… definitely a spice … I will, anon, add a Cinnamon post into
my Herbs, Spices and Herbalists series – for now let’s celebrate its festive
attributes …
 |
| Cinnamon with apple |
We are into that Christmassy spice … oh aroma! wafting from
the homely domestic kitchen … the pervading spicy scent inhabiting all corners
…
 |
| Share mulled wiine while making Christmas cookies, pomander oranges |
Christmas is a-coming … and what better way than with some
cinnamon dishes to tempt you to try old favourites, or new ones …
 |
| Cinnamon Roll |
… share the kitchen with one or two friends, relatives near
and dear … try new recipes out … entice, laugh and remember days gone by, look
happily to the future …
 |
| Cafe de Olla (see the Piloncillo cone) |
Cinnamon – use a stick to stir your coffee … giving it a
delicate, elusive flavour … or the Mexican speciality … Café de Olla – flavoured with cinnamon and piloncillo (unrefined
cane sugar, typically found in the shape of cones) …
 |
| Or how about Persian Rice with Cinnamon ... this version has lentils instead of pistacchios |
Southern Fried Chicken – one of the best known of all American
dishes … uses flour mixed with cinnamon as coating before frying … I’m not sure
it would go with our Christmas turkey …
 |
| Choose the best - it comes from Ceylon and is not the 'rougher' Cassia |
So let’s use our ‘pudding stick’ the old English name for cinnamon … like a wand to transform all
manner of foodie delights …
 |
| Stir the pudding ... add the cinnamon |
Then settle down with some mulled wine, cinnamon sticks
included of course … thinking about the baked apples with cinnamon, the Christmas
cake, mince pies … some exotic Mexican flavoured chocolate …
 |
| Cinnamon Apple Tart - make some to share at a community event |
What more could one want in the build up to the festive season
… a few kind words for everyone, a smile, food bank donations, charitable
thoughts and pennies, and a good laugh …
 |
| Early Medieval Wassailers |
Good King Wenceslas visits this blog next … and then it’s
relax, chaotic preparation, and down time til the New Year … see you all in a
few days …
An Anglo-Saxon greeting … Wassail: Be Thou Hale …:
A wassail, A wassail,
A wassail we begin,
With sugar plums and cinnamon, and other spices
in;
 |
| Sugar Plums and Cinnamon cake |
With a wassail, a wassail, a
jolly wassail,
And may joy come to you and
to our wassail
With a wassail, a wassail, a
jolly wassail,
And may joy come to you and
to our wassail.
Please Remember Others ... and our Environment ...
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
48 comments:
What a delightful friendly piece Hilary. You really capture the spirit of Christmas. I love cinnamon, so you had my attention right from the start!
Cinnamon is the ultimate comfort scent to emerge from the kitchen for me. And this afternoon I made a large batch of shortbread, generously laced with it. The house smells delightful.
Love your waissall greeting too. Thank you.
The pastry looks nice.I had a hard time not getting some huge pine cones scented with cinnamon this week.
I'm afraid I'll have to go against the grain and say I'm not a fan of cinnamon... however, I still got a lovely, warm, Christmassy vibe from this post! Hope you have a wonderful season.
The smell and the taste of cinnamon bring tidings of comfort and joy. I wish you a Merry Christmas and peace and love in the coming year.o
Yet another interesting post. We use cinnamon a lot in our kitchen and I always have some cinnamon sugar at hand to sprinkle on Cheese Cake, Melk Tart and similar dishes. Have a great Christmas Diane
Apples and cinnamon with a dob of ice cream - perfect. Hungry now!
@ Juliet – so glad it gladdens your heart … and the spirit of Christmas is felt down under. I know many people love cinnamon …
@ EC – that’s amazing … I hadn’t thought about putting cinnamon into some shortbread … sounds a great idea – aromas wafting around. Thanks re the Wassail greeting – it’s good to go back to medieval days or beyond those …
@ Steve – thank you … I’m glad your pine cones still smell of pine!
