Yes people, the last beautiful weekend has arrived. Is it bad if I'm a bit done with the late summer after this? A jacket, no jacket, then rain, suddenly sun, then cold, and so on. Let that winter come now. Cold, fireplace on, chicken in the oven, slippers, warm knitted scarf, nice book. My espadrilles become biker boots and I exchange my trench coat for a parka.

And instead of a grilled fish and summer salads, I eat melanzane, minestrone soup, or stuffed portobello. Light rosé, mint lemonade, and Bionade will stay in the fridge for now, and I prefer to make glühwein, chai tea latte, or hot chocolate now. And I'll give you the recipe for that. I know I know, it's still very nice weather now, but you never know, right? Before you know it, you're back in front of the heater on Monday.

You can buy it ready-made in a bottle, but making it yourself is of course much tastier and it gives such a lovely autumn scent in the house.

What do you need and how do you make it:

1 liter of red wine
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole cloves
orange peel
lemon peel
4 tablespoons cane sugar

Put all the ingredients (except the sugar) in a large pot and heat on low. It should not boil. Let it warm for about 20 minutes. Then add the sugar. Start with 2 tablespoons and taste if you find it sweet enough, otherwise add more.

This spicy Indian black tea with milk is a bit of a task to make, but oh so delicious. Also nice with almond or hazelnut milk.
There are a lot of spices in it, you can buy a ready-made Chai tea mix at the health food store, that's really fine. If you prefer to make it yourself, you need this:

1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon (grated) nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick)
1 teaspoon ginger powder

Roast the spices in a pan and then put them in the food processor and grind them finely. This is the mix you need for the Chai Tea. Now you need more:

1 cup almond milk (you can also use regular milk, but I find this the tastiest.)
teaspoon chai mix (homemade or store-bought)
2 black tea bags
honey

Heat the milk in a small pot with half a teaspoon of the chai mix. Just before the milk boils, remove the pot from the heat, then add the tea bags. Let it steep well and pour the drink through a strainer into a glass. Teaspoon of honey and done.

Very simple: almond milk, cocoa powder, a pinch of cinnamon, and if you want, you can also add a bit of vanilla sugar. Put everything in a pot, just not bringing it to a boil, and you have the most delicious hot chocolate. And to compensate for all that healthy stuff, I have here three incredibly delicious “who cares” desserts for you. And by the way, you can also add a splash of amaretto or frangelico to the chocolate. Then it automatically becomes a dessert.

The best drink before going to sleep. Warm a piece of anise (you can buy it in almost any supermarket) with (rice) milk. A small teaspoon of honey added and you sleep like a rose.