Frohe Weihnachten!

Hello everyone,

Merry Christmas!! I hope these holidays are full of love, happiness, and health for you all!! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, and even though I know Santa Claus is total baloney, I can't help but love the spirit of this holiday. Maybe because the whole city is light up with colorful lights, or maybe it is the ever-present smell of pine tree everywhere you go, or maybe the fact that people seem more happy in general, regardless of the reason, I am a total sucker for Christmas. This year, I got to experience a bit of what Christmas is like in Germany, and let me tell you, Germans really know how to celebrate this holiday. Like many other countries they have a lot of special traditions. The one I loved most however is their amazing Weihnachten Markts. These lovely Christmas markets are a gem in Deutschland. They start sometime in early December and go until a few days past Christmas eve. Here, you will find everything from Glühwein, sausages, sauerkraut, warm sweet roasted almonds, chocolates, ferry rides, and all sorts of other fun stuff. You'll find everyone from kids, parents, grandparents, teenagers, and young adults. The market is for everyone! I probably visited the one at Göttingen about two times a week because I loved it so much! Definitely a tradition I would love to bring back with me to the states. 

Here I share with you the recipe for some delicious Glühwein. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Much love to all of you special folks and hope you are having a wonderful time with your love ones!

Glühwein:

• 750 ml red wine 
• 1/2 cup of organic lemon
• 80 g sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 10 cloves
• juice from 2 oranges (or orange juice)
• 125 ml orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)

Step 1 

Put all the ingredients except for the orange liqueur in a saucepan and mix well. Cover and leave on low heat until it slowly gets hot (until the wine is lightly foam on the surface). Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 2 

Pour the orange liqueur and stir. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then pour into large heat-resistant glasses and drink the mulled wine very hot! Enjoy!