Columnist Muriel Stevens: Spice catalog is worth your thyme

Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 | 8:16 a.m.

Penzey Spices Harvest 2005 catalog (new), offers the best prices for the freshest spices and seasonings. Available are jars of fragrant French thyme, chervil (French parsley), smoked Spanish paprika, vanilla beans and vanilla bean products and hundreds of hard-to-find spices and seasonings.

Chervil and French thyme of this quality are rarely found locally.

When buying more than a few ounces, remove the amount you would usually use and store in an airtight jar. Freeze the rest until needed. With such fine herbs and spices just a pinch or two are needed to enhance the flavor of a dish.

To request a catalog call (800) 741-7787 or visit www.penzeys.com.

New from Martha Stewart: "Complete Bed by Martha Stewart Everyday" is the latest offering from Martha Stewart Everyday, available only at Kmart.

Everything you need for a sophisticated new look in the bedroom is in a bag that includes a reversible comforter with matching shams and a coordinating bed skirt.

Prices for this all-inclusive package are special.

Twin size, $79.99 (includes one pillowcase and one sham); full, $89.99; queen, $99.99; king, $109.99. There are eight coordinated packages featuring high-style fabrics, ribbon trim and pin-tucked stitching.

The collection will be available exclusively in Kmart stores and online at kmart.com in October.

Back-to-school sales: Mervyn's continues its back-to-school sales featuring savings on little boys and girls clothing as well as teens and tweens. Check out the summer clothes as well. If this heat continues, little kids will appreciate some cool new summer duds.

Le Creuset introduces new color: Le Creuset has added sleek satin black to its already extensive palette of colors. Virtually indestructible, this enameled cast iron cookware originated in France and has been around forever.

It is not yet in stores, but Sur La Table at Desert Passage at the Aladdin carries other colors of Le Creuset. Call Pam Grogan or Susan Diaz, the management team at Sur La Table, at 732-2706 for more information.

Food safety alert: Organic Style, a Rodale lifestyle magazine, advises readers not to use any plastic, including plastic wrap or plastic foam, for microwaving food. Store and heat foods in containers such as Corning Ware Pop-ins, which can go from freezer to oven or microwave to your table. Plastic containers can leach out potentially harmful chemicals.

For the full food safety alert story visit Organic-Style.com (June 2005).

Deet not the only insect repellant: If using a powerful pest repellent containing Deet makes you uncomfortable, try this newer pest control. Declared effective by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about a month ago, Picaridin has been used for in Europe for decades.

Picaridin is currently available only in Cutter's Advanced Insect Repellent. It is light and odor-free. The strong-smelling eucalyptus oil found in Repel Plant-Based Lemon Eucalyptus "makes an attractive option" for those who want to use a natural product, says Emily Zielinski Gutierrez, a behavior scientist with the CDC. Look for this at Target.