Vernon WadeThere are lots of cooks out there who actually know what they are doing. I pretty much taught myself to cook, out of necessity. I haven’t a clue most of the time, but I do love to eat. 

I have made everything posted here. If I can do it, you certainly can. Someday, if there is enough interest, I will gather all these recipes into a cookbook. In the meantime, in the spirit of dashes, dollops and three-fingered pinches, I present them here for you to try. Let me know what you think.

Hot spiced wine is a perfect way to take the edge off the drizzly season.  We made this in a 2 1/4 gallon cast iron potjie suspended over the fire from a tripod. It would work just as well in a crock pot on low.

 

 

Ingredients 

 

  • 2 bottles of red wine (we used cheap cabernet)
  • ¼ bottle brandy (more or less, to taste)
  • 1 ½ pints unfiltered apple cider (more or less, to taste)
  • 2 oranges, sliced into wheels
  • nutmeg
  • star anise
  • cloves
  • cinnamon sticks
  • small handful of brown sugar (more or less, to taste – actually all these ingredients are more or less, to taste)

 

 

     

    Combine all liquid ingredients in a large pot. Tie the spices up in a clean bandana or some cheese cloth and drop in pot. Stir in sugar and add sliced oranges. Suspend pot high above low flame. Heat until steaming; avoid boiling. Serve hot but not scalding.