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Making unique spice blends at home can help anyone enhance his or her cooking. The flavor of almost any dish can be tailored to someone’s tastes, just by experimenting with different blends of spices. Here are some ideas for getting started.

Suckers for pumpkin spice can significantly benefit from making their own at home. It’s one way to experience the flavors associated with crisp fall days all year long. The ingredients are the same as one would use to make pumpkin pie. The recipe calls for two tablespoons of dried ginger and allspice, along with two teaspoons of dried ginger and four tablespoons of cinnamon. This pumpkin spice mix can enhance the flavors of pears and apples on top of a cooked sweet potato and even can be added to oatmeal.

Another creative way to mix spices enhances the flavor of fajitas and tacos. It calls for two tablespoons each of cumin, chili powder, paprika, one tablespoon each of garlic powder and dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. This spice mix can be added to many Mexican dishes for those brave souls who can stomach it.

One spice blend popular with many people combines chili and garlic. The ingredient list for this spice blend includes one tablespoon of dried oregano, one teaspoon of smoked paprika, two tablespoons of cumin and garlic powder, three tablespoons of chili powder, and 1.5 tablespoons of onion powder. In addition to adding it to a batch of chili, it can also be used in any dish where the main ingredient is beans.

Those who enjoy Italian cuisine can make the perfect mixture of spices to complement many dishes. It calls for one tablespoon each of dried basil, thyme, and cilantro, as well as one teaspoon each of onion and garlic powder. It also calls for 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and two tablespoons of dried oregano. Not only can this spice mix be used to add to pasta sauce, but it also works well as a seasoning for pork, chicken, and beef.

These are just a few of the spice blends that can easily be made at home with the right ingredients on hand.