mulling spices

It's almost Halloween and I imagine were all getting ready for trick-or-treaters and the inevitable candy monsters. I was wondering if baking sweet treats would be a good idea instead of handing out a bunch of M&Ms or Reeses Peanut Butter Cups -- just a thought?

But for those of you who don't mind doing a little baking, make sure you have a good supply of those wonderful, fall and winter spices on hand in your pantry - namely Allspice. Continue reading →

I will miss the summer months with all the crazy fun activities that my family and I have enjoyed; but, on the other hand, I am looking forward to some chilly days with a cup of mulled wine.

Mulling is another way of saying to heat, sweeten, and flavor with spices as in mulled wine or cider. As far as I know, the concept of mulling began in Europe. They would combine certain spices in their drink recipes to spice things up a bit. What is a typical mulling spice blend today would be a combination of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cardamom, perhaps a bit of orange citrus peel, or on occasion, a dash of peppercorn, or star anise. I have heard that back in the good old days some recipes even added raisins to the mixture.
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