Love, Laura Lee: Hot Cranberry Cider

Good Morning! Come on in! Today I'm home from church with a slightly sick little boy. So, he's helping me with some Christmas decorating and generally talking my ears off in the process.

First up is my favorite snowman trio, dancing and singing "Let it Snow!"

We can always wish, can't we?

Next is "Oh, By Golly", the scrappy-happy Christmas quilt I made a couple years ago.

Simmering on the stove top is a pot full of Hot Cranberry Cider. It tastes so delicious and makes the house smell all Christmasy. It is a family favorite; we typically start making this over Thanksgiving weekend and continue all through the month of December. Wanna know how to stir this up? Here is my quick easy method. You'll need:

Hot Cranberry Christmas Cider

1 can frozen apple juice
1 can frozen cranberry juice
4 juice cans full of warm water
one orange
2 (or so) cinnamon sticks
10 (or so) whole cloves

Dump the frozen juices into your pot and add just two cans of water for each can, instead of the suggested amount on the can. Leaving the juices more concentrated eliminates the need for added sugar. (Of course, if you want to make more volume, you can dilute it with more water and add additional sugar. But this is the way I do it). Cut a couple slices off the orange and throw them in the pot. Then, juice the rest of the orange and pour the juice into the pot. Toss in your cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Let this simmer on the stove or in a crock pot until warm. It can simmer all day if you like. Strain each cup through a tea strainer before serving.

Incidentally, this brand spankin' new Dutch oven is from Aldi, my favorite grocery. It's HEAVY cast iron, enamel coated in cherry red. The price was right ($30), so hey, why not? I am seeing a lot of soup and stew in its future....