Chili Seasoning

December 23, 2010.   I gave a jar of this to my dad to use in the bag of posole that I gave him for christmas.

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flake of whole cinnamon
1t cumin seed
1t hot mex. chili powder
1t regular chili powder
2t new mexican red chili powder
1t garlic powder
1t onion powder
1t hungarian paprika
1/4t (mounded) dry mustard powder
1/4t (mounded) thyme
1/2t (mounded) mexican oregano

Mix in a coffee grinder and add to chili or use as a taco seasoning.

Herb Mix For Vegetables

This is from August 10, 2008.   I made it specifically for taking with some friends on a camping trip.   It wound up going on a vegetable mix (potatoes, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers), with some oil and a few ounces of Old Chub in a foil pouch, and then cooked in a fire pit for 20-30 minutes (basically, until the potatoes were cooked through).  Quite tasty.

It would also be good in scrambled eggs, baked fish, and probably in an herb bread, too.

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4t parsley
2t thyme
1t marjoram
1t basil
1/2t rosemary
1/2t tarragon
1/2t black pepper
1/2t kosher salt

Mix and put on whatever.

Spice (it must flow)

I first shared this on February 23, 2006.   I had been giving it out to people for several years before that.   It's often built differently, depending on what I have had in my cabinet, and what sorts of food I have been making recently.   This one is a little more Indian influenced than the original (which came out of "Cajun Quick" by Jude Theriot), but it's tasty in about any thing that you'd put a spice mix that's ... spicy... into.
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1/2 cup paprika
2T thai peppers i grew
2T jalepeno peppers my dad grew
4T onion powder
3T garlic powder
2T black pepper
2T white pepper
4t basil
2t mustard powder
2t chili powder
1t filé powder
1t cumin
1t coriander
1t turmeric
1t cocoa
1t cilantro
1t wasabi
1/2t thyme
1/2t rosemary
1/2t fenugreek
1/2t ginger
1/4t cinnamon
4 cardamom seeds

grind everything that's not already a powder into one in a coffee or spice grinder (or mortar & pestle, if you're a real luddite).   put everything into a large bowl and mix thoroughly, and then store in old spice (not "Old Spice") containers.    Use however you'd use a spice mix ( i.e. put a little on just about anything)

Chipotle Thyme Seasoning

I made this February 12, 2005.   I've made it a few times since then, and it is a very nice kind of "everything" spice mix.  
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2t chipotle powder
1t thyme
1/2t crushed red pepper
1/2t chili powder
1/4t filé powder
1/4t mustard powder
1/4t ginger powder
1/4t basil

Mix thoroughly in a spice grinder or  loosely in a bowl.

Blackening Something

This one is from November 18, 2004.   I'm pretty certain that I was blackening a fish of some sort, but that's about all I know.   Go ahead and take the batteries out of your smoke alarms when you blacken something, but be sure to put them back in when you're finished.   It's not blackened if it's not smoking.
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1t black pepper
1/2t chili powder
1/2t paprika
1/4t file powder
1/4t mustard powder
1/4t garlic powder
1/4t ginger powder
5 dried thai peppers (~1/4t cayenne)

mix in a coffee grinder and cover whatever you're blackening in it. this totals out to a little over a tablespoon, which should cover a single fillet pretty well. would probably do a boneless chicken breast (probably a hunk of tempeh or tofu, too), as well. last night i put about 2-3 tablespoons of peanut oil in the iron skillet and set it to med-high. waited til the oil did the orange-peel thing and gave it a little more time (ideally you want it in the 350F-ish range, i think), then gently laid the fillet in the skillet. cooked for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. i also didn't move it while it was cooking (other than to flip it), in order to get the proper kind of crustiness. i think if you're doing more than one, you should interleave placing them in the skillet by about 20-30 seconds, so that it can get back up to temperature.