Hot Apple Cider

Last night as we were driving around, I rolled down the window and smelled Fall. It's hard to say exactly what Fall smells like for everyone, but for me, at that moment, Fall smelled like pine trees, smoke from a few chimneys and clean rain. The air was cool and it felt so good to lean out the windows, open the sun roof and breathe in the change in seasons. Of course, one of the best things about cooler weather is making my favorite comfort foods (and drinks). Below is one of my favorite fall drinks that is guaranteed to take the chill off. My mom used to make this all the time and it's still a staple on New Year's Eve at my parent's house.

Hot Mulled Apple Cider

2 quarts apple cider (I like to buy fresh cider from Allred's Orchard, but any kind of cider will do)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1/8 tsp plus a pinch of ground ginger
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
1 orange, clementine or tangerine, washed but not peeled

Pour the cider into a large sauce pan, or a slow cooker. I almost always go with the slow cooker because you can leave the cider to warm all day, and the ingredients really start to meld the longer they cook. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and ginger. Cut the washed orange into 4 or 5 slices and insert whole cloves into the segments of the orange slices. Add the cloved orange slices to the cider, cover and cook on low for several hours. Serve piping hot with an extra cinnamon stick.