Saturday Craziness

Accountability status report:
I have completed 4 of the items on my ATDL, and am partially through 2 more. You'll have to wait to find out WHICH items though!

On Tuesday when the office was still closed and I needed to work remotely but still had no power at home, I went down to Merrow's to make use of her heat and electricity and laundry facilities and ability to make tea and other hot beverages. Thanks to her for both letting me come crash and also for reminding me just how much I love hot mulled cider (in addition to my beloved hard cider) AND for telling me what I need to make it. Tasty and relaxing and perfect for just before bed as there is no caffeine in it.

Hot Mulled Cider
1/2 gallon of fresh apple cider
small quantity of orange juice + half an orange peel OR one whole orange cut into 8ths
half a lemon peel
2-3 cinnamon sticks
a bunch of whole cloves

Dump everything in the Crock Pot, set it on low, walk away for several hours. Come back to warm apple-y goodness. I scooped everything out with a slotted spoon and then poured into a pitcher and put in the fridge. Reheats in 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Merrow's cider had fresh-squeezed OJ from Whole Paycheck and the orange peel. I shopped at the low end grocery chain, so made do with chopping up a navel orange. And I bought a lemon but completely forgot to add any, and the cider is still good. Not quite as fabulous as Merrow's, but still delish.

Speaking of which, I'm going to go pour myself some now and curl up in bed with a book and the kitties. If you're in the US, don't forget to Fall Back tonight. Extra hour of sleep - YAY! Driving home in the dark no matter how early I manage to get out of the office - BOO.