The party went well. I had fun hosting it and entertaining for a houseful of women. Although, I think my kitten is traumatized. I served apples sliced up with caramel apple dip. I made a caramel apple cheesecake, that was a BIG hit, and I have to say, it was pretty yummy! I also made a hot spiced cider recipe. I had a hard time choosing a recipe, since there are so many variations online...and I didn't have the time to taste-test every one. I sort of did a combination of a few I found, and it turned out really well...so I will share the recipe with you.

You will need:
1 gallon of apple cider
1 teaspoon of whole cloves
1 teaspoon of whole allspice
2 sticks of cinnamon
2/3 of a cup of light brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer or low boil with a lid on for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

You could also make it in a crock pot. You can serve it right from the pot...or do what I did. I poured it into the coffee pot on my 12 cup coffee maker, and turned it on to keep the cider warm. Everyone seemed to like it. I way over-bought cider for the party. We bought two gallons from a local apple orchard, and three more gallons from the fruit market. I used one for the hot cider, opened one and about 1/4 of it was consumed cold at the party, and gave one to my mom. We still have two unopened, and 3/4 of one in the fridge. I'm going to be sick of apple cider by the time it is all gone. I don't really crave it much the rest of the year, just in the fall. There is something about the crisp air that makes apple cider seem perfect.

Labels: experiments in deliciousness