Free Recipes Wassail

Free Recipes Wassail

The holiday season is a time for planning festivities for family and friends, usually revolving around special eats and drinks!

In our family, these gatherings include sharing some warm holiday punch. There are a number of traditions associated with the term “wassailing,” some good, some not so good, but for me the term has always meant warmth, family gathering, and good cheer.

From a healthy eating standpoint, the following wassail recipe has much to recommend it, especially if served in place of other less desirable beverages.

The combination of cider and orange juice, along with the pungent spices will fill your home with a wonderful fragrance, while at the same time providing a savory warm drink for you and your guests to enjoy.

Keep in mind, to add brown sugar, only if more sweetness is desired.  

The recipe is healthier without the added sugar and I prefer it that way, but your guests may have more of a sweet tooth. Another option is to put the brown sugar out "on the side," so to speak, and let them add it if desired.

WASSAIL

1 gallon apple cider 

1 can frozen orange juice

6 Cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon Allspice, whole

1/2 teaspoon Cloves, whole

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)

Directions:

(1) Add cider and orange juice to a stockpot.

(2) Tie up spices in cheesecloth and add to the juices.

(3) Simmer for an hour or until desired taste. 

(4) Serve warm with thin orange slices as garnish.

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe.

This Christmas season, if you are lucky enough to have carolers come "a-wassailing" to your door, you can thank them with some of this warm, spicy punch before sending them on their way.

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Eat and be healthy with my warmest regards, 

Cinnamon – pungent, brown spice derived from the bark of the cinnamon tree; available ground or in sticks (“quills”);good source of manganese, iron and calcium; helps control blood sugar so it may be useful to pre-diabetics and diabetics; has preservative properties; native to the Far East.

Cloves – sweet, aromatic spice native to Indonesia that, in its whole form, is the dried buds of the clove tree, name derived from Latin word for nail, may be purchased whole or ground, good source of manganese, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin C and Vitamin K. Clove recipe ideas: Tasty addition,when used sparingly, to apple, pumpkin and tomato dishes.

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