cinnamon

Visions of Sugarplums

Do you believe? In sugarplums that is? Sugarplums are the things of fairy names and sweetened childrens’ dreams on Christmas Eve. An old-fashioned confection made with a potpourri of holiday spices, dried fruits and nuts, held together with molasses, honey and powdered sugar–sugarplums are very real. In these sweet hours before Christmas I’m going to give you a sugarplum [...]

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5 Minute Spiced Holiday Sauce

Let me guess–you’re in the middle of a holiday recipe bombardment and totally overwhelmed by it all. Or, you know the cooking routine and are just looking for a something that adds a little extra sparkle and pizzaz to your food contribution. In either scenario, you want this sauce. Why? Cake, ice cream, pie, custards–this [...]

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Green Tomato Mince: What Is It and How to Make It

This is the spice season…is it not? While Spice Sherpa has some cool stuff on tap for you in the coming month, (A giveaway! A spice freebies section! Spicy gift guides!), today’s post spotlights a simpler, more wholesome, and frugal time. And it all starts with the cold weather. Quick 10 second diversion: if you were anticipating [...]

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A Summertime Quickie: How to Make a Honey Spiced Ice-Cream Sandwich

We spend all winter dreaming of those long, lazy summer days. June arrives and…kapow! Swimming, biking, soccer, riding, BBQ, end of school-year activities, summer camps, festivals…it’s crazy! Yet, it’s all fun and somehow, those relaxed, lazy moments do weave themselves throughout the day. So here’s the situation: in order to enjoy more of those long, [...]

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Basic Mexican Chocolate Ice-Cream

Aaaah, ice-cream. There are as many ice-cream flavors as there are personalities: sophisticated, playful, artistic, extravagant, creative, simple, humble, diva, flamboyant…you get the idea! Here’s one that’s loyal but playful. It starts with basic chocolate ice-cream. It’s good. Really good. But it lacks pizzazz. I wanted something capable of teasing out a surprised grin and an [...]

Apple Pie Spice Blend: Make Your Own

C’mon…you know the jingle; baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet… Between steroids, processed food, and and car companies this all-American tune may have a new connotation but the apple pie stands its ground. Apple pie is so quintessentially American we celebrate this dessert on two days: May 13 and Dec. 6th. The rumor mill [...]

Perfect Chai Carrot Cake: Really Perfect.

Yeah, yeah…you’ve heard it all before. The perfect this. The best that. But this time the claim means business. Here’s why this recipe truly is the perfect carrot cake. 1. It fits nearly any season. It’s springtime right now and we all have visions of flowers, eggs, bunnies and carrots. Granted, the only reason carrots [...]

Good Morning Greek Spice Cake

If you ever need to be out the door and on the road in the wee hours of the morning this is the cake for you. The word cake is really a misnomer. This is a nutrient-rich block of spicy goodness drenched in a sugary, orange syrup. Filled with yogurt, walnuts, whole grains, and orange juice one [...]

The Spiceries Oatmeal Cookies

It’s the 1950′s. Picture a woman, tall, pretty and elegant, moving around the house like the quintessential 1950′s housewife she is. She plays bridge, smokes unfiltered Camels and is a modern woman. Then in the 1960′s her husband moves the family to Djarkta, Indonesia and the Philippenes. These are the same islands where only a [...]

Coffee: 4 Twists on Classic Black

Coffee is an elixir. It wakes you up, soothes your soul, massages your taste buds, gives you a break in the day, revs you up, calms you down…all this and it’s legal. Ask ten people to define a perfect cup of coffee and you’ll get ten different answers. But regardless how you love your [...]