The house we live in was built in 1910 and was built off of the ground, as most houses in Louisiana are, and while it's character and charm are what we love most there is a downside.  When it gets below 55ish degrees outside, you can bet that it is cold in the house and it's really hard to keep warm.  The floors hold no heat so slippers are a must...and layers, lots of layers...and a glass of mulled wine helps too.

I know that I am a complete an utter sissy when it comes to being cold.  I don't know if I could make it in a place that actually got cold weather.  I attribute that to living in Louisiana for too long.  We don't really get winters.  Most Christmases are spent, if we are lucky wearing light jackets.  It isn't until January that we have a smidge of winter weather.  

But in my case 50 degrees in winter enough for me and plenty of reason to build a fire and make some mulled wine.  This week there has been a nip in the air, enough for me to turn the heat on and cozy up with a blanket every night.  Add some spiced warm wine and you almost forget that your feet are freezing.

As if you need any other reason to make mulled wine other than it's delicious and will help warm your bones, but it will make your house smell like the holidays in a matter of fifteen minutes.  It's spectacular.  You know the mulled wine candle from Anthropologie that you go and buy every year?  Well just spend that money on the actual ingredients for it and then you can smell it and drink it too.  And that's what I'm talking about...

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of Red Wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)

• 1/4 Cup of Brandy

• 1/4 Cup of Sugar or Honey

• 2 Cinnamon Sticks

• 1 Star Anise

• 10 Whole Cloves

• 1/8 Tsp. All Spice

• 1/8 Tsp. Nutmeg

• Orange Peel (I peeled 4 strips and added them)

• Juice from One Orange

Directions:

• In a large pot, add all ingredients.

• Simmer for at least 15 minutes.

• Strain the mulled wine to remove spices.

• Serve immediately hot, or can be served over ice or room temperature.

Pretty easy peasy to make and you can totally make it ahead of time!  Now go fix a batch of mulled wine, drink it by a fire or the tree, and have yourself a merry little Christmas!