Hot Drinks for Cold Days

....comforting recipes for you to try....

Hi everyone!

My latest obsession is for making creamy green Matcha Lattes on these colder afternoons and I found a brand that is delicious so I thought I would share it with you. It’s from a company called Jade Leaf. It contains individual packets of pre-sweetened organic matcha green tea powder from Japan that you just zip open, drop into a cup and add hot water. I add a little frothed milk as well. I realize it might have a lot of sugar, although it doesn’t taste that way, and that I would be much healthier mixing up my straight matcha powder I have in the cupboard, but this is fun! And quick. And velvety smooth. A comforting way to get extra antioxidants into me!

And since it is the season, apples have been on my mind this week. There may be a big apple pie coming out of my oven soon! I love the recipe from Martha Stewart for her Mile High Apple Pie, which you might want to try. She adds globs of butter before putting on the top crust, which I think makes all the difference. The only thing I do differently is I use all Granny Smith apples to make my pie and really pile them high. I also overdose on the cinnamon powder and sprinkle sanding sugar all over the top pie crust before baking.

I like to go apple picking this time of year at the apple farm down the road in Water Mill, called the Milk Pail. They also make some of the best cider I have ever tasted. I recently visited just to pick up some of their homemade cider doughnuts and some freshly pressed cider.

The doughnuts were munched in the car on the way home and with some of the cider I made the following delicious recipe for Cider and Rum that night.

Cider and Rum (this is cold, but equally good hot as a toddy)

Makes 1

6-8 ounces fresh apple cider

2 ounces good quality dark rum (I use Cruzan) (or more to taste)

Mix and enjoy. It’s really that simple but delicious if you use the best ingredients.

So now we get to the topic of pumpkin, since it is also the season and there is a pumpkin patch also down the road in Water Mill.

However, I get my pumpkins from Amber Waves Farm, a non-profit educational farm with a farm stand in Amagansett that I like to support. You can pick your own pumpkins in the fields. They have 10 different varieties of pumpkins waiting for you to discover. All sizes. And their own cider doughnuts and fresh pressed cider inside.

Until I start making pumpkin everything, I found a shortcut. Not gourmet. However, it is so comforting on a dark cold afternoon. Here it is…

Easiest Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Makes 1

1/2 cup oat milk

1/2 cup water

1 packet Swiss Miss Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa Mix

1 can whipped cream

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend

Bring the milk and water to a boil. Pour in the Swiss Miss mix and whisk to blend. Pour into a mug, squiggle on a mountain of whipped cream, and for looks and added flavor sprinkle the pumpkin spice blend over the top of the whipped cream. Enjoy. If you have a beard, it will get coated.

Last but not least, my all-time favorite hot winterish drink is mulled wine, which I first tasted after skiing in Zermatt and which you find at cafes all over Paris when it starts to get cold. This is the kind of hot drink you have simmering on the back of the stove before guests arrive, as it fills the house with the most festive aroma.

Mulled Wine (vin chaud)

1 bottle fruity red wine

4 cups apple cider

1/2 cup brandy

1 organic orange, zested and juiced

1/4 cup honey

2 star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

Add all of the ingredients to a dutch oven or large saucepan and bring to a rolling simmer. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes then serve.

I hope you enjoy these! See you next week! Hillary