As you know, I am a HUGE ‘Twilight’ fan. In my personal opinion, it is the best series of books and movies that the world has ever seen. Well, I hope the world has seen it - really, I think if everybody gave themselves over to the story of love and romance that is emblematic of ‘Twilight’ - well, we might have world peace! Really, think about it! Like countries have differences with each other, and that’s just like how Jacob is a werewolf and Edward is a vampire, and they hate each other. But they are united because they both love Bella. See! So, it goes to show that even if people hate each other, they can unite in their love of ‘Twilight’.

Okay, but one thing I love as much as ‘Twilight’ is a good spice rack. And I think I’ve got a good one for you today. It’s very modern and exciting, kind of like Dr. Cullen’s house.

This is the Countertop Magnetic Spice Stand with Six Canisters! Have your spices been in an epic battle for space in your cabinet? Bring countertop spice bottle organization to the future with the Countertop Magnetic Spice Stand. With a sleek chromed look, this magnetic spice rack is a true delight. Best of all, your spices will be safe - the canisters are airtight to preserve freshness. The canisters have locking mechanisms which allow pouring or sprinkling! Each spice canister holds 1 2/3 oz of your favorite dried herb or spice.

So, how excited are you about ‘Eclipse’ coming out? I am super excited, and I hope this new movie will be as good as the other ones. Team Edward!!

Here are some of my favorite factoids!

• Cloves - Sweet and warming spice. Used most often in baking, but also good with braised meat.

• Coriander - Earthy, lemony flavor. Used in a lot of Mexican and Indian dishes.

• Cumin - Smoky and earthy. Used in a lot of Southwestern US and Mexican cuisine, as well as North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian.

• Fennel Seed - Lightly sweet and licorice flavored. It’s excellent with meat dishes, or even chewed on its own as a breath freshener and digestion aid!

• Fenugreek - Although this herb smells like maple syrup while cooking, it has a rather bitter, burnt sugar flavor. Found in a lot of Indian and Middle Eastern dishes.

• Mace - From the same plant as nutmeg, but tastes more subtle and delicate. Great in savory dishes, especially stews and homemade sausages.

• Garam Masala - Typcially includes cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and pepper. Sweeter than curry powder. Also used to season curry sauces. (Indian)

• Herbes de Provence - Usually savory, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, and sometimes lavender. Use as a marinade or dry rub for roast chicken, fish, and vegetables.

• Pickling Spice - Most often, bay leaf, yellow mustard seeds, black peppercorns, allspice, coriander. Used for pickling vegetables in vinegar.

• Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix - Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Used for seasoning pumpkin pie, but also great in other spiced baked goods.

• Ras el Hanout - Cardamom, clove, cinnamon, paprika, coriander, cumin, mace, nutmeg, peppercorn, and turmeric. Use as a spice rub on meat or a simple condiment. (North African/Moroccan)

• Za’atar Seasoning Blend - Thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. All-purpose seasoning for many Middle Eastern dishes like grilled meats, grilled vegetables, flatbread and hummus. (Middle Eastern)

Have you tried any of these? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Oh my gosh, aren’t these just the cutest? They’re made of glass, and there’s one for the salt and one for the pepper. I think they’re very sweet. In fact, they are very “modern”, because they are birds, and the mascot for “Twitter” is a bird! So, you could use these, and then tweet about them on Twitter to let your friends know that you’re using the most adorable salt and pepper shakers in the world!

What great things have you seen lately? Let me know!

On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, reducing much of its capital to rubble. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years. Since then, there have been aftershocks, causing even more devastation.

It’s far too easy to feel powerless to help in the face of such heartbreaking news. But you can help!

To give to the Red Cross, phone users can text the word “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10, and when prompted, hit “YES” to confirm the donation.

The donation is added to the cell user’s bill, and receipts are available.

Other text-message codes for donations include:

• Text the word “HAITI” to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund.

• Text “HAITI” to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee.

• Text “HAITI” to 85944 to donate $10 to the International Medical Corps.

Also, some of my favorite companies have started donation campaigns for relief work in Haiti. Through January 28, StacksAndStacks.com will be donating $10 on every order over $100 dollars to the American Red Cross. You can make this a philanthropic double whammy - buy some organizing supplies for a local charity in your neighborhood, and if you spend over $100 dollars, you’ll be helping Haiti as well! It’s a new version of “Think Globally, Act Locally” - it’s “Act Locally, Act Globally”!

