A Little Sugar and Spice and all things Nice

Welcome to December 2023.

It is the first day of December and quite quickly before the blink of an eyelid it will be Christmas.  A time to be with family and friends and also traditionally where a lot of cooking, baking and eating takes place.

As a way of trying to get a few more things sorted in the rundown to Christmas I thought  that I would try and do one or two simple things a day to ease things along a bit. Initially this runs around kitchen and Pantry items but will cover other items too.  Whatever takes my interest on any one particular day. Most of what I will be doing for the Pantry will be of use through the rest of the year too. Although a lot of spices are used in the month of December, to liven things, up, make items beautifully scented and to my mind make things taste gorgeous.  Please also remember that you can make yourself little treats throughout this month to celebrate the season, using what you have made, such as mugs of hot mulled wine, creamy cinnamon chocolate, hot chocolate with marshmallows in the run up to the big day itself.  Enjoy and celebrate the season in your own imitable way.

Cinnamon sugar to buy from the shop is expensive and yet it hardly takes any time at all to actually make it.  It is something I keep in to use year round as for me it is a comfort food/flavouring.  I have done this for many years.  Think hot buttery thick toast with the Cinnamon Sugar sprinkled on top or sprinkled onto a hot chocolate, on your porridge, in cakes, in preserves, pancakes, muffins, homemade Doughnuts in your baking, in mulled wine, in the Christmas cake or pudding etc.  It also matches very well with anything apple.  This reminds me I may well make some small Doughnuts for tomorrow evening sprinkled with some of this Cinnamon sugar. It also makes a very simple Christmas gift for a friend.  It is a while since I have made mini Doughnuts.

I absolutely love Cinnamon - there are people out there who cannot cope with it - G is of this vein despite the fact that it is good for high blood pressure.  However that does not stop me from indulging.  Cold weather just calls for hot buttery Cinnamon toast and it is something I will be having for my supper this evening.  We have a repeat of the Beef Bourguignon tonight in any event.  It went down beautifully.

In essence all you will need is some Sugar and some Cinnamon.  You can use white or brown sugar for this.  Remember it can be used with all sorts of things.

This is also very forgiving. If you put too much Cinnamon in the mixture for your taste add a little more sugar to the mix to thin it down a bit.

You will need:

A couple of small jars if using to give as presents to friends.

If making for the Pantry shelf a larger jar might be more beneficial unless you choose to make in smaller jars so that you have a more evenly distributed usage store.  Choice is  up to you.

Make sure that the jar has been sterilised and dried.

For every 8oz of sugar 2 Tablespoons (Maximum of Ground Cinnamon).

Into a bowl decant your sugar.  Then add in 2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon.  Amalgamate the two ingredients until they are mixed together evenly.

Decant into your chosen jar.  I used three small jars - after doubling the recipe. Seal, label and then pop onto your Pantry shelf or alternatively into your gift basket for your chosen recipient.

Not complicated, straightforward and hardly takes any time at all, but adds no end of flavour to all sorts of goodies.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x