Spice up your Winter
It’s hard to believe it’s already January! While many may not share my opinion, I’ve always looked forward to the cold weather, with visions of being inside with a warm drink, a book, and maybe a candle and blanket or two.
I like to bake in the winter, and love smelling the warm spices coming from the oven. It brings me back to times spent with my grandmother baking her “famous” cookies. These were not just any cookies, these were cookies derived out of necessity from having eleven children during the Depression. They consisted of flour, sugar, eggs, lots of cinnamon, and not much else. My grandmother would throw the batter on a big kitchen table, and cut tons of cookies out using an upside-down drinking glass. Honestly, they were not the best flavor or consistency I have ever had, but they were my grandmother’s, and hold a very special place in the hearts of my whole family.
There is not a recipe for these cookies that we can find anywhere, and some of us in my family have tried to recreate them and have come pretty darn close, but yet they are not the same. It is the smell of them baking that brings back all of those nostalgic feelings, especially the cinnamon.
I’ve always been partial to this warm flavor, especially this time of year, and I can’t think of a better spice to use on a cold winter day. Perhaps for you it’s a cookie, or hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick, a warm chai tea, or a savory dish where the spice is hidden just enough to complete the flavor and make you notice. There are lots of other warm spices to experiment with in winter or anytime. Maybe you favor a spicier route, perhaps a Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon and chili powder? Did you know that certain spices are said to have healing properties? Cinnamon for example, may affect your blood sugar and help work as an anti-inflammatory. Bonus, right?
While the wind is blowing and the snow is falling, why not try a few spices to warm up your winter? The Mercer County Library System has many books on all types of spices. These are just a few to get you started!
Spiced: Unlock the Power of Spices to Transform Your Cooking by America's Test Kitchen
Healing Spices Handbook: Recipes for Natural Living by Barbara C. Brownell-Grogan
Spice: Understand the Science of Spice, Create Exciting New Blends, and Revolutionize Your Cooking by Stuart Farrimond
The Mercer County Library System also has digital resources easily accessed through our website and app. Do you prefer reading eBooks? You will find many titles on spices available through our hoopla app! From Flipster, our digital magazine service, you will discover great recipes using all sorts of spices by going to the “food and cooking category,” selecting a magazine, and searching “spices” by selecting “all issues.” There are so many recipes to choose from!
Need to warm up your winter a little more? Here are some “spicy” websites to explore.
- The Spice House
Check out their Explore and Learn section! - Bon Appetit
Here they recommend everything from spice sources to spice blenders to shops. - Spiceology
For home and professional chefs, here you will find fresh spices for any meal. - Rumi Spice
This site sells ethically sourced spices, and provides a terrific blog on spices, how to use them and where they come from.
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