It's Guest Blog Time!
Food does more than sustain us—it shapes memories, relationships, and emotional well-being. Psychologists have long studied how food shapes our memories and strengthens our connections to people and places. For those of us living a nomadic lifestyle, these connections become even more profound as we move from post to post, carrying our food memories with us like treasured keepsakes.
I experienced this power of food firsthand during my time as CLO, when we coordinated a monthly cooking club. A volunteer from the embassy community would create a menu to teach to a group of aspiring chefs or hungry individuals. In generous hosts' kitchens across post, community members would gather to learn new recipes from their neighbors. As we washed, chopped, and sautéed together something magical happened—colleagues became friends, and a simple cooking class transformed into our own version of Friends-Giving. After cooking, we would sit down together to enjoy our feast. The spots for this event always filled up because you learned a new recipe and for a night felt a true sense of belonging.
This season, as we reflect on gratitude and tradition, we're delighted to welcome Annie Simpkins. Annie was one of our first chefs to teach for the CLO cooking club and showcase her expertise as a chef, and passion for intricate recipes and teaching. As a retired Foreign Service Officer, she teaches the art of fermentation and the benefits of adding fermented foods to your diet. Today, Annie shares her cherished holiday recipe for mulled spice syrup that has evolved over years of trial and error. This versatile holiday essential brings warmth and comfort to any gathering, anywhere in the world.
Guest Blog Holiday Recipe by Annie Simpkins
Mulled wine is a seasonal drink I consume every winter and it is a family favourite. Many people over the years have asked me for this recipe. Although traditionally drunk at Christmas, we start making the syrup and buying red wine as soon as the weather starts getting cold – usually around early November. I used to make mulled wine in bulk and serve it from a crock pot /slow cooker, but the drink deteriorates when you keep it warm. This version uses a pre-prepared syrup which you can keep on the counter for a few weeks and then add red wine and microwave just before drinking or serving. The bottled syrup also makes a nice gift during the holidays.
The quantities of spices below are for 6 liters / 6 quarts of syrup.
Use a crock pot / slow cooker so that you don’t overcook the spices
Bruise or crush each spice in a pestle and mortar first. Use whole spices, not powders, which will make the syrup cloudy and will not impart the same flavor.
How to make a serving of the mulled wine:
Add about a ½ - 1” of syrup into a mug. Fill up the mug with red wine.
Heat in the microwave for 1 – 2 minutes until it is hot but NOT boiling.
Optional; add a little brandy or rum or port to taste.
Pop in a cinnamon stick or orange slice and enjoy!
For larger quantities, serve with orange and lemon slices studded with cloves and some split cinnamon sticks and some whole star anise – all floating in the mulled wine.
PRO-TIP: You can reuse the spent spices as a potpourri – simmer them on the stove in some water to make your house smell nice!
Annie's Bio
I am now heading into my 4th or 5th career in my life – I think I’ve lost count. I love the Spanish term “Tercer Edad” for older people meaning you’ve just reached your third age and not necessarily at a stopping point. After careers as a nanny in Soviet Russia, an HR Specialist then an Environmental Manager for various US Navy bases, I transitioned into a career as a US Foreign Service Officer / Public Diplomacy specialist. My tandem husband and I were posted in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia during our State Department careers. After retirement from the US government, I returned to England to live – the country where I was born and brought up - where I now volunteer as a guided walk leader for the Woodland Trust charity, teach workshops on how to make fermented foods and drinks, and escort international visitors around the USA for the State Department.
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