Allspice is also known as the Jamaican Pepper. It started being called allspice by the British, because it reminded them of a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. That’s right. Allspice is an individual spice - not a mixture of spices. Crazy, right? It’s finding out things like that which make my degree in spice history worthwhile.

The fruit is picked when it is green and unripe and, traditionally, dried in the sun. When dry, the fruits are brown and resemble large brown peppercorns. The whole fruits have a longer shelf life than the powdered product and produce a more aromatic product when freshly ground before use.

The leaves of the allspice plant are also used in Island cooking. For cooking, fresh leaves are used where available: they are similar in texture to bay leaves and are thus infused during cooking and then removed before serving. Unlike bay leaves, they lose much flavour when dried and stored and so do not figure in commerce. The leaves and wood are often used for smoking meats where allspice is a local crop. Allspice can also be found in essential oil form.

Allspice is one of the most important ingredients of Caribbean cuisine. Could you imagine jerk chicken without allspice? Well, don’t even try to imagine it, because it would be totally bland and awful. So, say hello to 2010 with the hot new spice of the second decade of this century: Allspice!!

Looking to buy some of the finest allspice ever? Check out the selection at The Spice House.

• If you have a Harry Potter fan in your life, you can fill them with various spices and tinted waters for a Potions Class themed gift! Who couldn’t use some Veritaserum in their lives?
• Or fill it with red food coloring and water, and make a fun vampire themed gift for the True Blood or Twilight fanatic on your shopping list.
• For a more practical tip, if you make a signature dish that your friends love, fill the tubes with the spices you use, and give them this rack along with the recipe.
• Finding a gift for a baker? Fill the tubes with sanding sugars, sprinkles, and other edible decorations!

What else? I feel as if there’s a lot of gifting potential with these babies! Any ideas?

And that’s why I love these Hardwood Spice Racks. They’re hand crafted - and my hands had nothing to do with it! They are so simple, and have a timeless charm. They can either sit on a countertop, inside a cabinet, or you can even mount them to a wall. I found these at Stacks And Stacks, and they’re available in two lengths - 16 or 24 inches. So, until I take that remedial wood shop class, I’m going to take pride in these racks!

Plus, there’s something so nice about the natural beauty of hardwood. It seems like there’s a big push these days for chrome, or metal, or stainless steel, or aluminum kitchen accessories. And all of those are nice, but sometimes it’s nice to get back to nature. After all, we’re not robots! Why should we feel like our kitchens should look like some sort of robot emporium? All that metal can be so cold!

Wikipedia tells us that The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. They consisted of Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), Melanie Brown (Scary Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), and Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice). According to the BBC and The Times, they are the most successful girl group of all time.

They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, “Wannabe”, in 1996. The song hit number one in 31 countries and helped establish the group as a “global phenomenon”. Credited for being the pioneers that paved the way for the commercial breakthrough of teen pop in the 1990s. Their first album, Spice, sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. They have sold 60 million records worldwide with only four albums and twelve singles, making them the most successful British band since the Beatles, and the best selling girl group of all time.

Today, the Spice Girls are Spice Women, and unfortunately do not perform together anymore. Luckily, you can always rent the movie “Spice World” to relive their particular brand of magic. Don’t worry, I’ll be reviewing “Spice World” in the future! I’m just waiting for the Netflix to arrive.

I don’t know why some savvy marketer never made a blend of spices named after the Spice Girls. Let’s try to do it ourselves. Starting with Posh Spice. Hmmm…I think Posh Spice would be a blend of saffron, vanilla, and cardamom - those are the world’s most expensive spices, you know!

Anyway, though they talk a lot about Spice in the movie, they don’t talk about spice racks very much. As you see, I added a picture of a space age spice rack into the the movie still above. But let’s get a closer look at the rack in question:

Look at that beauty! It’s certainly a great spice rack for Paul Atreides (played by Desperate Housewives star Kyle MacLachlan). This Stainless Steel Carousel Spice Rack is a great spice rack for this, or any other universe. It has a patented auto measure dial dispenser that measures and dispenses spices in precise increments. One click for 1/4 tsp., two clicks for 1/2 tsp., etc. The individual dispensers will accommodate the entire contents of a standard spice bottle, and have large openings to accommodate measuring spoons and volume pouring, as well as shaker tops. Great for your counter, or stash it in your cabinet. Or your spaceship!