Hot Spiced Apple Cider

Well I mentioned my spiced apple cider the other day on my Facebook page and I have had requests for the recipe so I'm sharing it here with everyone. It is a supper easy recipe to make and it will have your whole house smelling wonderful for hours.
I make mine in the Crock-pot but you can just as easily fix it in a pot on the stove top. I also make a ton of it because before you know it, all the cider is gone!

64 oz bottle of apple cider
1 large orange sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves

Put all the ingredients in your Crock-pot or pan, heat to boiling and then turn down the heat to warm on a Crock-pot or simmer on the stove. Enjoy the taste of the cider and the smell in your house.

Enjoy this with your family this holiday season. May the blessings of the season be with you and yours and continue into the next year. Stop by Fresh From the Farm linky party for more great recipes.

Where did half the month go?

I'm not sure where the first half of December went. I know we have been busy out here getting things ready for winter, putting up protein blocks, hay and grain. The elves have been busy decorating the house and the kitchen has been in full use, but still how did half a month go by in what seems like a blink of an eye?

Part of the problem could be that after Thanksgiving and our snowy cold weather the temp went up to the the 50's during the day and it sure did not feel like December any more. Today, however is another matter. The high has not gotten out of the 30's and the snow started around 8 am after raining most of the night and has not stopped since. Now when I look out my windows it looks like Christmas.  Just wish it had looked like this a little sooner in the month and maybe then I would not be short two weeks.

Oh, well at least I still have one more week until Christmas is here.

Cranberry Jam

Here is my recipe for Cranberry Jam that I made just a week ago, finally getting around to putting the recipe up on here and on fellow blogger Fresh from the Farm for her recipe swap.  Make sure you stop by her great blog also to catch all the other great recipes, crafts and holiday ideas being shared http://farmchickskitchen.blogspot.com/

Cranberry Jam

12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
12 oz fruit juice (Cranberry, Pomegranate, Raspberry, Cherry or what ever is your favorite and the flavor you want to add to the cranberries
1 cup sugar

Mix the cranberries, juice and sugar in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the berries have burst and the sauce is thickened. You can let it cool down and then store in the refrigerator or multiple the recipe and can. One batch makes 3-4 half pints of jam. Just can it in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.

Enjoy on toast, bagel or English muffin for breakfast or with rolls and biscuits for dinner.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. One of my favorite for the holidays, ever since my husband's grandmother made it and gave it out for Christmas gifts.  Now I make a triple batch each year to have enough to last the year through.