A recent attempt at keeping my quantity of spices to a minimum has resulted in making my own spice blends.

I started when my local source of really cheap and bountiful spices stopped selling chili powder. They still sell “chili powder”, but it is not what you would expect. When you buy chili powder at the grocery store, it is a spice blend. What YDFM now sells is ground chilies. Which chilies? I do not know, and the packaging does not say. They are labeled “mild,” but they are not mild.

Now I make my own chili powder blend as well as other spice blends. It is a nice way to make good use of the spices I am already stocking.

These are the spice blends I have been making regularly these days:

• Chili Powder: the one that kicked it off. I usually omit the cayenne so I can use full quantities in recipes without worrying about how much heat I am adding for the kids. I can add heat to my own servings separately.
• Everything Bagel Seasoning Mix: I love everything bagel seasoning. It is a great popcorn seasoning too!
• Za’atar: Another great, put-it-on-anything seasoning.

Additionally, I do not put salt in any of the blends. I want to be able add abundant spices without worrying about over-salting, a tip I picked up from AmazingRibs.com. I add the salt separately as needed.