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.)

The SO got it, because he's the opposite of you. He's a voracious cooker, but tends to regard recipes as only a vague suggestion. With the Flavor Bible, he cooks all these amazing delicious meals which he then cannot replicate because he refuses to write anything down.

I might suggest adding chopped up bell peppers, onions, and sundried tomatoes as well.

We never have onions just hanging out in the pantry like the potatoes (there are always at least 4 taters in the pantry at all times, because you never know when you might want a tater) -- I never used to like onions, and wouldn't cook with them. Now I do cook with them, but I still think of them as something I buy -- and I only buy ONE -- if I know I'm making a recipe that calls for an onion.

But I'm using them more and more, so I should just buy a dang bag, to live with the taters.

I'm hot averse, I like more spicy than mild but not quite medium.

Also to add another layer of smoky flavor without too much heat you can try some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I usually scrape the seeds out and use one and some sauce and then freeze the rest of it.

Lots of times I forget I froze it, but you can freeze them.

Don't buy the spices in the little containers. The best thing to do is buy them from bulk. That way you can buy as much or as little as you need. A natural food store should have them (I don't know if Trader Joes does bulk spices, don't have one near me).

Plus it's great if you need something you only use occasionally and only need like a couple of teaspoons. You can spend a few cents versus nearly $5.

OMG, y'all, I am an idiot. Your conversation about caffeine from this morning JUST NOW made me realize what my "mysterious ailment" of the past week is: caffeine withdrawal! Headache? Check. Sleep schedule all jacked up? Check. Inability to focus, moodiness, fatigue? Check, check, check.

A couple of weeks ago, I'd had a few times when my heart rate raced for no apparent reason, and I'd decided maybe I was having too much caffeine. So I switched the ritual perpetual coffee to decaf, and Dr. Pepper to ginger ale.

Yeah. That'd do it.