A perfect image of rest….Creator unknown

"Live each season as it passes; breath the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of the earth" Henry David Thoreau

My idea of perfect. - Photographer unknown

Happy New Year Dear Readers…

I have really missed you. It was a busy December to be sure…Jim and I traveled to New York twice to spend the Holidays with our kids and Wolfie, our new grandson, and then to Boston to finish out the old year as we traditionally do with our niece and her husband.

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to settle in for the rest of the long and hopefully peaceful winter. I look around and the world is quiet. All of the animals that I’m used to seeing on my daily walks are curled up somewhere , coming out only for sustenance. There are no bees or bats and definitely no groundhogs. I am jealous. I think about hibernating a lot, because it seems like the most natural thing to do during these cold dark months, but how many of us are really in the position to do just that?

I discovered long ago that increased rest and self care during the winter months are absolutely necessary for me to feel healthy and vital. I never thought too much about the practice of human hibernation until I spent 20 years living on our little farm. That’s when I began to really watch the animals that I was living with. What I noticed immediately was that they were rested and I was not. In fact, I spent most winter days completely stressed out and it took me many years to figure out why.

I was cold. I was hungry and I was exhausted from trying to maintain the energy that I had in the Spring, Summer and even early Autumn into the cold and gray northeast Ohio winters. I was working full time in an environment that didn’t really allow for rest..retail never does and the seasons are always messed up because you are buying and selling for them long before they appear.

Christmas in July anyone? No thank you!

I submit that what we really need right now are naps and warm drinks. We need to go to bed early after a day of work so that we can make love and cuddle, rest and rejuvenate. We need to bundle up first thing in the morning and take a walk outside in the sunshine…yes, it’s still there even when you can’t see it. We need herbal foot baths and milk baths. Yoga or simple stretches to energize our muscles and rest our minds. We need to build snowmen and snow angels and have bonfires with warm drinks. Playing outside like the children we once were is good too, as well as walking through the woods for a bit of forest bathing. We need to quiet our brains through simple meditations and simply rest. We need to spend full days if possible lounging in our jammies.

In the next months I’m going to be offering up some of my favorite suggestions for making the next 3 winter months easier including a bi weekly virtual pajama party featuring hot boozy drinks and spirited girl talk. I’ll be sending the information for these very soon! Our last virtual tea, held on Halloween was really fun for everyone and these will be even more enjoyable!

Did I mention warm drinks? To start this party off right, here is one of my favorites!

I love eggnog and so does Jim, but sadly it does not love either of us. It’s the eggs and the cane sugar that do us both in , yet we both missed it enough this holiday season to still consider putting up with the pain. Neither of us broke down, but I’ve been determined to create a delicious replacement …one that I could add bourbon to if I wanted, it is after all HBDS or Hot Boozy Drink Season!

What resulted from a bit of experimentation was a yummy, custardy drink that I could serve hot or cold, and with or without alcohol. This works either way and I’m hoping that you really enjoy it. It’s a healthy drink too and absolutely delicious when it’s served warm at night in your favorite mug with some warm slippers when rewatching the first two seasons of All Creatures Great and Small in preparation for Season 3!

This “Eggnog” is full of things that are so good for you and the flavor is just wonderful…so wonderful in fact that I don’t think you’ll miss anything at all. My version includes turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties and ashwagandha, an adaptogen which is relaxing AND sleep inducing. The recipe I’m giving you here is for about 5 cups and if you don’t use it all at once just store it in a mason jar to reheat when you’re ready for it.

To begin, I take about 2 cups of raw cashews and place them in a cast iron pan with several tablespoons of vegan butter. You can use dairy butter if you like as well. I roast them for about 3 minutes at a medium heat and then add about 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon, clove, allspice, turmeric , ashwaganda and cardamom. You can vary the spices if you like, I’m allergic to nutmeg so that never makes my list so I usually add more cinnamon. After you’ve pan roasted the cashews and spices for about 1 minute, stir in a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar Swerve and turn off the heat. The spices and Swerve will gently caramelize together giving the blend the flavor you want but be careful…it happens quickly!

Put all of the cashews and spices into a high speed blender and add about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 ripe banana, 4 cups of unsweetened plant milk and 1 cups of unsweetened coconut creamer.

Blend all of this on high until smooth, velvety and piping hot. You may need to add more of one of the milks depending upon the thickness and you can adjust the spice and sweetness at this point.

Serve hot or cold, with or without Bourbon! I’ve discovered that alcohol in general raises my resting heart rate and lowers my variable heart rate so I mostly avoid it. However…a teaspoon of brandy extract wouldn’t go amiss and would add a very enjoyable flavor. So would a jigger of sherry, madeira or tawny port!

What’s your favorite warm winter drink, Hot and boozy or not? Share it with me in the comments!

Thymeless Quotes:

"If winter helps you curl up and more that makes it one of the best of the seasons."
--Murray Pura

City Wytch News - Living Beautifully in any Season!

Easing into Winter - Hibernation for the rest…