@ Nick – not a problem … so many of us like different things … but I’m glad you felt the Christmassy vibe from your Scottish hideout.
@ Arlene – good to see you … and am happy you enjoy the taste of cinnamon – bringing tidings of joy …
@ Diane – I can believe you’d have cinnamon around … as you love your cooking and entertaining … Melk Tart – that takes me right to the southern hemisphere …
@ Annalisa – yes a warming plate of apples with cinnamon and perhaps blackberries with a dob of Cornish Cream or ice-cream and one is most definitely good to go …
Cheers to you all and thanks for visiting and sharing some festive spirit … Hilary
Mmm, cinnamon! The scent is wonderful, isn't it?
It's lovely made into a sticky syrup to glaze cakes and buns or to dip fruit and biscuits into, almost like a sweet fondue.
I love cinnamon and use it a lot. Your foody photos are mouthwatering . . .
I'd like a slice of the apple cinnamon tart. Or a good cinnamon sticky bun would be perfect. Let's mull it over with a cup of wine and swirl it with a cinnamon stick. Oh, it does seem like Christmas!
You nailed it pretty well at the beginning. Aroma and cinnamon. Love it. Thanks.
Greetings from London.
I've never heard of Southern Fried Chicken with cinnamon as part of the coating, but I'm a Yankee in the South.
Love,
Janie
Ah, cinnamon. I prefer it on toast, but I'm weird.
Cinnamon and cloves are the scents I associate with mulled wine. And they also flavor the rice when I make a curry.
@ Patsy - yes Christmas aromas are amazing ... your glaze sounds an excellent idea and the concept of a sweet fondue - would be thought of as perfect by some ... me too for a dip or two - then I'd need to lay my fondue fork down!
@ Janice - if I cooked more .. I'm sure I'd use cinnamon all the time. I like to select as appropriate photos as possible ... so thank you.
@ Joanne - that apple cinnamon tart does look amazing doesn't it - and bet it'd taste delicious. We could mull things over with some Christmassy mulled wine and add the cinnamon with the pudding stick stirrer ... and have a good natter - I'm all for that.
@ ACIL - so glad my intended ambience came across ...
@ Janie - I found quite a few recipes for Southern Fried Chicken ... but here's perhaps the reason why it's so popular:
"Every time I hear the words "Cinnamon Chicken" I am reminded of the tv series Little House on the Prairie and the famous episode where Nellie asks Laura to help her cook Almanzo's favorite meal. Laura is jealous of Nellie and replaces the cinnamon with tons of black pepper. "
obtained from: http://www.food.com/recipe/cinnamon-chicken-183262
@ Liz ... oh well - I think we do that too ... but I'm sure sugar would be added for that extra crunch ...
@ Ian - cinnamon and cloves - they do go so well together, don't they. Then of course the rice ... I'll have to remember that for later posts ... I did include the Persian Rice ...
Cheers to you all - and thanks for visiting this pre Christmas post .. Hilary
Cinnamon in the coating of fried chicken - I never knew that.
We are volunteering to help with homeless people through our church next week.
Cinnamon is the smell of Christmas isn't it? Love it! Used some last night to make mulled cider . . . delicious.
Mum, great tip about stirring coffee. I think I'll try that!
I love cinnamon and often add it to my coffee- but I have never stirred my coffee with a stick and now I must try that. I love the smell of it and it really makes me feel extra happiness and reminds me of good times. It makes things taste delicious and the house smells warm and cozy. Great post! :)
~Jess
I must start using this more often. I am gradually learning cooking and thsi herb sounds great. Will definitely for starters use a stick to stir my coffee . . . :)
I love cinnamon in my mulled wine, but I'll pass on having it in my fried chicken. I've never seen a recipe for Southern fried chicken that includes cinnamon, but I'm not saying there isn't such a thing, considering that my grandmother's recipe for cheese ravioli filling contains nutmeg and cocoa. You never know what spice will appear when a really talented cook is in charge. ;)
Reading these replies, I'm surprised at just how popular cinnamon is. I love it too! It good for both sweet and savoury dishes as well. Mrs Bazza buys big jars at Costco and we have some sticks in a cupboard which (when I remember), I stir into hot chocolate or black coffee. It has an interesting and long history so I eagerly await your Herbs & Spices feature about it.
CLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabulous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
@ Alex - it's funny so many of you haven't heard of South Fried chicken with cinnamon. Oh that's brilliant that you and your wife will be out with the homeless next week ... the Churches do so much.
@ Suzanne - isn't cinnamon the aroma of Christmas ... that mulled cider sounds good.
@ Anabel - oh glad the nod to stirring your coffee with a cinnamon stick sounds good.
@ Jess - this cinnamon stick stirring idea seems to be catching on: hope it works and is tasty ... Yes warm homely times with people around and new bakings in the kitchen ...
@ Eddie - well done on learning how to cook - it's a whole new life ... I expect Peter will enjoy experimenting with you as too Rosy ... and now you're getting very upmarket putting a cinnamon stick in your coffee ...
@ Dianne - mulled wine is special isn't it ... yet the Mexicans and Moroccans use lots of what we would term 'sweet spice' in their foods ... as you mention nutmeg (love that spice) and cocoa ... exactly we never know what our taste buds are being enticed with via a new and inspiring cook ...
@ Bazza - yes ... it's interesting the spices people love - the aromas at the supermarkets with in-baking stores have lots of cinnamon aromas. Glad you appreciate the use of cinnamon in both savoury and sweet dishes. Great to see you're already using a pudding stick to stir your chocolate or black coffee. Its history is involved ... hence that post will turn up sometime!
Cheers to you all - have good run ups to this last week of pre-Christmas ... before the total festivities set in - Hilary
Hi Hilary!
I love cinnamon and use it to spice all types of curries. And my daughter has learnt to add it to everything now.
Great Christmas post!
Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices. Love the scent and the flavor. Now you've got me in the mood for baking something cinnamon-y! I hope the remainder of December is wonderful, and that you enjoy celebrating Christmas with loved ones. Blessings to you! :)
Mouthwatering, indeed. You can't have Christmas without cinnamon, now can you? You've stirred my need for hot cinnamon rolls, so now I must hie myself to the cupboard and find some yeast and that lovely spice.
Have a joyous Christmas and I hope to see you in 2017!
Yum!! I actually made a rice pudding with cinnamon last weekend. Was very tasty.
This made me legitimately hungry. I adore cinnamon around the holidays (of course with a dash of ginger and nutmeg). Most of my baking instantly becomes spiced when October hits.
@ Nas - spicing curries ... we westerners forget the main role for cinnamon - spicing up the curry! Delighted your daughter is exploring the world of cooking ... it's so exciting to learn.
@ Karen - Isn't it an amazing spice and I'm smelling the aroma all over the place now - all the bakery shops. Baking at home is the best ... yup - we're on the roll down now ...
@ Lee - hot cinnamon rolls sound good ... not something I've had and you're home-baking them ... that's wonderful to see and read.
@ Lynda - oh yes rice pudding and cinnamon - I think we used nutmeg ... but just so warming and as you say tasty...
@ Robert - I'm sure that's right for many of us ... October chills descend, Halloween and Thanksgiving for the Americas comes in ... we haveGuy Fawkes and Bonfire Night, then gird our loins until Christmas ... and the full winter of frost and cold for January and February ...
Cheers to you all - and thanks so much for your festive wishes ... I do hope you all have peaceful and happy times too .. with lots of spicy and tasty bites ... Hilary
You remind me that I am out of cinnamon! I do love it. I do love apple cider steeped with a cinnamon stick - I haven't done that in a long time. It's so warming.
Lovely post, Hilary!
If you aren't the embodiment of Christmas cheer I haven't seen it yet! This was beautiful, Hilary. Pudding Sticks and Pennies go right well with the season.
Oh this is perfect. I can almost smell the cinnamon rolls and the strudel and the pot pouri. I need to get mine out.
