All about Cinnamon

    Cinnamon is my all time favorite spice! I guess you could call me a cinnamon connoisseur. (lol) I love Cinnamon rolls, and sticky buns, ( Did you know there is a national sticky bun day on February 21) Churros are always yummy, Snickerdoodles, and even Cinnamon pie like mentioned on Psych. And never forget about warm apple cider yum! My mom tells me how my Grandpa would joke and say the word Cinnamon like it is spelled CINNANNANAMIN! I love Cinnamon so much that I even added it to some hamburger which went into my chilli so good. It has a rustic aroma that can not only be pared with sweet foods but also savory. About the History of cinnamon it is kind of unknown  but the Alton Brown gives a summary of this in his show here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pj1s3lzJwo I love his recipe for cinnamon buns.   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/index.html The only thing I did differently was to skip the step of cooking the cinnamon buns with the steam instead I just baked them at 350 degrees for 30 min. (Oh I also used a different glaze) They turned out pretty much the same. 

Some simple facts about Cinnamon are 1. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of a tree, 2. Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known (It was mentioned in the Bible) 2. Used in ancient Egypt for flavoring and as a medicine and kinda gross but was also used as an embalming agent, 3. It was so highly treasured back in Medieval Times that only royals could purchase the spice, 4. There are four types of cinnamon (most common are Ceylon and Cassia cinnamon) 5.(used in Chinese medicine) Cinnamon has many health benefits and can help with colds, nausea, stop unwanted blood clotting or thins blood, diarrhea, also and anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, helps control blood sugar levels, scent boosts brain activity, helps diabetes, anti- bacterial, anti-parasitic, fights heart disease, and helps the gut (for more info) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68 6. Cinnamon contains manganese, iron, zinc, dietary fiber, and calcium.  So in other words It is one of the most healthiest spices out there!