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Weekly Tips for an Enchanted Lifestyle!
Editor's note: Lissa Sloan's post would be perfect for the holidays, but given the deep freeze many of us are experiencing in the US, it's a great post for right now! Also, the truth is, I also lost track of it over the holidays. 😔 (KW)
Holiday meals in my house these days are a mix of tradition and experimentation. We often like to try new side or main dishes—last year we had vegetarian shepherd’s pie for Christmas, and the year before that we tried roasted sprouts with grapes. But some parts of the menu are a given, like the strawberry jello, cream cheese, pineapple, and pecan salad we call simply Pink Jello, and of course, hot spiced apple cider.
I try to put it on early in the day, and before long, the whole house smells like the holidays, no matter what else is on the menu. It’s ridiculously easy, delicious, and adaptable. Alter the spices and orange juice amounts to suit your taste.
½ gallon apple cider
1 cup orange juice (You could vary this according to your taste, add lemon juice if you like your cider tart or pineapple if you’d like it sweeter.)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon allspice berries
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine cider and juice in a medium-sized saucepan. Place cloves and allspice in a tea infuser and add to the pot along with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Simmer while you prepare your meal, or at least half an hour or so. Enjoy with dinner or dessert, or anytime, really!
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Lissa Sloan is the author of Glass and Feathers, a dark continuation of the traditional Cinderella tale. Her fairy tale poems and short stories appear in The Fairy Tale Magazine, Niteblade Magazine, Corvid Queen, and anthologies from World Weaver Press. Glass and Feathers appeared as a serial in The Fairy Tale Magazine last spring. The print and ebook release from The Enchanted Press will be on March 26. Visit Lissa online at lissasloan.com, or connect on Instagram, @lissa_sloan, or Twitter, @LissaSloan.