I always say cumin. And green chilis would be delicious. Sriracha?

Other things which add flavor: several cloves of finely minced garlic,

I do add garlic (sometimes only garlic powder if the real garlic has disappeared -- I swear the dog eats it when we're at work, because we go through a head of garlic way too quickly), but it didn't get the stew all the way to where I wanted it.

liberal splashings of Worcestshire sauce.

I do love Worcestershire sauce. It makes my shepherd's pie SO GOOD.

I need to just buy the Flavor Bible, which is essentially a glorified list of All The Foods, along with what flavors/foods complement them. For someone like me, who likes to cook but hasn't developed any knowledge/instinct of what flavors/foods pair well together, it's *brilliant.*

I always say cumin. And green chilis would be delicious. Sriracha?

Heh. Here's my problem: I am a spicy (hot-spice, that is) food wimp. For things like chili, I cook the batch so that it's spiced to what I can tolerate, and then Tim adds Flaming Anus hot sauce (NOTE: not a real hot sauce, as far as I know) to his serving.

So he would have to add Siracha (which I always think of as "rooster sauce," thanks to the rooster on the bottle) to his own serving.

The Flavor Bible is AWESOME. Buy it. Well worth it.

I cook the batch so that it's spiced to what I can tolerate, and then Tim adds Flaming Anus hot sauce (NOTE: not a real hot sauce, as far as I know) to his serving.

It's like you live in my house. Except when I step away from the food for a moment, and my insane husband makes it spicier without my knowledge.

The Flavor Bible is AWESOME. Buy it. Well worth it.

I got it from the library, and it was SUCH a revelation. However, I got it from the library around Christmas, and was so busy with holiday stuff that I didn't really get a chance to try out some actual cooking with it.

Hmmm. I should just pull that trigger right now and buy it.

I cook the batch so that it's spiced to what I can tolerate, and then Tim adds Flaming Anus hot sauce (NOTE: not a real hot sauce, as far as I know) to his serving.

It's like you live in my house. Except when I step away from the food for a moment, and my insane husband makes it spicier without my knowledge.

I would shank Tim in a heartbeat if he did that. And he knows it. Fear of shanking is a good motivator.

Cumin is a warm but not hot spice. You can add 2t and not have any hotness. For your chili I would do 2t cumin, 1-2t oregano, and either 1t chili powder or 1/4 to 1/2 t cayenne or red pepper flakes. (Chili powder is less spicy than cayenne). But I looooove cumin. We run out of it all the time.

For non-hot added spiciness cumin is my catch-all, but I might suggest adding chopped up bell peppers, onions, and sundried tomatoes as well. You'd be getting some good added nutrition along with the extra flavor.

I'm going to the grocery store just as soon as I get my butt off the couch, so I need to check the pantry to see whether we even have cumin/cayenne/chili powder. If not, I'll stock up.

Dang, at Thanksgiving, when I made my first attempt at a pumpkin pie, I was shocked at how expensive ground ginger is. But well worth it. (I have learned that it's also a really tasty addition to stir-fry.)