2013 has come and gone.........

Well, it certainly has been a while. We hope you had a great holiday! It was a bit hectic and we were busy mailing packages all across the U.S. (and Canada :). Our little shop is starting to take off, and we couldn't be more excited. Our customers are lovely and provide wonderful feedback which we absolutely love to hear.

Here are a few updates about us. First, we secured our second retail location - "Isabella Gourmet Foods" - a lovely artisan food boutique in Santa Barbara, CA. They have amazing local artisan foods from jams, to bread, to chocolates. It really is a lovely stop if you are ever in the area.

 

Photo: IsabellaGourmetFoods.com

We also participated in a monthly craft fair called "Naturally Bazaar" at a vegan grocery store called 'Viva La Vegan.' This is a fairly new store with two locations in CA, one in Rancho Cucamonga and another in Santa Monica. They have a large selection of vegan, gluten free, and specialty food items that are often hard to find. We met many customers with varied diets: vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores! Let's face it, spices add flavor to all types of food and really change up those boring everyday meals, whether you are a plant eater or meat eater.

In December, we were honored to be chosen as an artisan for Whole Foods Sherman Oaks West's very first "Eat, Drink & Be Gifty" craft show. This was a partnership between Whole Foods and Etsy featuring only Etsy shop owners. We set up a booth on their patio where they offered hot cider and snacks and met many nice Whole Foods shoppers. Twenty percent of our sales were donated to "Feed Four More," a program set up to provide local low income families with meals during the holidays (and throughout the year).

Whole Foods flyer featuring our "Kitchen Quad" photo.

 Our tiny (but mighty) booth at Whole Foods.

We hope to continue to grow this coming year. Great things are possible. Wishing you all a prosperous and peaceful 2014!

We're in Retail!

We are so proud to announce that we secured our first retail location, The Corner Butcher Shop in La Verne. They will be featuring our Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub which blends nora chililes, spanish paprika, and more into an irresistable rub for ribs, tri tip, wings, and grilled shrimp. They were very impressed and will be using it directly as a marinade on their top quality meats. Also, the tins will be featured on their shelves. This is an exciting step for us and we hope it's only the beginning!

 

*Here is a little bit of press about the Corner Butcher Shop in La Verne along with our mention.

http://www.laverneonline.com/2013/10/03/the-butcher-boys-mouth-watering-catering-selections-will-fuell-your-appetite/ 

Just one of the dishes that can be seasoned with our rub. Mouthwatering! For more product info, visit our shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/158707129/smoky-spanish-bbq-rub-grilling-spice-bbq?ref=shop_home_active

 

Cultural Goodness: Basque Trio "Kalakan" Gives Free Concert

Musical trio "Kalakan" played in Chino, California for visitors of the Southern California Basque Club. After a hearty lamb bbq lunch, along with beef stew, salad, cheese and lots of wine, we welcomed Kalakan's performance. This Basque band actually toured with Madonna during her 2012 MDNA World Tour. My impression was so positive - they are traditional but innovative, engaging and interactive while maintaining their Basque roots. They play a mix of percussion instruments, including txalaparta, danborrak, pandereta and ttun ttun. Songs about Basque immigrant workers, mother/daughter relationships, and even "somewhat sensual" :) topics moved us and also made us laugh. This, of course, after some translation by my father who speaks fluent Basque.

 

Here is a video with a small snippet of a song they played. I'm sorry I can't provide the title of the song!

If you'd like to find out about other cultural events in So Cal, check out our facebook page: www.facebook.com/thespanishtin.

Foodie Party Collection

Hi everyone, wow this month went by fast. We finally finished our new collection which is the Foodie Party Collection under $20. It features three great spice tins: Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub, Mediterranean Rosemary Salt, and Salud Spicy Cocktail Salt. These spices are great for parties whether you're serving tapas, appetizers, finger foods, or entrees. For day to day, they offer new flavors and textures to liven up traditional dishes. As we enter fall, this is a great addition to your pantry (especially for football season) and also makes a great gift going into the holidays!

---Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub / A la barbacoa
For amazing BBQ, our Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub is the perfect addition to your spice cabinet. This blend contains Hot Smoked Spanish Paprika, Nora Chilies (also from Spain), two types of Mediterranean Sea Salt, and ground Smoked Black Peppercorns. Seasoning works especially well with grilled meats (ribs, chicken, shrimp, beef). Enjoy wings/ribs with the family during football season!

---Mediterranean Rosemary Salt / Romero con Sal Mediterraneo
An all purpose blend using Mediterranean Sea Salt, rosemary, and some great smoked black peppercorns. Pairs well with various proteins. Dishes such as roasted chicken, lamb, baked or grilled fish (hake, tilapia, red snapper, bass, etc) are just a few of the dishes that our Mediterranean Rosemary Sea Salt adds a ton of flavor to. Add to eggs, fries, oven roasted potatoes, and vegetables. Makes a great Thanksgiving turkey marinade (along w/olive oil, lemon juice, and dijon mustard).

----Salud Spicy Cocktail Salt / Sal Cóctel Picante
Searching for a unique foodie gift, try our festive Salud Cocktail Salt which blends Nora Chilies (rich mild earthy flavor) and sea salt for a spicy garnish. Perfect for margaritas, bloody marys, micheladas (beer w/clamato) and other (non-alcohlic) cocktails. This cocktail salt adds color, flavor, and texture to drinks, pairs well with fruit cups and can even be used in making shrimp cocktail sauce.

 We promise to post recipes soon!!!!!!! If you'd like to see these items go to: www.etsy.com/shop/thespanishtin.

Fall for Soup

We've been quiet because we are busy creating a new spice collection and a special holiday edition kit. However, we haven't stopped cooking! Take a look at our latest dish. This is a delicious and healthy soup for everyone in the family. Even our two year old loves it! Great for the fall and easy to make. Our hot smoked paprika is the best!!! Please stay tuned for the recipe coming next week.

Grilled Chicken Kebabs

Here is a simple recipe for some delicious grilled kebabs. "Pinchos morunos" (small tapas kebabs) are well known in Southern Spain and the flavors reflect the Moorish influence that still is very present throughout that area.

 

Grilled kebabs with lemon, garlic, and Far East Spain Blend seasoning.

Ingredients

1-2 pounds of chicken breast or pre-cut chicken (cubed)
1 large lemon
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp of salt1 tbsp of Far East Spain Blend seasoning (from TheSpanishTin )
Instructions
Use pre-made unseasoned kebabs or skewer your own.
In a plastic bag add cubes of chicken, juice from lemon, 2 diced garlic cloves, Far East Spain Blend, and salt. Mix together as best you can and add chicken. Rub mix into chicken through bag. Let marinade in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Remove chicken, skewer, and grill.

This flavorful seasoning can also be used for dips, roasted vegetables or other types of meat lamb, beef, etc. For more info click here.

 

Or visit our shop for our entire selection of premium quality spices: www.etsy.com/shop/thespanishtin

Basque Picnic in Southern California

This is a great family event held every year at the Chino Fairgrounds. It is Saturday August 31st - there will be lots of food, drinks, folkloric dancing and music. Come enjoy a great lamb BBQ, entertainment, and the chance to meet new people. We have been coming to this picnic for years, and it is always a great time. It really is a cultural event and all cultures are present - Basques, French Basques, Basque Americans, and all the cultures that make up Southern California. Hope to see you there!

 

If you don't know much about the Basques, and would like to learn more click here.

TAPAS!

We created our own little tapa this weekend and it was so good, we made a bunch and had it for dinner. Of course, they can be eaten as appetizers or even breakfast (I think) because this tapa contains two favorites: eggs and potatoes.

It is very simple but oh so tasty. You'll need the following ingredients:

Eggs
Potatoes
Garlic (optional)
Hot Smoked Paprika (or Pimentón)
Olive oil
Alioli

So you'll start with the potatoes since they take the longest. There are a few options here. You can scallop them, cut them into french fries, or even oddly chopped sizes. That is really up to you. You can fry them first until they are semi-cooked and finish cooking them in the oven or you can fry them until they are cooked. Again up to you :). Trader Joe's also sells this great bag of frozen garlic-parm roasted potatoes that we sometimes use when there's no time to properly make fries. Next, you'll make an egg sunny side up or over medium (as we like them). Fry them in olive oil with a couple of garlic cloves. Salt and pepper your eggs to taste. Now you are ready to put them together. On a small plate, layer some of your potatoes, then carefully put your egg on top. Sprinkle some Hot Smoked Paprika on top of your egg and potatoes. Add a bit of aioli to finish your tapa. If you don't have aioli (think of a garlic flavored mayo), you can use a little bit of mayo. It sounds weird but believe me, it is really good. Put some in the corner of a sandwich bag, and cut the bottom corner of the bag, so you can easily squeeze it out and drizzle it onto your tapa.
 
