Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Cinnamon hack for parents.

I love the blog, ParentHacks.com. It features all sorts of tips and tricks to make parenting (slightly) easier and today they have a cinnamon hack. Click here to read more.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

How do YOU make cinnamon toast?

I have my way (and will probably never change it -- too full of nostalgia). But I'm curious about other ways to make cinnamon toast. Leave a comment with your method, please.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Low-fat cinnamon rolls. And more.

I haven't tried these myself, but Liz wanted some low-fat cinnamon recipes. Check it out:

Low-fat Cinnamon Rolls

Honey Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie

Apple Cinnamon Tart

Banana Cinnamon Snack Cake

The last recipe looks particularly good. I'm sure I'll try it soon.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Cinnamon deters ants.

I've heard from a few sources that cinnamon can help keep ants away. Try sprinkling it in your child's sandbox and also near thresholds in your house. Please comment if either of these has worked for you (or not).

NYT: Cinnamon reduces mold.

The New York Times explains how cinnamon may be used in bread wrappers to reduce mold.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

How to make cinnamon toast.

When I was a little girl, I would often spend the night with my beloved grandmother. She treated me like a total princess and frequently made me cinnamon toast and served it on a tray, in bed. Scrambled eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice rounded out my meal.

My grandmother is long gone, but I now make the same cinnamon toast for my husband and little girls. And they love it. Here's my grandmother's recipe and how I've adapted it.

I'm sure my grandmother used white bread, but we only buy whole wheat bread. So that's what I use. You also need about half a cup of sugar, several tablespoons of cinnamon, butter or margarine and a paper towel.

Toast your bread. I like mine a little crisp on top, but not burned.

While the bread is toasting, pour half a cup of sugar on a paper towel.

Then I add about three tablespoons of cinnamon. Or more. I do not think there is such a thing as too much cinnamon.

Pull the sides of the paper towel up and down to mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Or use a spoon to mix.

I'm sure my grandmother used real, whole butter. I've found that any butter or margarine that's spreadable does the trick, with no loss of flavor.

Slather the toast with butter. And I mean slather. Right to the edges. I stack the toast after buttering to keep it warm.

Now. Here's the good part. Grind the toast, butter side down, into the cinnamon sugar mixture. If you've buttered well, the toast will be coated.

Stack the toast.

And cut into thirds. Because this is what my grandmother did.

Stack the toast in sets of two. Enjoy.

This recipe makes more than enough cinnamon sugar for a dozen pieces of toast. Do you have a variation on cinnamon toast? Post in the comments.