Let’s Talk Spices

Spices can make or break your meals.  Knowing which flavors do what can help you make your meals the best.  I want to talk about 4 diffrerent spices today…Ginger, Cloves, Cinnamon and Nutmeg…These are spices you will use a lot during the holidays…Ginger is used in gingerbread, ginger cookies and in a lot of Chinese recipes.  Fresh Ginger is called gingerroot and can be found in the fresh vegetable section in your grocery store.  It gives your dishes a hint of citrus with touch of heat.  Ground Ginger can be added to marinades before roating or baking.  Or add a little ground ginger to muffin mixes, etc for a little zing to the recipe.

Cloves add a pungent flavor and can be added to sweet and savory foods.  So not only are they great for beef dishes, but they work in fruit desserts also.  Cloves work well with cinnamon and nutmeg to make your hot apple cider perfect.

Cinnamon has a sweet scent.  It can be used in main meals or desserts.  Cinnamon is great for everyone, including diabetics, because it helps balance things in your body and helps your liver do what it needs to do.  Cinnamon and nutmeg taste great on sweet potatoes, winter squash and carrots.  You can also sprinkle it in your oatmeal, pancake batter, coffee or even when mixing up some french toast batter.

Nutmeg is great in fruit desserts and creamy dishes.  Give your chocolate desserts a little twist by sprinkling some nutmeg ontop.

The way you store spices is also important.

• keep them in a cool, dark place.  You don’t want them near the stove because the heat will weaken their flavors.
• Whether you buy fresh or grounded spices, make sure you keep them in airtight containers.
• Keep moisture away from your spices, it can affect their texture and flavor.  When measuring out, make sure your measuring spoon is dry.
• Unless you know you are going to use the spice a lot, buy in small quantities so you will always have fresh spices for your recipes.