Aisle Twelve

Here's a holiday recipe that will be sure to bring plenty of cheer. Mulled wine will warm your belly, and not just because it's served warm. The smell alone will get you in a festive mood. Be sure not to break the bank on extravagant wine. With all the spice and other flavors in this drink, the nuances of the wine will be masked. An inexpensive wine will be more than fine. I can't think of a better way to drink this than curled up by the fireplace with a nice blanket and good conversation. Cheers to the holidays! Mulled Wine 3/4 cup sugar 2 cups water 1 cup apple cider 1 cinnamon stick 12 cloves peel of 1 lemon 2 bottles dry red wine 1/2 cup brandy or spiced rum Combine water, sugar, cinnamon stick,cloves and lemon peel in large sauce pan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add brandy, cider and wine. Do not boil. Bring to temperature of coffee.

What's a girl to do when for various reasons (pregnancy, antibiotics or masochistic sacrifice) one finds herself unable to drink?  This has of course come up for me on several occasions recently.  There are only so many bad sparkling juices a girl can drink before she has to resort to coming up with her own concoctions.  Luckily, I have not had major cravings for alcohol.  I'm too busy craving ice cream.  But this completely gorgeous and summer like weather had me craving a summer drink.  I really wanted a cool and refreshing mojito and was just starting to banish the craving to July when I realized a mojito is actually a good drink to have with or without alcohol.  I whipped one up and to my pleasant surprise, this is one refreshing drink I'd have even if I could have alcohol.  It lead me to come up with a n/a version of my other favorite cocktail, the Cosmo.   My CosNo isn't quite as satisfying booze free but it is a g...

Ok, so I'm big on the drinks right now.  That's because it's summer and as I mentioned previously, summer is not a high time for cooking.  It's either too busy or too hot to stand over a stove slaving away on a meal.  Not that I find cooking to be slave-ish, because I rather enjoy it, but... you catch my drift. This lemonade is so refreshing and sweet and tart and ... it just hits all the bells and whistles.  I crave this almost as much as I crave an ice cold glass of beer on a hot day at the ball park...almost, not quite but almost.  This is perfect though to sip at while laying lazily in the backyard and reading a good summer read.  Lemonade 4 lemons 2 oranges 1 cup sugar 1 quart cold water Juice lemons and oranges.  Add to a pitcher with the sugar and cold water.  Chill to expand (makes more as it chills.)  Serve in a glass filled with ice and enjoy summer.

It's too darn hot to cook.  That doesn't mean though that you can't make something great from your kitchen.  This isn't really much of a recipe but I'm addicted to these right now.  I had one at a great Italian restaurant recently and I couldn't see why I wouldn't be able to make this at home.  Italian cream sodas can be made with any flavored syrup.  My favorite is raspberry.  The cream with the raspberry flavor is an unbeatable combination.  If you wanted to make this a little lighter, you can make an Italian Soda by simply omitting the cream.  This is a perfect summer drink.  Refreshing, uncomplicated and simple to whip up - no cooking required! Fill a glass with ice.  Pour about a half an inch of syrup into the bottom of the dish.  Use any flavor of Torani syrup you wish.  (These can be found at most markets by coffees or teas.)  Fill the glass with club soda and add a splash of cream (or half and hal...