Your Holiday Spice Guide

Christmas brings the heart warming aroma of spices. They are what add flavor and color to a variety of dishes. If you;re new to them, experiment and be delighted by their contribution to recipes. Which ones to use? All of them.

One of the most traditional spices are cloves.These dried little pin like buds have been used in Asian and Mexican cooking for generations.It is also a must for a Christmas ham.Not only does it serve as a nice decoration, its' dark earthy sweetness complements the meat's saltiness.They can also be used in another holiday treat mulled wine.This is a heady warmed punch that not only has cloves but also star anise, juniper berries,cardamon,and cinnamon. Ground clove can be used in the famed coconut Christmas cake too. Nutmeg is another spice that's a winter favorite.Usually it's dusted atop frothy cappuccinos  but it can also be used  with brown sugar as a dry ham rub or sprinkled on mashed sweet potatoes.Of course it's used in baked treats.Try nutmeg laced cupcakes with caramel icing or sugar and spice cookies that rich in butter, nutmeg and cinnamon. The star of the holiday spice rack is cinnamon.It can be used in a soul warming butternut squash soup or a fiery veggie hash. Snickerdoodles wouldn't be the same without it and you can add a pinch to regular sugar and butter cookies too.

The big stars of the season are ginger and peppermint. This is the time of elaborate gingerbread houses and sweet gingerbread boys and girls. Yet ginger  root can be used in main and side dishes too.It works perfectly with ham or even roast pork. Mix it in a marinade of chili peppers,honey soy sauce and rice wine for a more non-traditional but delicious Christmas dinner or holiday buffet.This fiery root can also zing up side dishes too.Everyone will  rave over honey ginger carrots that also have a spritz of lemon juice . For a cleansing dish, make a salad with the ginger and beets dressed with simple oil and vinegar. You could make gingerbread cookies but how about a Christmas ginger cake, sweetened with molasses and zinged with ground ginger mixed with cinnamon and cloves. The strong flavor of peppermint is also prevalent right now. A nice peppermint tea is soothing after a heavy meal and perfect for a quiet read with a new book. Add a drop of peppermint oil to hot cocoa for a tasty night time treat.The pairing also works well in cookies. Think a plate of chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies or pinwheels. Bark also is a great way of highlighting the two flavors too.

Spices are what give holiday food and drink their special flavors. Use one, Use them all to make the holidays even more delicious.

Spicing Up Your Meats

Want to zing up that chicken or pork. Add spice - and yes, you can add  some of the ones that make pumpkin spice what it is. It's a nice way to add some flavorful heat on a nippy fall day. Best of all it give home chefs the chance to be creative.

Spiced meats are nothing new. Before refrigeration and salt, adding spices to various meals to preserve them and take away their rancid flavor. Pepper, cinnamon, cumin and cloves were the ones of choice and they still are today. What should today's cooks use?It depends on the meat. If you're having qualms about using anything more than rosemary or oregano - which are herbs, then just use a light hand. Start off with a roast chicken , flavored with ground pepper and  the Indian classic, garam masala. This last can easily be made at home  by blending cumin, coriander, and cinnamon with cardamom, cloves and nutmeg.It's then marinating the chicken for fifteen minutes before roasting and then roasting in an oven. Pair  the smoky sweet allspice and nutmeg with cayenne  in a fiery jerk rub . Cinnamon on its' own can flavor a chicken. For a Moroccan vibe mix the spice with cumin and ginger  and then fricassee it. Add almonds and couscous for more authenticity. Allspice and cumin can be turned into a paste along with paprika, onion and garlic powders  to rub over chicken . it's then roasted , producing a crispy, spicy skin.

Pork is another meat that can be zinged up with spice. Pork roast on its' own is delicious, but add cinnamon to bring out the meat's sweet flavor. It's combining the spice with salt, pepper, onion, sugar and garlic,. Soy sauce is added to make it a paste and then the mixture is rubbed onto the meat. It does need three to  twenty-four hours to marinate. Cinnamon can be combined with ground pepper for a tasty rub, sweetened with brown sugar and zinged up with dried mustard.Pair the spice with its' fellow sweet spices of nutmeg and allspice for a different kind of dry rub. Red pepper and garlic powder are also added to balance out the sweetness.it's then rubbed onto the pork and left to stand for twenty minutes to let the flavors soak in. Ham can also be improved with a variety of fall spices. A cinnamon glaze is a nice change of pace for a Sunday or holiday ham. It's combining it with maple syrup and dark brown sugar for a spicy sweet foil to the meat's saltiness. Allspice can also be used for ham as well. Mix it with cloves and a jolt of whiskey along with brown sugar and garlic powder. for a memorable glaze that will give the meat a nice bacon like crust

Consider spiced meat this fall. It's a nice alternative and will give chicken, pork or ham a smoky, warm sweetness. Add autumn's flavors to your main meal for a tasty change.