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[fairy_wench]

Since we've both been feeling under the weather, and since it's just time, dammit, Dei and I went to the store today, pooled our collective culinary prowess, and made it be fall through sheer force of will. After a giant pot of garlic-heavy homemade chicken soup and several cups of gingery hot cider with giant chunks of apple, we both feel

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[schizospider]

After a giant pot of garlic-heavy homemade chicken soup and several cups of gingery hot cider with giant chunks of apple, we both feel generally better about the world.

After reading that, I feel generally better about the world.

Now I want some gingery hot cider...

[fairy_wench]

If you were anywhere near here, I would totally bring you some, we have leftovers of both! But hey, if I inspire you to make your own pot of cider, add some thin slices of fresh ginger. It makes all the difference in the world.

[schizospider]

I think tonight might be better suited for making my own chicken soup (mostly because I know how to do that without instructions, heh). I've got a big thing of low-sodium chicken broth at home, if we don't have chicken breasts I'll be surprised, and then some diced onions, diced tomatoes, asparagus, maybe some fresh spinach, mushrooms, and brown rice. Toss in some Secret Hobo Spices, and I'm set. Mmmm.

How do you make your own cider? Just store-bought cider with various mulling spices, apple chunks, and ginger, or do you do something from scratch?

[fairy_wench]

I bought a big ol' bottle of fresh organic apple juice (the cloudier the better), four or five medium sized apples (just get whatever's cheapest, they're going to simmer for a few hours so they don't need to be anything special), and a knob of fresh ginger -- I didn't do it yesterday, but I usually add a pear or two as well, it just gives it a bit more flavour. If you want your cider to have alcohol, the easiest thing to do would honestly be to add a few bottles of hard cider toward the end of the simmering process -- I recommend Woodchuck's brand -- but it's a bit more traditional to use brandy. That said, I honestly don't think cider needs to be alcoholic since we're making it for taste, not preservation