There is nothing more comforting during the holidays then a glass of mulled wine.

Watching the snow fall with a piping hot mug of this scrumptious beverage feels decadent, like you are relaxing at a chalet in the Swiss Alps.

Of course then you snap back to reality and realize that there is chaos all around you and it becomes an excellent and comforting way to deal with the stress of the holidays.

A friend of mine makes this regularly throughout the winter and was kind enough to share her recipe with me.

You can make this in a crock pot on low or on the stove. Do NOT let this boil!

Here is what you need

1 bottle of good red wine

1/4 cup Candied ginger

3 Cinnamon sticks

2 Clementines peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon Allspice berries

1 teaspoon Cloves

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

Wrap the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice in cheesecloth.

Put it in your pot with the sugar and chopped up clementine.

Add the entire bottle of wine

Fill the empty wine bottle with water and add to your mixture.

Let simmer for 2-3 hours

You don’t have to use the best wine you can find, just find one that tastes good and has a mild and fruity flavour. I found this bottle of Cupcake wine from California for $10. It was delicious!

For an extra bit of “fortification” add an ounce of Grand Marnier to the bottom of your glass. This not only amps up the alcohol content but it also adds an extra burst of flavour.

Top up the glass with the mulled wine and enjoy!

Last Saturday we had plans to go to a friend’s house for dinner.

We were asked to bring an appetizer.

The days leading up to Saturday were chaotic at best. We had just gotten home from Quebec, I had dozens of cookies to make and ice and work was quite busy.

I didn’t have the time or brain power to make anything complicated

So I came up with this gem using Provisions fruit pastes. I mentioned Provisions Food Company as one of my favourite things in a previous post.

It is so simple and quick. It took only 10 minutes to make 2 dozen of these little bits of heaven

You only need 4 ingredients

Phyllo pastry

Brie

Fruit paste or jam

Melted butter

Heat your oven to 375 degrees

Using a pastry brush cover one sheet of phyllo in butter

Cover your remaining phyllo with a damp cloth. Phyllo dries out very quickly and will become flaky and impossible to work with.

Take a second sheet of phyllo and lay it on top of the first sheet. The butter helps the sheets stick together and helps to add flakiness.

Using a paring knife cut the phyllo into 6 slices

Put a piece of brie and a teaspoon of fruit paste on the end of each slice

Take one corner and fold it up towards the other side to make a triangle

Repeat until you get to the end of the phyllo

Cover in melted butter and make for 5-7 minutes or until they are golden brown

Word of warning… let these cool off for a few minutes before you dive into them. They are hot!!!

Not bad for only a few minutes of work.

If you need a quick, easy and inexpensive app to bring to a holiday party I think this one hits the mark.