A regular holiday feature of The Thomasville Times was a column entitled Cooking at the Home of … One year a United Methodist Church pastor’s family was interviewed, and the pastor’s wife shared family Christmas traditions and a recipe for Hot Spiced Apple Juice.

It was a simple recipe, easy to prepare and could be prepared ahead of time and be reheated. It was redolent with the fragrance of cloves and lemon zest. One of mother’s favorite holiday recipes was for Crispy Cheese Wafers. The recipe was basically a “cheese straw” recipe that included Rice Krispies to give the wafers added crunch. I always enjoyed a few of these wafers to go along with my hot spiced apple juice. As most of the Book Club members know, I am crazy about cheese straws and I try as many different ones as I can find, but in the meantime, Stein Mart carries a brand I particularly enjoy. I hope you might find some time during the holidays to make and enjoy some Hot Spiced Apple Juice and some cheese straws or wafers.

Recipe

Spiced Apple Juice
2 qts. apple juice
1/2 cup of sugar
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
24 whole cloves

Mix all ingredients except cloves in a saucepot.

Bring to a boil.

Turn down and add cloves in a tea infuser.

Simmer approximately 30 minutes.

If tea infuser is not available, strain and discard whole cloves.

Add 3 drops of red coloring for a holiday look.

May be kept in refrigerator up to a week.

~ Alan Harvey

Scripture

Matthew 1:18-25

Prayer

Lord, we thank You for Joseph – who cared for and protected Mary. He is a model of obedience and faithfulness. Help us to be inspired by the man who was Jesus’ adoptive father. In His name we pray, Amen.