Crockpot Wassail

Merry Christmas, virtual foodie friends!

This Christmas has been memorable for us in an unusual way.  My husband got a great job offer, so we’re leaving our beloved Maryland for Massachusetts.  So many people have assured us that they love Massachusetts, and we’re hopeful that we’ll love it too.  Still, it’s hard to leave a place you love for a place you don’t know yet.

This month has been a whirlwind of moving prep, but I still wanted it to feel at least a little bit like Christmas, even though the movers were coming to pack us up on Christmas Day (it was the only day they had available on short notice).

We put up our favorite holiday decorations.  We bought a little tree that would be easy to undecorate the night before the movers arrived.  And I kept my Mom’s Crockpot Wassail going in the slow cooker for most of December.

Mom has been making Crockpot Wassail at Christmastime for as long as I can remember.  It’s a wonderful drink to sip at a holiday party, or just to warm you up when you come in from the cold.  It’s also nice to enjoy something that’s fairly good for you in a season that abounds with cookies and sweets.  Just two juices, two spices, and a drizzle of honey, then the slow cooker does the rest.  I can handle that, even in a crazy month like this has been.

Pro Wassail Tips

If you’re thinking you need some Crockpot Wassail in your life this winter, I have a few tips for you.

First, like another beloved recipe from my childhood, this recipe really comes into its own the second day.  The first day, this wassail tastes like slightly fancy Cran-apple juice.  By the second day those spices have worked their magic, and you have delightfully complex wassail.

Second, Mom usually keeps her wassail in the slow cooker for about two weeks.  She heats it on Low for an hour each day to keep it safe to drink, and adds some fresh juice every day to brighten the flavor.  After two weeks, the wassail’s flavor will start to become a bit drab, so it’s time to throw out whatever is left and start a new batch.

Third, don’t be like me when I was young and foolish (read: last year) and think, “If I’m supposed to heat it for an hour on Low, why not speed things up and heat it on High?”  Invariably, I would forget I’d cranked it up. A few hours later, I’d come back to find I’d overcooked the wassail and it tasted like raisin juice.  Take home message: Low is forgiving if you forget; High is not.

Fourth, slow cookers aren’t very portable, but thermoses are.  If you want to take some warm wassail along on a winter stroll, just put some boiling water in thermos to heat it up, dump the water out, add warm wassail, then screw on the lid and you’re good to go.

Full disclosure: I don’t actually drink this wassail with cranberries floating in it.  I just put them in for the pictures because they look pretty.  Kinda like I only wear mascara if I’m having my portrait taken.

Merry Christmas, dear friends, old and new.  I’m grateful that this season reminds me to hold my loved ones close, be a little kinder, and feel grateful for the many blessings in my life.  Most of all, I’m grateful that God sent His Son to be a Light and a Savior for us.  No matter where life’s journey takes me, it is comforting to know that He is mindful of me and my family, and we can turn to Him for help, guidance, and comfort whenever we need it.