Deb Ponzek is a mom, chef/restauranteur and author of several popular cookbooks including The Dinner Survival Cookbook and The Family Kitchen. This week she’s sharing her go-to fall cocktail for entertaining—an easy mulled wine perfect for sharing with neighbors on Halloween or enjoying by the fire pit with friends.
Spiced Mulled Wine
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients:
- Peel of 1 lemon
- Peel of 1 orange
- Two 750-ml bottles red wine
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split (optional)
- 8 whole cloves
- 12 whole peppercorns
- One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 star anise
Directions:
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel of the lemon and orange, being careful not to pick up any of the bitter white pith from the fruit.
- Cut the peel into strips and combine in a large pot with the wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cloves, peppercorns, sliced ginger, nutmeg, and star anise.
- Bring to a simmer over low heat and let simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
- Strain and serve warm.
Meet the Mom Behind Dune Jewelry!
This week’s Meet a Mom is Holly Daniels Christensen, the Founder & CEO of Dune Jewelry, which is a unique, “Experiential Jewelry” brand. “We use sand and natural elements from thousands of locations around the world to create jewelry that holds your personal experiences…tangible reminders of your favorite moments,” explains Holly.
Meet a Mom: Actress Brooklyn Decker!
Actress Brooklyn Decker became a household name by dominating the pages of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues as a model, starting in 2006 and landing the coveted cover in 2010. She’s also a devoted, hands-on mom to two, a boy named Hank (4) and a girl named Stevie (2).
Easy Peanut Butter Football Dip!
This easy, no-bake dessert dip from Lynn Lilly, the talented mama behind the Craft Box Girls blog uses basic pantry ingredients like peanut butter, chocolate chips and pretzels. We’ll be making it for the Super Bowl and then again for Valentine’s Day—simply swapping the football shape for a heart one!