Gingerbread & Hot Spiced Wine

It's cold out. And, my brother sent me 15 pounds of my favorite dark brown sugar from India Tree for Christmas. I couldn't think of anything better to make than gingerbread and hot spiced wine. The gingerbread recipe came from Martha Stewart Living magazine - the December 1997 issue. In case you're wondering, I'm a Martha fan, and I love the earlier magazines and publications in particular.

For the hot spiced wine, I used a bottle of cheap red wine, added not quite 1/2 cup granulated sugar, threw in whole cloves, allspice, cinnamon and white pepper, and then sliced an orange and placed the halves on top. I brought the wine to a boil, reduced the heat and let it steep for a little bit before enjoying.