Spicier!

I ran out of cinnamon a few weeks ago and bought some at the local grocery store. When I opened the jar, it smelled so weak and not very cinnamon-like. Shows what you get for buying cheapo spices. My last jar was from a gourmet market close to wear I used to live in Manhattan. I was planning on going back there, but remembered that there's a Penzey's Spices in Grand Central Market. I had gone to bed at 10:00 on Friday night, so I woke up bright and early at 8 a.m. on Saturday, getting me to the market just after it opened. I've walked through the Grand Central Market a couple times, but never actually shopped there. I was delighted to find a Murray's Cheese and Li-Lac Chocolates there as well. The Penzey's staff is very nice and the prices are great. I got a bottle of Chinese cassia for $3.29 (The cinnamon you see in stores is really cassia. Real cinnamon - ceylon cinnamon - is rarer and more pricey.)! If you buy nicer spices at the supermarket, they usually cost around $5. I am definitely a Penzey's convert.

I got a pleasant surprise on Friday. My awesome brother bought me the Le Creuset Buffet Casserole that I've been drooling over for the longest time. It's kiwi green and so darned cute! I used it for the first time on Saturday and made chicken curry. This holiday season has been so good, giving me an All-Clad roasting pan and a Le Creuset pot! I'm already thinking about how I can turn some of my recipes into one-pot meals, like my chicken stew with parsley biscuit topping. Is it odd for me to want cooking and baking equipment instead of jewelry and clothes? Yup, it's pretty weird, when you look at other women my age.