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.

Tep, Tim needs some of this - [link]

But seriously, canned green chiles don't add much heat, and are awesome with black beans. Which spices you use sort of depends on how much you want it to taste like chili. (Cumin, chili powder, etc, will all push it in that direction. Or you could use oregano and lemon juice and top it with some feta to go kind of Greek-ish.)

Tep, Tim needs some of this - [link]

The name of that is practically a challenge. I love it.

Which spices you use sort of depends on how much you want it to taste like chili. (Cumin, chili powder, etc, will all push it in that direction. Or you could use oregano and lemon juice and top it with some feta to go kind of Greek-ish.)

It doesn't have to be chili-ish, though we both love chili. I'm intrigued by making it Greek-ish.

We tend to serve it over sliced, pan-fried polenta, which puts it in the chili ballpark (because chili just calls out for cornbread, and polenta is a cousin to cornbread [or something]). But I do loves me some feta, so maybe I'll try that next time, and serve it over rice.

The name of that is practically a challenge. I love it.

It's insanely hot. I can tolerate about an eyedropper's worth at a time.

In completely other news, I have black hair now. It's so shiny!

I'd had a few times when my heart rate raced for no apparent reason,

I actually talked to my doctor about that at my last physical and she said it wasn't a big deal. I was all, "But my heart is arrhythmic and racing!"

They're more worried about shortness of breath as a symptom with heart problems. Though I guess I really should defer to JZ here since she's been typing up cardiology notes for 18 years.

In completely other news, I have black hair now. It's so shiny!

No, you're all shiny.

Black is the new blue!

Am I too late for Steph? I would definitely add lime juice to the black bean soup, along with the cumin. Acid is a key factor in deliciousness.

I just bought almost all the things. And my decision not to worry about the bus schedule paid off, as one was pulling up as I walked out of Marshall's. Usually I try to go by the schedule and end up waiting for 15 minutes.

Am I too late for Steph? I would definitely add lime juice to the black bean soup, along with the cumin. Acid is a key factor in deliciousness.

Not too late! I'm not making it tonight, or anything. I make it once every couple of weeks, and I was just thinking about it today, trying to puzzle out the mystery of spices. And I didn't even consider lime juice -- will definitely try that!