Making your own mulling spices isn't just a good rainy-day activity -- it's also a great way to experiment with seasonal flavors.
Posts with tag cloves
Common herbs with medicinal properties
I know we're hearing a lot about this kind of thing lately. I, for one, think that isn't a bad thing. This post from Remedicated about 20 common cooking herbs with medicinal properties collects a lot of disparate information and puts it in one place.
Some of the herbs are well known to have medicinal uses, like turmeric and cloves, but did you know that onions (and other vegetables related to onions) have been used for centuries as medicines? Apparently they have anti-inflammatory properties. Also, rosemary, cinnamon, and parsley (great for detoxifying carcinogens from cigarette smoke) are just some of the surprising (to me) herbs on the list.
There is no way this list can be complete, though. If you study a natural product long enough, you're sure to find lots of healthy qualities. Does anyone have any herbs they'd like to add? If you disagree with this list, I'd love to read about that, too.
Tis the season for pomander balls
Every year when I was growing up, there would be one Saturday in late November or early December when my mom would pull out a bowl of oranges and jar of whole cloves and announce that it was time to make pomander balls. The pungent smell of orange zest paired with clove is one the aromas that makes me instantly think of childhood, Christmas and baking.
Yesterday afternoon, I stopped by a local produce stand with no particular shopping list, just a desire to refill my fruit bowl and get something green. I bought a pound of brussels sprouts, two sweet potatoes and a bag of oranges because they looked so fresh and good. Wandering around my apartment this morning, trying to avoid starting in on the tenth revision of my thesis the thought struck me that an excellent way to avoid school work for just a little longer would be to make a pomander ball.
Grabbing my jar of whole cloves, a bowl and the most spherical orange, I set to work. There was something deeply satisfying about inserting the cloves into the orange and being greeted with that smell that takes me back to childhood. I always create a pattern with the cloves, working until it looks like a series of longitude lines around the orange, but you can do it any way you like. The trick I'd like to share is to make sure you poke the clove holes with a toothpick or skewer first instead of using brute force to muscle the blunt end of the clove into the fruit. It makes it a whole lot easier and much kinder on the fingers.
Friday Happy Hour: Hot Toddy for one, Hot Cider Punch for thirty
I'm not sure how cold it is where you are, but here tonight it's supposed to be around 9 degrees (and with the wind, etc, etc it's even colder). So we need something to keep us warm. You could try tea, you could try soup, maybe sitting in front of a fireplace. You could even try cutting open the carcass of a large dead animal and crawling inside, like in one of the Star Wars movies.
Or, you could make a hot alcoholic drink. If you're alone, you can make a Hot Toddy. If you're having a party with thirty of more people, you could make a Hot Cider Punch. Either way, you'll warm up quick. To paraphrase the Campbell's commercial: "Warm up to alcohol, booze is good food."
Continue reading Friday Happy Hour: Hot Toddy for one, Hot Cider Punch for thirty
Hot Spiced Orange Tea
I've always wanted to hold a 1950s-themed party. Have the house decked out in the style of that era, play music from the decade, and even serve food that was popular at parties back then. I don't have my own apartment right now, but when I move in early '07 I think it's something I'll do, probably next December to make it a retro-themed Christmas party.
I came across this recipe for Hot Spiced Orange Tea on a 50s-oriented web site, and it seems perfect for this time of year.
How about a Pumpkin-Ginger Cake on Halloween night?
Actually, the whole name of this dessert from HGTV is Pumpkin-Ginger Cake with Cinnamon-Bourbon Caramel Glaze. While you might want to leave out the Bourbon part (1/4 cup) for little Jimmy and little Kathy, the cake itself sounds great.
Cake:
1 box spice cake mix
1 box devil's food cake mix
two 16 oz. pumpkin
2 tbs. cloves
2 tbs. cinnamon
2 tbs nutmeg
whipped topping
Glaze:
1 1/4 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup corn syrup
allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg
2/3 cup heavy cream
Continue reading How about a Pumpkin-Ginger Cake on Halloween night?
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