There is a lovely little spice shop located in my hometown of Holland, Michigan that is as cute as a button. They have tons o’ jars of dried spices, chilies, and teas. Not to mention their selection of bamboo cutting boards, teapots and other decorative cooking bowls. It’s called The Seasoned Home and if you find yourself in Western Michigan, I recommend a look.

I decided I needed some spices to go with my new How to Cook Everything cookbook from Mark Bittman. He uses Garam Masala, Chinese Five Spice Powder and a host of other spices I have never used before. Always up for an adventure, I enlisted the help of a high school employee at The Seasoned Home to scoop out an ounce of several spices to add to my pantry. Hopefully the combination of these wonderful spices and Mark Bittman’s cookbook will yeild culinary magic!

If anyone wants to share another great resource for unique spices or their admiration for Mark Bittman, please do!