If you like giveaways, LIKE us on Facebook!

We are very close to reaching a new milestone - 500 likes on Facebook! Would you help us reach our goal? Please like and share our Facebook page with your friends, for a chance to win a delicious (gmo free and msg free) spice tin of your choice.

 

One lucky winner will get to choose from the following:  Far East Spain Blend, Hot Smoked Paprika, Nora Chilies, Piquant Rice Blend, Mediterranean Grill Blend, Smoky Spanish BBQ Rub, Mediterranean Rosemary Salt, or Salud Spicy Cocktail Salt.

Good luck and thank you so very much for your support. It really means a lot to us as a small business!

Sweet Somethings...

Who doesn't love chocolate? Now that a sweet holiday is approaching we thought we'd post a sweet recipe. Of course, chocolate is to be enjoyed any time and any place as far as we're concerned. So this is a pretty easy chocolate cake featuring our European Cocoa powder. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened European Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease bundt pan. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake 40 minutes minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool and remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar or frost it! Adapted from All Recipes.com

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.