In the before times — when my husband and I didn’t have kids or much responsibility — I tried to leave my journalism career for the life of a chef.

My grandmother was a stay-at-home mother who baked fancy wedding cakes and catered to help make ends meet. I wanted to be like her: cooking food, making people smile …

I discovered that like journalism, culinary arts can be creative but also very demanding. You have to be able and willing to learn many skills besides cooking, such as how to make sure you don’t run out of ingredients, how to budget, proper sanitation and basic equipment maintenance.

I learned a lot and along the way found that I like writing and taking photos a little bit more than I love making food for others.

One of the things from culinary school that sticks with me to this day is the use of spice blends. You can put a few items together to make something you normally serve into an exotic dish from another country.

A few spices — garlic, basil and oregano — can carry you to Italy. Add some cayenne and a few other spices to take your meal to New Orleans. Or you can add cinnamon, dill weed and more to make a Greek spice blend.

Below are a few spice blends that use already dried out spices. If you use a fresh spice, you’ll have to use three times the amount to get the same flavor as a dried out spice. You can store these in an airtight container for several months.

We’ll start with Herbs de Provence, a herb blend associated with southeastern France. It, like the other spice blends here, is usually used during the cooking process, never added afterward, unlike salt or pepper.

Of course, you can find many of these blends in the grocery store. I often run out of pre-made blends quickly and then have to resort to whatever spices are on hand to make a meal.

HERBS DE PROVENCE

Ingredients
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon fennel seed
2 tablespoons dried savory
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons dried lavender flowers
2 tablespoons dried Italian parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon bay powder

Directions
■ Grind fennel seed and rosemary in a spice grinder; transfer to a mixing bowl.
■ Stir in the remaining ingredients.

FAJITA SEASONING

Ingredients
2 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander, optional
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
■ Add spices to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

POULTRY SEASONING

Ingredients
3 tablespoons dried sage
1 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried marjoram (oregano)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
1 teaspoon ground coriander, optional
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions
■ Add all the herbs and spices into a spice grinder.
■ Grind into a powder.

CREOLE SEASONING
6 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons dried oregano (marjoram)
2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
½-1 tablespoon cayenne

Directions
■ Add spices to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

GREEK DRY RUB
3 tablespoon dried oregano (marjoram)
2 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dill weed
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
1 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoons ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
■ Add spices to a mixing bowl and mix.

ITALIAN SEASONING BLEND
2 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Directions
■ Measure out all the ingredients into a mixing bowl.
■ Next, mix with a dry spatula or whisk.