you also might want to try a little oregano and/or thyme.

I really like thyme so I add it to a bunch of stuff.

I always say cumin. And green chilis would be delicious. Sriracha?

Other things which add flavor: several cloves of finely minced garlic,

I do add garlic (sometimes only garlic powder if the real garlic has disappeared -- I swear the dog eats it when we're at work, because we go through a head of garlic way too quickly), but it didn't get the stew all the way to where I wanted it.

liberal splashings of Worcestshire sauce.

I do love Worcestershire sauce. It makes my shepherd's pie SO GOOD.

I need to just buy the Flavor Bible, which is essentially a glorified list of All The Foods, along with what flavors/foods complement them. For someone like me, who likes to cook but hasn't developed any knowledge/instinct of what flavors/foods pair well together, it's *brilliant.*

I always say cumin. And green chilis would be delicious. Sriracha?

Heh. Here's my problem: I am a spicy (hot-spice, that is) food wimp. For things like chili, I cook the batch so that it's spiced to what I can tolerate, and then Tim adds Flaming Anus hot sauce (NOTE: not a real hot sauce, as far as I know) to his serving.

So he would have to add Siracha (which I always think of as "rooster sauce," thanks to the rooster on the bottle) to his own serving.

The Flavor Bible is AWESOME. Buy it. Well worth it.

I cook the batch so that it's spiced to what I can tolerate, and then Tim adds Flaming Anus hot sauce (NOTE: not a real hot sauce, as far as I know) to his serving.

It's like you live in my house. Except when I step away from the food for a moment, and my insane husband makes it spicier without my knowledge.

The Flavor Bible is AWESOME. Buy it. Well worth it.

I got it from the library, and it was SUCH a revelation. However, I got it from the library around Christmas, and was so busy with holiday stuff that I didn't really get a chance to try out some actual cooking with it.

Hmmm. I should just pull that trigger right now and buy it.

I cook the batch so that it's spiced to what I can tolerate, and then Tim adds Flaming Anus hot sauce (NOTE: not a real hot sauce, as far as I know) to his serving.

It's like you live in my house. Except when I step away from the food for a moment, and my insane husband makes it spicier without my knowledge.

I would shank Tim in a heartbeat if he did that. And he knows it. Fear of shanking is a good motivator.

Cumin is a warm but not hot spice. You can add 2t and not have any hotness. For your chili I would do 2t cumin, 1-2t oregano, and either 1t chili powder or 1/4 to 1/2 t cayenne or red pepper flakes. (Chili powder is less spicy than cayenne). But I looooove cumin. We run out of it all the time.

For non-hot added spiciness cumin is my catch-all, but I might suggest adding chopped up bell peppers, onions, and sundried tomatoes as well. You'd be getting some good added nutrition along with the extra flavor.