I grew up in a house where basketball was always on the television, Dad cooked, and Mom did the dishes.

While they were still newlyweds, my folks decided to bet on a Knicks game. The loser of the bet would have to cook for a week and the winner would do the dishes. (I guess we know how they felt about cooking in those days.) As the story goes, my dad lost and he’s been cooking ever since. It’s been over 30 years! My dad likes to say that my mom’s favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations. {Insert drum + symbol sound here.} But clearly, this arrangement works.

For as long as I can remember, my dad has cooked with Penzeys Spices. I think that he started using them because our “Aunt” (dear family friend) Bette Jane, who was a food snob and an excellent chef, recommended them. But that might be me making things up. (It happens from time to time). If you haven’t come across Penzeys before, they are a Wisconsin-based company and they produce over 250 spices and herbs. We love their herb mixes – they’re great for those of us who haven’t quite developed the art of combining different seasonings. Once when I was home for a visit, my dad made me some soup? an omelet? and seasoned with Mural of Flavor. I loved it so much, he sent the jar home with me!

Penzeys has a number of U.S. stores, including one here in MA, but I hadn’t been to one until we were honeymooning in Colorado. On a day trip to Boulder, we were PUMPED when we came across a store. The sights and smells of a spice shop is truly something to behold. Rows upon rows of perfectly arranged, alphabetized/categorized jars. (This is where my love of organization and my love of cooking collides.) Anyway, I snapped a photo of the storefront and texted it to my dad. His response? “Spicy honeymoon.” I bet you saw that one coming.

I swear by their wide variety of cinnamon.* I love to put it in the bottom of my French Press with my coffee grinds. It offers just a touch of cinnamon flavor and solves the cinnamon-floating-on-top-of-the-coffee-problem. This trick, plus the addition of some honey, helped to wean me off of milk in my coffee.

One of the reasons I love Penzeys is that it’s midwestern. It’s got that homey, down to earth, personal feeling that I grew to love when I lived in Milwaukee. A Penzeys staffer actually signs your order with a thank you and they almost always include a free gift. Who doesn’t love to open a package of things you’ve been waiting for and be greeted by a handwritten note and a free gift?! This time around our freebie was this little sandwich sprinkle. It suggests using the sprinkle to make homemade croutons – yes please!

The Penzeys slogan is “Love People. Cook them tasty food.” I really do think that cooking is a great way to show people that you love them. So, pardon me while I grab my vanilla extract and get to work on some special birthday cookies for Heather!

Have a great morning, y’all!

Meg

*I also swear that this is not a paid advertisement for Penzeys.