Hot Holiday Punch

There is nothing quite like a delicious hot drink after a long, cold winter day. Hot cocoa is absolutely amazing, but there is another drink that can better hit the spot. One of my favorite family recipes, hot punch, is the best drink for cold days, and warms you all the way up from the inside out. Yum! Hot punch is one of the easiest recipes to make and will almost always be a crowd pleaser. The ingredients are simple, the combination is a cinch, and you will never be disappointed with this hot drink.

You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 small can of frozen orange juice (6 ounce can)
• 1 small can of frozen lemonade (6 ounce can)
• 10 cups of water
• 1-1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract

The combining of these ingredients is more than simple—you can't mess this up! Simply combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and heat. The punch will take a little while to heat up enough; you'll know the punch is ready when you can see the convection of the ingredients. You don't want the punch to boil.

Something that is great about hot punch is that you can keep it on a simmer on the stove and get some whenever you want it. Especially during the winter, having some hot punch on the stove is a great housewarming gesture—you'll have visitors all the time!

Hot punch is one of the best things to have before dinner (especially a big dinner like Thanksgiving and Christmas). It's a great beverage to drink while making dinner, waiting for a cold day, no matter when you have it.

The best way to serve hot punch is in smaller cups or mugs. When you have a lot of people over, it is probably best to use small paper cups, and for gatherings with a more intimate group of people, using small mugs is definitely acceptable. Use a large ladle to dish the hot punch, and always remember that you can have as many mugs of hot punch as you want!