Make Your Own Spice Blends
Armando Rafael Moutela,  2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved  2014, Cooking Channel, LLC All Rights Reserved
Whether you want to make a truly homemade pumpkin pie or gussy up morning toast, spice blends can fill a lot of needs in the kitchen with just a few shakes. A lot of these are great add-ins to light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to make a flavorful dip for veggies. They're also an excellent, portable gift idea.
Pumpkin Pie: With Thanksgiving around the corner, this is the perfect spice blend to whip up now. Use it not just in pie, but in muffins, oatmeal and pancakes.
Apple Streusel: Crushed dried apples infuse this blend with a strong apple flavor. Try it sprinkled on popcorn; stirred into sour cream or yogurt as a sweet dip for fruit; or sprinkle it on oatmeal, ice cream, pancakes or toast.
Everything Bagel: Addicted to the salty, savory flavor of everything bagels? Make this spice blend (pictured above) and use it to add flavor to a baked potato or pasta dish, coat a chicken breast, top a salad, or sprinkle over potato pancakes. It's even great on pretzels.
Pastrami: Black pepper adds powerful heat to this blend, but it's balanced by sweet brown sugar, floral coriander and smoky paprika, just as in a great deli pastrami. Add it to grilled chicken or burgers; sprinkle it on popcorn; or stir it into light mayo or sour cream as a dip.
Pizza: Sun-dried tomatoes gives great depth of flavor to this spice blend. Use it as you would the pastrami spice blend.
Thai Coconut: Like really good Thai dishes, this spice blend is balanced and complex: a little sweet, a little hot and a little citrusy. Use it on grilled shrimp or steamed fish.
Spicy Ranch: Buttermilk powder gives this dry mix its ranch-dressing tang. And it's a superb pantry staple, because you can use it in lieu of the liquid stuff in baked goods, marinades and blends in small amounts as needed.
Moroccan: Rachel Ray shows you how to make a sweet and spicy Moroccan-inspired blend.
Also check out these recipes that call for these spice blends.