Seasoning foods and hot drinks with herbs and spices will get your taste buds buzzing this holiday season

Seasoning foods and hot drinks with herbs and spices will get your taste buds buzzing this holiday season

Something about the approaching holidays brings to mind delicious casseroles straight from the oven and hot drinks, whirls of steam rising from our favorite cup and making those rosy cheeks even rosier.

Why not add a new flavor to go along with the swirls of steam? Adding a sprinkle of fresh or dried herbs from the farmer's market to food or hot drinks can enhance the festivity in your home that permeates all the senses. When all our senses are nourished, it delights our soul, don't you think?

The most popular herbs and spices are sage, rosemary, mint, oregano, basil, dill, parsley, thyme and cinnamon. Just reading about them brings out the sparkling sights and jingle-jangle sounds of the holidays.

Sage has a unique earthiness and uniquely pops poultry and dressing with a hint of peppery flavor. After years of using grated sage, I decided to add some not-so-finely diced fresh green sage to our Thanksgiving dressing. My goodness, what a treat for our taste buds! Since then it has been a holiday tradition in our house.

Sage is also used by gourmet chefs to flavor soups, especially vegetable soups. No wonder it is sometimes called “garden sage” or “kitchen sage.” Many family recipe books are filled with the gourmet spice blends of rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil and dill in heirloom recipes that have been passed down from grandmother to bride for centuries.

Mint leaves added to a carrot casserole refresh the palate and also refresh the plate on which it is served. When a food pleases the eye, it does so much more than just being spooned mindlessly out of a boring serving dish. Imagine mint-infused cooked carrots glistening and trying to peek out from a sparkling white serving plate with tiny sprigs of mint. Add a halved maraschino cherry nestled snugly to one side to refresh the eye.

Cinnamon is highly aromatic and, when combined with sage, dried apples and honey, creates a spicy cinnamon toddy that the whole family can enjoy together. Add boiling water to a few slices of dried apples, a sage leaf and a tablespoon of honey and stir with a cinnamon stick. The mixture can make you sleep so well that the next morning you'll wonder if you were sprinkled with fairy dust the night before.

How festive, how fun!