Grandmother’s Hot Wassail Recipe!

 

I suppose it’s about time I updated.

I’ll admit—the  music, colder weather (for TN) and abundance of Christmas cheer  DOES get me in the mood for the holidays, but the long lines to the shopping centers do not. I haven’t ventured out into the madness this year yet. Fortunately, my dad got our family Amazon Prime, so anything and everything I could want is mine with one click (and free overnight shipping!)
I highly recommend—it’s already pretty much paid for itself.
These last few weeks I’ve been finishing up final exams at le college, and consequently I haven’t gotten much of a chance to satisfy my followers’ Vanilla cravings. So, I thought I’d throw in some booze for a recipe to celebrate the end of semester and the advent of Yuletide!

This is my grandmother’s recipe for Hot Wassail—-pretty much the most badass Christmas drink ever. It’s part apple cider, part citrus beverage, and part home brew. On a cold day, nothing warms you up better when you have some of this goodness bubbling on your stove. Also, your home will smell amazing. Be sure to get yourself a big stew pot though, because this recipe will last you awhile.

Also, remember the rule:

One at Dinner
Two At Most
Three, and you’re under the table
Four, and you’ll be under the host.

DRINK RESPONSIBLY, folks!

Recipe

In the base of a 12 cup percolator put:

1 part cranberry juice

1 part orange juice
5 parts apple cider (unpasteurized)

In the percolator basket put:

6-8 whole cloves
2 tbsp. honey

1 cup brown sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 chopped lemon (with rind)

1/2-1 cup vodka (or rum)

Brew wassail as you normally would coffee. Serve hot with a slice of lemon or cinnamon stick.

 

 

Hot bowl of chili on a crisp day

You’re walking briskly toward your apartment, warming your hands with your breath. This new Fall weather is the kind of cold that makes even your bones shiver on early morning commutes. Your limbs are aching from a long walk, your belly is growling with hunger. When you finally reach your destination, you collapse onto the nearest soft surface and breathe a heavy sigh of exhaustion. Now what do you have to eat? Ramen? That leftover sandwich from Subway? That (hopefully not too) moldy Chinese takeout that you’ve been dreading at the back of the fridge?

Enter my kitchen.

Imagine this same scenario, only when you walk through the door you smell the mouth-watering, tastebud percolating aroma of hot and delicious homemade chili simmering happily on your stove in a large silver pot.
Pardon the bad pun, but I can’t imagine a more perfect recipe for chilly weather than well, CHILI!

I found a fantastic recipe on momswhothink.com. I love this site because, while I’m not a mother and certainly don’t intend on being one any time soon, they have the cleverest little ideas. They assume the same needs as me: low budget, small amount of time for preparing, and fail proof for beginners. However, I have noticed that they have recipes for much larger yield than I’m used to. They assume, I suppose, that I have 2 or 3 hungry mouths to feed other than my own and while I enjoy good food, I don’t have the appetite of 4 people. Fortunately, my family members and boyfriend are very willing guinea pigs on my culinary exploits.

Here’s the recipe. I really enjoyed the cup of red wine that you add at the end. It just ties all the flavors together. Instead of celery, green peppers and diced tomatoes, I used a vegetable medley (corn, peas, carrots), some green chiles, and threw in some beets for good measure. I did use the onion and the chili beans.

“Mama’s Belly Filling Chili”

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds chopped ground round
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped celery
2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
2 (14 ½ ounce) cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup red wine
grated cheddar cheese for serving
sour cream for serving

Directions:

1. Sauté the ground round in the vegetable oil until browned, about 10 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, onions, peppers, and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the beans, tomatoes (with juice), tomato sauce, bay leaf, chili powder, sugar, cloves, salt and pepper. Stir well.

4. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 ½ hours.

5. Add the red wine and simmer another 30 minutes.

6. Serve in large bowls topped with grated cheese and sour cream.