Chai Cider

Chai tea tastes like India and Autumn. On cold rainy days, a hot, creamy sweet chai tea warms you from the inside. But on warm sunny fall days,a chai cider hits the spot. What is chai cider? Cold chai tea and apple cider.

Mine was made with my homemade chai and the cider we pressed on Saturday.

To make chai, simmer 3 black tea bags in 6 cups of water with your favorite blend of spices for 15-20 minutes. I haven't found a combination I didn't like...

Choose from these spices: (always use whole spices, not ground)
cardamom
allspice
black pepper
cloves
cinnamon
nutmeg (whole grated)
star anise
fennel
ginger root

Serve hot with cream and sugar or cold with apple cider.

Horchata

I recently tried horchata for the very first time. I've seen it on menus but never decided to give it a try. I loved it! I immediately had two thoughts: one, I had to figure out how to make it myself; and, two, it would be great with coffee.

Since I had no idea what it had in it, even after drinking it, I did some research. Wait... all it has in it is rice, water, sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla? That didn't seem possible. I did some more research, read some recipe reviews and came up with my own method. It has lots of possibilities and flexibility depending on your taste. I'm sure I'll come up with my own favorite combinations over time.

But for now, here's my base recipe for horchata...

1 1/2 cups rice
2 cups water

Place in a blender and pulse 6-7 times.

Add 3 more cups of water.

Blend until the rice is coarsely ground.

Pour into large bowl with pour spout or pitcher.

Add 2-3 whole cinnamon sticks.

Put a cover on it and place in fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Remove from fridge and pour through a sieve into a clean bowl or pitcher.

Place 1/2 cup sugar (use more or less to taste) and 1/2 Tablespoon of cinnamon into a food processor and pulse until the sugar is finely ground. This helps it dissolve better in the cold liquid.

Whisk well into the rice-y liquid until dissolved.

Then pour in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of milk. I like mine richer so I used some milk with heavy cream added. But I think you could also use half and half or a can of evaporated milk. You could also used any non-dairy milks. (I'm going to try all of those ideas someday)

Then gently whisk in 1/2 Tablespoon of vanilla. I also threw in a bit of almond extract. It's not authentic but I love the flavor it gives. That being said, I will probably try vanilla almond milk next.

Chill and serve. Shake well before serving. It will settle a bit.

By the way, I was right. It is good iced with coffee! Mmmm!

4th of July: Patriotic Treats

The 4th of July is possibly my favorite holiday of the year, after Christmas of course! I love the warm summer weather, picnics with family, and the FIREWORKS! I am an absolute sucker for things that blow up, shoot sparks or need to be lit with a punk or blow torch!

This is our 2012 fireworks show. I’m not the only junkie in our family… ;o)

It’s actually a genetic thing. My grandfather was a fireworks junkie! He loved them! He was anal about emptying the dryer vent to prevent house fires, but would shoot off bottle rockets with reckless abandon. Can your toddler stand on his own and hold something in his hand? Then he is totally ready for sparklers! I think all of my boys held their first lit sparkler before they turned 2…  I think I miss my grandpa the most on the 4th of July!

this is my grandpa at his fireworks stand in the early 40’s

I also love the food on the 4th of July! Not surprising, huh?

I made all red, white and blue treats this year…

fruit salad with watermelon stars

  

strawberries dipped in white chocolate and blue sparkly sugar

3-layer punch. Fill cup with ice. Pour in red Kool-Aid, followed by blue Gatorade, then topped with sparkling water or club soda. The secret??? Pour VERY slowly over the ice!

I wish I could say I made this gorgeous strawberry-rhubarb pie with the sweet little blackbird pie vent, but it was my super-talented little sister! But if I ever make pies, I’m getting a pie bird! You can buy your own at eBay, HERE.

Hope you all had as wonderful a 4th as we did! And remember to be thankful for this amazing country we live in!

Wassail

Although we didn’t go wassailing or have any wassailers visit, I did make a batch of this lovely fruity & spicy drink for Christmas Eve. A large tea ball strainer works great for your spices! Be sure to toast, “Be in good health” when you drink.

2 cups sugar

4 1/4 cups water

2 cinnamon sticks

1 Tablespoons whole cloves

1 slice fresh peeled ginger

4 1/4 cups orange juice

2 cups lemon juice

1/2 gallon apple cider

Place sugar and water in large saucepan. Heat to boiling over high heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add spices. Cover and let sit on back of stove for 1 hour.

Strain, or remove tea ball strainer. Add juices and quickly bring it to a boil. Remove and serve. Keep hot in a crock pot.

Easy Egg Nog

This is the easiest recipe for egg nog I’ve seen and it was so tasty that we can’t wait to make it again! It’s not as thick and slimy as the stuff you buy at the store.
That is how it has been described to me by those poor sad individuals who don’t like egg nog. ;o)  The recipe came from AllRecipes UK (which is a very fun site, by the way). I left it in metric and also included my conversions…

I also used egg substitute as I am now back to buying eggs at the store and I didn’t want my 85-year-old grandma drinking raw eggs.

6 eggs or 1 1/2 cups egg substitute

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 L milk (4 1/4 cups)

1 pinch of salt

Beat all the ingredients together until well mixed and smooth.

150ml whipping cream (2/3 cup)

Beat cream to the soft peak stage. Fold into egg nog and chill.

Sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

Chai Tea

This actually isn’t my recipe but comes from my sister’s blog. I have been craving chai tea ever since I had some for my birthday! Today’s rainy, dismal weather put me over the edge and I resolved to make myself feel better with a cup of warm chai…

I love the way it smells! It is sort of a spicy-earthy smell that just makes you feel warm and cozy! And I love the way it looks in my owl mug…

I followed her recipe (click HERE to see it) except for a few little details:

1. I used ground nutmeg. I know she said not to but I couldn’t help it!

*side note: the best way to peel fresh ginger is with the edge of a spoon. It works so slick!!!

2. I didn’t use heavy cream or condensed milk. I bought some sweetened vanilla almond milk and I liked it! It could have been a touch sweeter but I enjoyed it the way it was. Next time, I’ll add a bit of honey to it…

3. We saved some and tried it iced, but it just wasn’t as good as it was hot. :o( Good thing it was hot tea weather today! (you can’t tell but this is dripping with sarcasm)

If you like chai, you have to try this one!!! 

Irish Cream

I love Irish Cream! I love it in hot cocoa or coffee! I even love it on ice! But it is really expensive… I only have it about once a year at Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day.

But now it is also really easy to make. Just make sure you buy good quality Irish or Canadian whiskey. I’ll probably still only get it once a year though… :o)

1 cup heavy cream

1 can condensed milk

1 2/3 cup whiskey

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix in blender on high for 30 seconds.

Store in fridge. Shake well before serving.

Berry Cordial

I have this memory in my mind of the Christmas my grandma made berry cordial. I’ve always wanted to and decided to finally give it a try this year for the holidays. Fortunately I thought of it before December! You do need to start this well in advance of when you would like it…
But it is super easy and and is sweet and warms you all the way down. Perfect for cold winter evenings!
1 cup sugar
1 quart (4 cups) berries (blackberries, raspberries or strawberries or a combination)
1 quart of vodka or brandy
Pour sugar into a 1/2 gallon canning jar. Fill the remaining space with berries, but do not pack down.
Pour vodka or brandy over berries so that they are completely covered.
Place lid on jar. Let jar stand in a cool, dark place for 2 months, shaking the jar every week. The sugar should dissolve and the vodka or brandy should become colored. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve when you shake it, open and give it a stir with a spoon.
Strain through a metal sieve and then through a coffee filter. Pour into a glass bottle and store in fridge.

Spring Water Soda

My friend Marilee showed us how to make root beer this spring and we liked it so much, we had to do it again. This time we made strawberry and orange cream. It’s fun and easy to make! Just make sure you make it about 7 to 10 days before you want to serve it…

There are tons of flavor possibilities by mixing flavors or using honey instead of sugar! There also is no caffeine!!!

Supplies such as yeast, flavors, bottle caps and a capper are available anywhere that beer or wine making supplies are sold.

*Make sure you use water that has no chlorine in it. Well water or spring water are the best. You can also use distilled water. Refrigerate any leftover extracts or yeast.

Amounts:

1 Gallon of soda:

1/8-1/4 tsp champagne yeast (or less)

1 Tbsp soda extract

2 cups sugar or honey (or to taste)

Fill to 1 gallon of water

2 Gallons of soda:

1/4-1/8 tsp champagne yeast (or less)

1/2 bottle soda extract

4 cups sugar or honey (or to taste)

Fill to 2 gallons of water

4 Gallons of soda:

1/2-1 tsp champagne yeast (or less)

1 bottle soda extract

8 cups sugar or honey (or to taste)

Fill to 4 gallons of water

Step 1- Wash and run empty glass bottles through dishwasher and heated dry cycle. Keep warm in dishwasher until ready to use.

Step 2- Fill large pot with water and heat to 98-110.

 Step 3- Remove 1 cup of warm water and stir in yeast until dissolved. Let stand at least 5 minutes. Mix again before adding to soda.

  Step 4- Stir sweetner into water until dissolved.

Step 5- Add extract. Taste to make sure mixture is right.

Step 6- Stir yeast mixture and stir into soda.

Step 7- Put warm bottles on table. And fill within 1-2 inches from top.

Step 8- Seal bottles with caps.

Step 9- Store bottles on side to check for leaks in a cool, dark place for 3 to 4 days. Discard any leaking bottles.

Step 10- Place bottles upright in fridge for another 6 to 10 days. Open bottles carefully over a sink, they might be rather volatile! Pour carefully into a glass in order to leave behind most of the yeast deposit. (it won’t hurt you, it just tastes funny)

Cinnamon Crock Pot Punch

I found this recipe on a crock pot blog that I really like and decided that this would be the perfect day to try it. It was nice to have it sitting on the counter ready for whenever I wanted a warm drink on this snowy day.

Although it sounded a little weird, it was actually pretty good. I did make a change, but I think it would be good either way.

4 cups cranberry juice

4 cups pineapple juice

2 1/2 cups orange juice (optional)

1/3 cup cinnamon candies

1 cinnamon stick

Put in crock pot and heat on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6 hours.

Mock Egg Nog

I got this recipe last Christmas from my friend Megan. It is a wonderful hot spicy drink that tastes a lot like warm egg nog, only better. (It's not so thick) We had it last year on our annual Christmas lights tour.

4 eggs

1/2 tsp each of allspice and cloves

1 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg

2-4 cups of sifted powdered sugar

Mix well with wire whisk. Store in fridge.

Add 2 tablespoons per mug of hot milk.