I love cinnamon! I burn cinnamon oil while I write and add a dash of cinnamon to my coffee grounds. :)
I love cinnamon and use it in many things. Joyous holiday to you, Hilary. Stay warm and snug with good friends.
Oh that looks all delightful I love the smell of cinnamon and when I think of it I straight think about cinnamon sticks which were only sold at the fair once a year in each town. Yum Happy holidays to you Hillary
Your post truly brings the festive season to the fore Hilary thank you! I'm going to sprinkle some cinnamon onto my cappuccino in a minute ... and add cinnamon sticks to my shopping list this morning. A hearty wassail to you :)
@ Lynn - well that's good the post updated your shopping list. Apple cider is delicious and that cinnamon stick should bring it to life ...
@ Diedre - thanks so much ... the Pudding Sticks and Pennies do go well with the season don't they ...
@ Jacqui - that's great I've inspired the looking for and finding your pot pourri, while thinking of cinnamon rolls and strudel ..
@ Chrys - fascinating about burning cinnamon oil while you write - and cinnamon to coffee grounds - that's an easy way to infuse cinnamon coffee ...
@ Susan - another popular place for cinnamon - thanks for the holiday wishes.
@ Marja - spices have come a long way in our life time haven't they ... and the fight for the spice islands all those years ago - as we happily talk together now ...
@ Susan - many thanks ... we are into the festive season aren't we - certainly everyone is here ... and another adding cinnamon sticks to the shopping list ...
Thanks so much - wonderful to see you all .. and to read about your enjoyment of cinnamon and its festive spirit ... as you've been saying a hearty Wassail to you .. cheers Hilary
Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices. A pinch works wonders in pasta sauce or in meatballs.
I love the smell of cinnamon. It evokes a sense of home.
@ Rhonda - so many obviously love cinnamon ... and it's great to know a pinch in pasta sauce or meatballs gives them an added 'glow' ...
@ Sherry - it certainly does ... sense of home - that's a great phrase ...
Cheers to you both - and those smells will be pervading across our homes all the time soon ... cheers Hilary
Cinnamon's an integral part of the Indian kitchen too - used on its own and in 'garam masala' - love it in any cuisine. Loved your Christmas message as well.
When I am craving cinnamon I make a batch of monkey bread
Yessss, the cinnamon:) Put enough of that in my food and I'll go wassailing for sure:)
hooray for cinnamon! what a nice memory of my mom baking home made apple pie. she added cinnamon on top of the apples and when it was baking it made the whole house smell so good. she's roll out the extra dough and spread it with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on it. then she'd roll it up and bake it. when it was done she'd slice it into bite size pieces. there's nothing better than a home made apple pie with a small wedge of cheddar cheese and better yet a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon. yike! i just made myself hungry for something sweet. thanks for the nice cinnamon memory.
@ Nila - when I write up the herbalists and spice post ... I must remember the Indian connection and your comment here. Glad the Christmas message came through ...
@ Paula - I'd never heard of Monkey Bread ... but see it's a sticky bread, an African coffee cake, golden crown, pinch-me cake, and pluck-it cake - all alternative names for a bread with cinnamon in ... sounds a delicious cinnamon treat ...
@ Mark - a popular choice .. that's great you'll go a-wassailing with that extra dollop of cinnamon ...
@ Lenny - what a treat to see you here ... more memories of your mother ... this will remind us all. That spare dough idea ... sounds too good - bet your mouth was often watering with the aroma - then the eating ... deliciosa!
Apple pie with some cheddar, or vanilla bean ice-cream sprinkled with cinnamon - now I think you've 'seduced' us to give this idea a go ... Lenny what a wonderful comment ...
Thanks so much yo you all - so wonderful to see you and to get your comments ... loved Lenny's special one ... cheers Hilary
Yum! I love cinnamon on rice pudding.
Hi Deniz - I agree, but I love nutmeg too ... such a great Christmas spice .. cheers Hilary
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