Cooking the Chronicle – Nov 29

I’m going to have to keep this one short, because on top of juggling newborns, my toddler has come down with what the neighborhood families are calling the “Squirrel Hill plague.” Everyone’s children are sick, and it’s struck our house. (Don’t panic, we pulled out the air purifiers from COVID days, have quarantined the toddler on a different floor from the newborns, and my husband and I are masking to prevent the babies from getting sick.)

It’s like Jessica Grann knows what we need, when we need it, because this week’s recipe featured two hot, healing beverages. (“Mulled apple cider and immunity tea”, Nov 29) Mulled apple cider for healing the soul and immunity tea for actual healing. Even if you’re not sick like us, as the bitter cold creeps in your old brick house, these beverages are what you need to stay warm through the winter.

I personally make a version of the immunity tea often when I am sick, but I never have added rosemary, which was such a good addition. It’s a strong set of flavors, so for me, adding honey is a must, and the only thing that makes it palatable.

It was quite the struggle for me to find apple cider! What I was craving was that farm-stand fresh cider, that is cloudy and sold in a milk carton. But I couldn’t find that anywhere, and ended up using packets of cider mix that you dissolve in hot water. It was still delicious, but more sugary than I imagined. I would 100% pull out this recipe in early fall next year and time it with when apple cider appears at the farmer’s market.

We organized a “taste test” for our toddler who enjoyed only the cider (typical), but we enjoyed them both! A recommended treat for anyone battling germs this month.