The Herb Blend Every Kitchen Needs
By Pepper Reece, from the Spice Shop Mysteries by Leslie Budewitz

At the Seattle Spice Shop in Pike Place Market, we love cooks. Love, love, love them. New, experienced, cautious or confident, we’ve got the spicery for you. Whether you’re looking for the newest and grooviest blends, the most exotic Indian or Middle Eastern spices, or the best cinnamon for your Sunday morning toast, the staff at Seattle Spice can help you spice up your life, and your cooking, too!

Every kitchen needs a classic Italian Herb Blend. It sounds funny to say you need fresh dried herbs, but what we mean is that the old jar of Italian Seasoning you bought when you furnished your first kitchen and lost in the back of the cabinet doesn’t cut it any more. The herbs do go bad—the oils can deteriorate, the spice notes go sharp or flat, and the whole combo starts to taste like the underside of your lawn mower. Making your own is so easy, you’ll wonder why you ever bought a blend in the first place.

This is a good basic blend that you can adjust for your own taste. Remember that blends take a few hours for the flavors to meld; because of the mildness of these herbs, you can use it generously right away, and taste how the flavors improve over time.

Pepper's Classic Italian Herb Blend

3 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried thyme
4 teaspoons dried marjoram
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes or garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried rosemary (break the needles with a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl with the back of a sturdy spoon)

Mix herbs in a small bowl. Yield: about 10 tablespoons, just over 1/2 cup.

Store in a tightly covered jar, and toss it in your spaghetti sauce, sprinkle it on your pizza, or add it to your omelet or scrambled eggs. I promise, you’ll never lose it in the back of your kitchen cabinet again!

The Spice Shop series, available in pb, e-book, large print, and audio:
#1 - Assault & Pepper
#2 - Guilty as Cinnamon
#3 - Killing Thyme

From the cover of TREBLE AT THE JAM FEST, Food Lovers' Village Mystery #4 (Midnight Ink):  

Erin Murphy, manager of Murphy’s Mercantile (aka the Merc), is tuning up for Jewel Bay’s annual Jazz Festival. Between keeping the Merc’s shelves stocked with Montana’s tastiest local fare and hosting the festival’s kick-off concert, Erin has her hands full.

Discord erupts when jazz guitarist Gerry Martin is found dead on the rocks above the Jewel River. The one-time international sensation had fallen out of sync with festival organizers, students, and performers. Was his death an accident?or did someone even the score?

Despite the warning signs to not get involved, Erin investigates. And when the killer attacks, she orchestrates her efforts into one last crescendo, hoping to avoid a deadly finale.



Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries—and the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction. A past president of Sisters in Crime, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

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