Merry merry

I hope everybody who celebrates it has a wonderful Christmas.

as for me, I got my gift a week early:





the Llama was born after 30 hours of labor at 9:17 AM on December 18, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs 2.4 oz and was 21 inches tall.

spice it up sweetness

this week I have made a batch of Chai spice, and a batch of apple/pumpkin pie spice.

yep, it's getting towards that time of year again for sweet spice blends, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin pie, apple pie, spiced cider, chai tea and chai scones. (which I may eventually post my recipe for.)

and since I figure you all are thinking the same thing, here are my spice recipes:

(when making my batches 1 part = 1 teaspoon & 3 parts = 1 Tablespoon)

Apple/Pumpkin Pie Spice

9 parts ground cinnamon
3 parts ground nutmeg*
3 parts ground ginger
2 parts ground cloves*
2 parts ground allspice*
1 part ground cardamom*(this optional, and you rarely see it in pumpkin pie spice blends, but sometimes in apple pie blends, I really like what it adds in flavor, no matter what the application, so I use it)

mix everything together and enjoy in your favorite recipe

for Spiced Cider: stir 1/8 - 1/4 tsp into one mug of cider, and microwave 1-2 minutes until hot.



Chai Masala

3 parts ground cinnamon
3 parts ground cloves*
2 parts ground cardamom*
2 parts ground ginger
1 part ground allspice*
1 part ground nutmeg*

mix everything together and enjoy!

for Chai Tea: brew a strong mug of black tea with 1/4 - 1/2 tsp spice added. mix in cream and vanilla sugar to taste.


* I like to use whole spices and grind them myself when I make my mixes, but if you can't get whole, use the freshest possible ground you can get.

bonus!
cinnamon sugar for toast and other yummies

2 Tbsp granulated sugar + 2 tsp ground cinnmon

mix together and throw into a spare salt shaker

yumm!