Happy Pumpkin Wednesday: Spice Up Your Holidays

Hello friends and Happy Wednesday!  I hope you have enjoyed the beginning of the week and are looking forward to a delightful pre-Thanksgiving weekend!

As promised, Pumpkin has been reading and studying over the last week to write a post to help you get ready for the upcoming holiday cooking season...

Yes, that's right, reading and studying...

And this week she starts by helping you get your holiday spices prepared.

Quick, to the spice cabinet!

There are several common spices used in holiday cooking and baking.  If you're looking to spend more money on Christmas and Chanukah gifts than for the ingredients to make your holiday meals and treats, consider heading to the bulk food store for your spices.  Check out stores like Whole Foods and Penzey's where you can buy only the quantities of the spices you need, rather than spending $4-$8 on a container of spices you only need two teaspoons of!

Buying at a bulk food store doesn't mean heading to Costco and buying a jar of spice the size of Pumpkin,

Everything at Costco is sooo big!

Rather, buying at a bulk food store means going to a place where you can measure and purchase whatever quantity of food/spice you will need.

Once your purchase your spices in bulk, you will need to make sure they are stored properly so they maintain their freshness.  Check out this blog, which suggests using old glass jars and filling them with your newly purchased spices.  Remember, spices maintain their potency best when you leave them in the cabinet and out of direct sunlight.

Here are a few spices that are commonly used in holiday cooking.

Allspice

This spices comes from Jamaica and is commonly used in Latin American cooking.  In America, allspice is most commonly used in desserts, but you will also find it in Ohio's own Skyline Chili. Allspice contains the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove all in one, with slightly peppery notes.  

Vanilla

Many recipes for your baked goods call for vanilla.  To bring out the flavor in your recipes, when you purchase your vanilla extract, try to find "pure" vanilla, rather than "imitation."  The pure extract will cost you more, but you will find the flavor really shows through in your food. 

Cinnamon

Your recipe may call for cinnamon in one of two  forms.  There are cinnamon sticks, and ground cinnamon.  If you ever need to use ground cinnamon and you only have the cinnamon stick, according to the Cook's Thesaurus, one cinnamon stick is equivalent to half a teaspoon of cinnamon.  If cinnamon is a key ingredient in your dish, you may want to head to your specialty spice store and purchase the pricer and tastier type of cinnamon, Ceylon cinnamon.   

  

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is a popular spice used for both sweet foods as well as savory cooking.  It is a classic ingredient in a béchamel sauce (a béchamel sauce is a white sauce used in French cooking).  

Cloves

Like cinnamon, you can get whole or ground cloves.  Cloves, however, have much more flavor if they are whole.  You can get ground cloves by using a mortar and pestle to grind the cloves, or you can grind them in your spice grinder/coffee grinder.  The only downside to using your coffee grinder to grind spices is the possibility of left over residue.  Buying whole cloves also allows you to use the cloves to stick directly into the skin of meats and savory foods. 

Now that you are prepared to head to the kitchen, what will you be baking/cooking this holiday season?

Looking forward to a lovely Thursday!