"cinnamon" news and stories

By adding ground spices to coffee beans, you can add excitement to your daily brew.

Love the flavor of chai tea? Try this easy-to-make syrup, which you can use on grilled fruit, drizzled over pound cake, or to glaze chicken breasts before grilling.

I call cinnamon "America's favorite spice." Not only can you find it in millions of recipes and products, but I have never met anyone who doesn't like it.

Many people know that cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree, but there are actually two types of cinnamon in this country. The one originating in Ceylon (that's Sri Lanka now) is known as "true" cinnamon and is still used and cultivated in Mexico.

Ceylon cinnamon has a mellow, earthy aroma and sweeter taste than the other variety, which comes from Indonesia and is called "cassia." Ceylon cinnamon happens to be softer in texture -- making it easier to grind. It can even be crumbled between your fingertips.

Though Thanksgiving is yet over a month away, eager foodies have already started plotting the year's most indulgent feast. And for such mouthwatering inspiration, we thank our friends at norecipes.com for this Cinnamon Harissa Turkey recipe. Omitting gravy, Marc brined the turkey in water, brown sugar, cloves, salt and pepper before applying a rub with cinnamon, sumac, cumin, coriander and harissa to create a gloriously golden, moist and spicy-sweet bird.

Marc created an entire West Asian Thanksgiving meal last year, accompanying the heritage turkey with a Fiery Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce, Tahini Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts Caramelized with Pomegranate Molasses and more. And though we were wowed by his creativity, we wonder how far we'd be willing to stray from old family recipes.

Would you be open to shirking tradition and creating an exotic Thanksgiving meal this year? Tell us how much you're willing to deviate in the comments!

[Via norecipes.com]

Making your own mulling spices isn't just a good rainy-day activity -- it's also a great way to experiment with seasonal flavors.