Ahoy Matey

Miles will be dressing up as a pirate this Halloween. There have been a lot of "Ahoy Matey!" and "Shiver me timbers!" type of statements coming out of his mouth all month. He's even been singing "yo ho, yo ho, yo ho, yo ho, yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" (I guess he really likes saying "yo ho"). Tomorrow he'll be dressing up for his party at school, which of course he's super excited for. And tomorrow night we'll carve our pumpkins at home in preparation for our chili and cinnamon rolls on Friday night.

To get our pumpkins, we made our annual trek to Tanaka Farms last weekend. We love this huge pumpkin patch, and Miles had so much fun running up and down the rows of pumpkins, climbing on hay bales, and petting animals in the petting zoo. They also have a cannon out of which they shoot pumpkins onto the hillside. It's pretty crazy watching the pumpkins soar into the air and then smash against the hill. Miles never got tired of watching it.

So, as a we prepare to celebrate Halloween, I wanted to share my recipe for spiced cider with you. It's super easy, and I love the way my house smells when I make it. I'll serve this with my cinnamon rolls on Friday night; it would also be good with other fall treats like my pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, or pumpkin cake. Even if you're not having company, you could make it for yourself to enjoy in the evenings by reheating the leftovers in a mug in the microwave for a few days (strain the liquid if you plan on saving it). Either way, I hope you make this soon. Have a great Halloween!

Spiced Apple Cider

2 quarts apple cider or apple juice
1 large orange
4 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves

Using a vegetable peeler, peel large strips of zest off of the orange. Place in a large saucepan along with the cider, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Turn heat down to low and simmer, with lid on but cracked, for one hour to allow flavors to blend. Continue to simmer on very low heat until you are ready to serve.

Serves 12-16