Anna

Meet Anna

We love getting to know our customers, so we thought you might like getting to know us!

Anna has worked at AllSpice for almost five years, loving every minute. Her favorite product is our Chile-Coffee Rub for everything from chicken to tofu. A close second would be the Olive Wood Smoked Olive Oil, a key ingredient in most of her soups.

 

When asked what her favorite part of the job was, she said “Working here has made me a better cook. I’m constantly getting inspiration from customers and co-workers. I’m trying recipes now I never would have thought of 5 years ago.”

Anna likes to cook anything that keeps her in the kitchen all day. Apron on = happy time.

Here are some questions you may not have asked, answered by Anna:

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Spicy Thymes – Just Desserts

It was rainy week here in Des Moines, so when I learned that National Dessert Day is October 14th, it seemed like the perfect excuse to break out one my grandma’s old recipes. A few months ago, I texted my grandma to see if she knew where I could find good almond paste here in town. She wasn’t sure so instead she just mailed some from the bakery in her home town. I was able to freeze most it, making several Dutch treats over the summer.

I put on Dana Schwartz’s Noble Blood (Marie Antoinette did NOT say ‘Let Them Eat Cake’) and decided on an Almond Butter Cake. 

This cake has a pretty simple ingredient list, the hardest part of “making” it is having to wait for it to finish baking. I was feeling a little “extra” and decided to top my cake with sliced almonds and sugar. That part may not be traditional, but a little crunch goes a long way in my book.

I love being able to share recipes with you all, but this one stays in the family. Just know if you’ve ever had almond butter cake, my grandma’s is better. Mine is no where near as good as hers, but I do my best. It’s more about the chance to revisit the memory of learning to bake with her. My love of baking was born in my grandma’s kitchen. She taught me the importance of choosing high quality ingredients, taking your time, and adding a little bit of love.

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Spicy Thymes – Chickpea Patties

Is there anything chickpeas can’t do? A delicious snack on their own, I’ve used chickpeas to make tacos, soups, stir-fries, falafel, salads, and sandwiches. Not to mention hummus, the greatest condiment of all time.

As a sandwich spread, pizza topping, salad dressing, dessert, or simple dip on its own, you can’t go wrong with hummus. I almost always pick up a can of chickpeas when I’m at the grocery store, making a dish with them at least once a week.

A favorite chickpea recipe of mine is Chickpea Patties. From start to finish, the recipe takes about 30 minutes, with just enough down time for a Carole King dance party. I once made chickpea patties for a friend who is practically a carnivore and they described them as “actually good,” the highest compliment they’ve ever given to my vegan cooking. (Another time, a Ratatouille I made was described as “vegetables and sadness”, so you’ll understand how proud I was to receive this compliment.) I’ve found that these patties satisfy my burger craving when it overtakes me, without the recipe trying to approximate fake meat.

The very best part: this recipe dirties only 4 dishes! The number of dishes I will have to wash afterward tends to be a large factor in what I make, which is just another reason this recipe is in frequent rotation at my house.

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Spicy Thymes – What We Eat

AllSpicer Chris, making a fancy Christmas cocktail

Here at AllSpice we’re all about making the food we love taste great, using our olive oils, vinegars, herbs spices and other ingredients from our shelves. We also love the uniqueness of each person’s cooking style and the stories and traditions that go along with the food.

We’re blessed with a team of AllSpicers who cover a lot of ground with their broad range of appetites and cooking styles.  In our new blog series Spicy Thymes, we’ll explore the foods we love along with their stories and traditions.

Here’s a bit about the variety you can expect from a few of our AllSpicers:

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Spicy Thymes – Warm Grains

Fall is my favorite time of year, in no small part because of the food. From cider donuts to pumpkin bars, apple sausage to sweet potato pie, roasted squash to homemade applesauce, I’m obsessed. I’ve even fallen into the “pumpkin pie spice trap” on more than one occasion.

The thing I love most about fall foods, the one thing they almost all have in common, is they are served hot. A warm cup of coffee on cool morning is one of the best things in the world. I love making soups, roasted vegetables, and fresh breads and jam. Having the oven on and feeling comfortable in my house without cranking the AC, you just can’t beat it.

One type of dish I’ve really begun to enjoy over the past few years is recipes centered on warm grains. I can honestly say I was in my 20’s before I ever even tried quinoa, and it’s taken me a while to figure out exactly how to prepare and season it to my taste. This weekend I tried something new, and it paid off.

I knew two things when I left work Saturday: I really didn’t want to stop at the grocery store, and I had quinoa at home, I could figure something out. I put the quinoa on to cook, along with some frozen corn and carrots, and began to look for a dressing.

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