You can buy aioli premade or you can make your own.  We feature a great Hot Smoked Paprika (Pimentón de la Vera) from Spain: click here for more info.

See below for recipe from Chow.com.

"Though aioli sounds fancy, it’s really just a garlicky mayonnaise. Here we use a combination of vegetable and olive oils since an aioli of solely extra-virgin olive oil can be overpowering (and expensive."

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the garlic, mustard, and egg in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process until evenly combined, about 10 seconds.
2. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream, followed by the grapeseed or vegetable oil, until completely combined, about 2 minutes. Stop the processor, add the lemon juice, season with salt, and pulse until thoroughly mixed. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then pulse until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before using. Refrigerate in a container with a tightfitting lid for up to 3 days.

 Aioli recipe from Chow.com.

Making homemade hummus is super easy, inexpensive, and best of all requires few ingredients. There are many different flavor combos and here we've provided our take on some great and tasty hummus.

 

Ingredients: We used our deliciously fragrant Hot Smoked Paprika for this recipe.
1 1/2 cans of chickpeas or garbanzos
1/2 tsp of lemon juice
3/4 tsp of Hot Smoked Paprika (Pimentón)
Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients together until desired consistency. Smooth or chunky depending on your preference. Add salt at the end to taste. Serve with flax seed veggie chips (as pictured), pita bread, or crackers. Keeps for about a week and no preservatives or extra ingredients :) .

Our Hot Smoked Paprika can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/126831357/hot-smoked-paprika-spice-pimenton-mild?ref=shop_home_active

An all American favorite - perfect for summer bbq's or family get togethers. We made these this past July 4th, and we'll definitely have them again Labor day weekend since the family will be coming over :).  See our super simple recipe below, much better than boxed version since you know what ingredients were used.

 

Ingredients:1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder = 1 tin of our European Cocoa Powder, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt. 

Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Then mix 2 eggs,1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Add dry mix to wet ingredients and mix well. Bake in 8x8 pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and your favorite berries.

To see our European cocoa powder: http://www.etsy.com/listing/126832962/european-cocoa-powder-cocoa-organic?ref=shop_home_active
 

 

Welcome to our blog!

This blog will highlight recipes featuring our wonderful spice collections, as well as any cultural news of interest, and any other items we might like to share with you from time to time.

Our shop is on Etsy, www.etsy.com/shop/thespanishtin, where you can view our products. We are currently developing a new spice collection and are also looking into offering wedding favors, as these make great gifts for guests of outdoor weddings for any season.

 

A little more about us....Please see our press release below. 

TheSpanishTin Features Specialty Artisan Spices Online
Release Date: 2013-06-27 Category: Business
Launched May of 2013 on Etsy, TheSpanishTin is an online spice shop featuring handcrafted Spanish inspired spices. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT From single spice varieties to flavorful unique blends, their product range is ideal for foodies, the novice cook or seasoned chef. These can be used in traditional Spanish recipes or throughout the week in all types of dishes from pasta, to grilling, to ethnic foods, you name it! As their slogan boasts, they are premium Spanish flavors for everyday cooking. TheSpanishTin aims to bring some of the flavors of Spain to your kitchen while keeping it healthy. All of their savory spices are naturally gluten free and do not contain GMO's. Featured gourmet quality spices include Far East Spain Blend, Hot Smoked Paprika, Nora Chilies, Piquant Rice Blend, and Mediterranean Grill Blend. They even have a few for desserts! Individual spices start at $5.95 and gift sets like the "Protein Trio" and "Kitchen Quad" are available under $25. Complimentary gift wrapping upon request. To order, visit their shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/thespanishtin. Contact: thespanishtingmail.com.