Cornucopia of Creativity: Mulled Cranberry Apple Cider {A Little Bite of Life}

My name is Julie and I write at A Lit­tle Bite of Life.  This is my sec­ond year as a con­trib­u­tor for Sara’s Cor­nu­copia of Cre­ativ­ity, and I am hon­ored to be back!

Who says you have to save the mulled cider for Christ­mas?  This recipe is a per­fect addi­tion to your Thanks­giv­ing day fes­tiv­i­ties.  Even in Ari­zona, it is usu­ally cold by Thanks­giv­ing, so a cup of hot cider is per­fect for keep­ing toasty warm.  I made my cider on the stove, but you can put all the ingre­di­ents in your crock­pot a few hours before your guests come, and it will be warm and fla­vor­ful by the time they arrive.

• 1 (48 oz) Jar of Pure Cran­berry Juice (Try to find a brand with low sugar)
• 12 c. Apple Cider
• 1 c. Man­darin Juice (I used Aliseo)
• 3Tbsp. Mulling Spices
• 2–3 Slices of Fresh Orange
• 1/3 c. Fresh Cran­ber­ries, washed
• Cin­na­mon Sticks

Pour the jar of cran­berry juice into a large pot or your crock­pot.  Stir in the apple cider and man­darin juice.   Stir well.  Man­darin Juice is highly con­cen­trated, so do not use too much.  This might be hard to find, so you can sub­sti­tute reg­u­lar orange juice if you can­not find man­darin juice.  (I found it locally at AJ’s)  Toss in the mulling spices, slices of orange, and fresh cran­ber­ries.  Sim­mer on medium for about an hour, or cook in the crock­pot for 2–3 hours on low.

*Note:  This is not as sweet as you may be used to drink­ing.  If this is too tart, add a lit­tle sugar to taste.
Please stop by and visit me at A Lit­tle Bite of Life, where I fea­ture cook­ing, travel, and fam­ily life style!