to leave the area. Here’s the key - you’re looking for someone who is strolling slooooowwllly, belt buckle loosened, tell-tale lunch drippings on shirt and a satiated, dreamy look on their face. Of course they are dawdling  - they are relishing, savoring in a temporary moment of superhuman power: “I have a parking spot that YOU GUYS ALL WANT.”

So herein starts the game. Five cars follow this person, each taking a different route trying to guess which car is hers. “Look, she’s wearing Manolo pumps from two seasons ago - that Mercedes SL600 is so not her car. Go for the Audi A3 with the big dent! Whoops….she’s heading left! Oh- here she is….turn here! She stopped! SLOW DOWN!! Wait - she’s walking between cars to the next isle. HURRRY! GO!!”  At this moment, all of the contestants reposition and are jockeying to be as close as they can to her without inflicting bodily injury to said target. Because if you get too close and hit the mark, you’re slapped with a 15-yard penalty and a “Dumb-Ass” bumper sticker. Not cool.

Despite all the trouble, the tacos at La Taqueria are worth every single scratch, dent, ticket and tow. After finally scoring a parking spot, you’d proceed on foot, guided by the aroma of seared steak with hints of cumin and coriander. As you got closer to the door, you’ll hear the cooks throwing the meat on the flaming grill, each time landing with a shocking sizzle. Finally, the prize,”dos carne asada tacos con queso y aguacate por favor”

I’m not even going to try replicate those tacos exactly- because that would just cheapen my memories of hoping, fighting, praying wishing, waiting 3 hours to park for 2 tacos each. But, I’ve created a recipe that uses the same cut of meat (skirt steak) and the same cooking technique (grilling) and introduced a spicy, smoky flavor with a chipotle con adobo marinade.

Chipotle peppers are red jalapeños which are ripened, dried and smoked. On the richter scale of chili heat, they are considered medium. Canned with an adobo sauce, which is a mixture of spices, vinegar, garlic, tomato sauce and other chilies, the concoction becomes mighty marinade for steak tacos. If you’ve never used chipotle con adobo before, make the marinade with a single pepper first, taste and then add additional if you like more heat. The canned product can be found at any grocer in the Latin foods section.

Chipotle Skirt Steak Tacos

2 lbs skirt steak
1/4 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
canned Chili en Adobo: 1-3 chipotle peppers + 2 tsp of adobo sauce (use more peppers if you like the heat)
1 Tbl chopped cilantro
accompaniments: corn tortillas, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, lettuce, lime wedges, salsa,

Puree a single chipotle pepper (not the whole can) + 2 tsp of the adobo sauce with the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Taste and add more chipotle if needed. Stir in the cilantro. Throw it all in a zip lock bag with the skirt steak for at least 2 hours. Grill medium-rare. Cut the skirt steak into thin strips across the grain. Serve with taco accompaniments.

Note: I throw the corn tortillas directly on the grill 30 seconds, flip, add cheese, grill 30 seconds, remove. This melts the cheese oh-so-perfectly and chars the tortilla edges just a tiny bit for that crunch. Heating it also takes away some of the “rawness” that corn tortillas have when they are straight out of the bag.