Hello! I hope you all had a splendid Halloween and are not paying for it too bad today. The babies and I ended up home by ourselves, and though I had big ideas of jovially passing out Reese's Peanut Butter Cups to the neighborhood kids, it didn't quite go down like that.
Let's just say that trying to feed two hungry infants while people keep ringing the bless-ed doorbell (and you live on the second floor) which makes the dog bark like crazy which makes the babies cry if they were not already sucked the fun right out it. Now I have two huge bags of Reese's Cups that must be buried in the back yard unless I want to be in maternity pants for the rest of my life. Sad story, I know.
But you didn't come here to hear me whine. I want to share one of my favorite fall treats with you! It has absolutely no additional calories and if you are like me and would eat a football if it were pumpkin flavored you are in for a treat (and a major upgrade)!
A few years ago, I traveled to Morocco and stayed at this magical place and each morning would be treated to the most delicious coffee. At first, I thought it was the Willy Wonka effect of everything being so beautiful and fragrant and luxurious making everything seem like it was extra delicious. And it was, but it was also because they were adding fresh Moroccan cinnamon to the coffee beans before they brewed it.
This tiny delicious detail was a revelation to me and I brought back as much Moroccan cinnamon as was legal and have added it to my morning coffee ever since. Every time I so much as smell the coffee in the morning I have a beautiful flash back to my mornings in Marrakesh. It is the best sensory-memory feeling ever!
This fall, since I have not had a mule to bring me my fix of Moroccan cinnamon in quite awhile, I fumbled around my spice cabinet looking for regular, lets be honest, common cinnamon and I found a jar of pumpkin pie spice . This may not be the revelation of culinary creativity that I think it is, but I don't leave the house much these days, so cut me some slack. It's dang good. That's all I am here to say.
So, if you are out of your fancy cinnamon, give it a try… just add one tablespoon to your beans before you grind them (for about 8 cups… increase to taste) or for ground coffee add them right to the grounds and brew as you normally would. You can thank me when that fall-ish aroma hits your nose while it's still dark out and you are not quite ready to face the day. You will also thank me when you taste it. Perfectly flavored without syrup or sweeteners. You will wonder how you ever drank coffee before. Then you will book your flight to Marrakesh.
Maybe I have an active imagination.
Either way, Enjoy!
xo
