Gluehwein

So you need to eat now like you need a hole in the head. Let’s take a food break and make a drink – alcoholic, of course! And it'll get you in the mood for more winter holidays…in Northern California or Florida you can just go inside, turn your air conditioner on and light the fire (or a candle if you don’t even have a fireplace!) or drive to Tahoe and it’s the same effect. Today I think the high in Davis is supposed to be near 70!

This is another coveted recipe I’ve been perfecting since Michael and I started dating (10 years ago!) that his parents make – gluehwein. It’s the German version of mulled wine and drunk from specially decorated mugs all over Germany in the winter. We have about a dozen from our ski vacations in Germany over the years. So open the window or turn on the air conditioner and curl up with some gluehwein!

Gluehwein

Servings: 10 (~1 1/2 glasses each)

Time: 15 min active; 75 min total

Type: vegan

Price: <$15.00 total; <$1.00 per serving depending on the price of the wine

Nutrition (per serving): ...Not sure anyone out there is counting, but...

Calories: 190.8

Protein: .43g

Fat: .05g

Saturated Fat: .01g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 7.9mg

Carbohydrates: 23.7g

Fiber: .17g

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

pinch of ground nutmeg

2 oranges ("borrowed" from an orange tree down the road...)

20-25 whole cloves

double bottle (1500ml) red wine

1. In a large pot, combine water, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until sugar dissolves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

2. Meanwhile, cut oranges and half and juice them.

Stir the juice into the sugar water. Push the whole cloves into the juiced orange halves

and place them gently in the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Pour in the wine and heat thoroughly for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust for sugar and spice. Serve and enjoy!