hot drinks Archives • New Nostalgia

Drinks/ RECIPES

3 Ingredient Best Pumpkin Spice Chai

2 pumpkin spice rooibos tea bags, chai concentrate

I had one of my best girlfriends, Carma, over for lunch yesterday, and she brought along a super special treat. I had seen a photo she put on instagram telling about Pumpkin Spice Chai that she loved so much that she used the hashtag #nocoffeenoproblem. I know she is a coffee lover, so my ears, eyes and taste buds perked up! I asked her to bring the ingredients along to our lunch so I could try it out..because, you know…best girlfriends can do that. We can extend a lunch invitation but then ask them to bring a beverage so you can try it out. {smile}

Our time together was precious and almost 2 hours of chatting felt like just minutes. We have much in common. Our husbands work together, we are both mothers of middle school girls, we share our faith & have lived a lot of life together the last 6 years.

She was a rock for me when I was sick. The perfect balance of listening to me and letting me cry on the hard days but also cheering me on and not letting me get stuck in the yuckness of it all. She was the one who came to the first Oncology appointment with Todd and I. She was our stable notetaker, and boy, did I ever need stable that day! I was a mess, needing a bowl in the waiting room because I was so nauseous with fear and nerves. I couldn’t think straight so she thought for me. I still have her notes from that day. Seeing her handwriting, knowing her hand wrote hard words out of love for me, touches my heart and made me keep those notes. She also came to my first chemo and was my ride home. I will never forget her love in the battle.

pumpkin spice rooibos tea, almond milk & chai concentrate

Back to our lunch. We are both foodies and both have certain restrictions to what we will eat due to health issues. It is fun to have her for over knowing she will appreciate my weird food. I took the easy way out and got some amazing vegan soup from a local spot nearby. I made kale chips, roasted some carrots with a little oil, salt, pepper & garlic, & had some tomatoes from my garden to eat as sides.

Carma showed up with a cooler which made me smile. Not only did it have the Pumpkin Spice Chai ingredients in it, but she also brought black bean hummus with chips & 2 individual bowls of fruit. That made me happy. She knows what I will love and appreciate.

We saved the Pumpkin Spice Chai for an after- lunch drink. I’m so glad we did because I have to tell you…IT WAS SO GOOD THAT IT WAS LIKE DRINKING DESSERT!

We have had a few cool weather days here in Nebraska, and I’ve found myself wanting a comforting, fall-like drink. A pumpkin spice flavored drink that was easy to make and somewhat healthy. Well, people…I found it…or at least Carma found it for me.

Here it is:

Start with one cup of milk of your choice. We used almond milk.

Add 2 bags of Trader Joes Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea. If you do not have a Trader Joes near you, keep reading for good substitute ideas.

Let steep for 5-7 minutes, warming the milk gently on the stove.

When it gets to be this milky, caramel-ly color, get your head down in there and take a whiff. Deliciousness! I told Carma I want a fall candle that smells like this! Remove the tea bags.

If you don’t have a Trader Joes near you, shed a few tears, then wipe them away and order some from Amazon using this affiliate link. {I appreciate your support of this blog.}

After you remove the teabags, make sure the temperature is what you desire for warm, comfortable sipping.

Add 3/4 cup Oregan Chai concentrate. This amount is flexible. If you want less sweet, use less Chai concentrate.

Pour into your favorite mug & enjoy!

3 Ingredient Best Pumpkin Spice Chai
1 cup milk (I used almond)
2 pumpkin spice teabags
3/4 cup chai concentrate, or to taste

Put milk into a saucepan. Add teabags. Steep 5-7 minutes & warm to desired temperature. Add chai concentrate. Stir. Pour into 2 mugs and enjoy!

Don’t Forget To Pin It!

Drinks/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Post From The Past: Amazingly Healthy Turmeric Chai Tea

This is a past post from the New Nostalgia archives. I love visiting post from the past, especially seasonal type posts. It is a great reminder to me of what I love, and what was post worthy! I will be taking a trip down “past posts” road occasionally in the month of October.

This is a guest post from Andrea at Frugally Sustainable. I am so happy to know Andrea. She is a faithful linker to our Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays, and I know you all love her because she often gets “most clicked on link” of the week.

I love everything about this guest post, but I especially love that it contains TURMERIC! I have read over and over that as one who has had cancer, I need to find ways to get turmeric in my diet. This is a wonderful, simple way to do just that!

Thanks so much, Andrea!

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We all have our go-to-remedies and today I would like to share with you one of mine.

Turmeric is one of the world’s most powerful natural healers. Its’ active ingredient curcumin, has been known for centuries to have extremely potent medicinal properties and is documented as being effective in treating a variety of conditions.

Other than the occasional curry, I struggled to add this beneficial root herb to our diet. That was until I created a Turmeric Chai Tea!

Although my palate rejoices simply at the thought of this drink, I must warn you…this is some pungent stuff! Tasty, but definitely a pretty serious tea.

10 Reasons Why Turmeric Is One of My Favorite Remedies

Turmeric is an anti-microbial. That means it will attack both bacterial infections and viral infections and destroy both. It is particularly effective in treating illnesses of the respiratory system (this makes it a superb remedy for the cold and flu season).
It has shown to prevent and stop the growth of prostate, breast, skin, lung and colon cancer
Known to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes
A natural liver detoxifier.
Research shows it may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
As a potent natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric may work just as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs. Furthermore, reducing the risks associated with the side effects of those types of medications.
It’s a natural painkiller.
Aids in fat metabolism (i.e. helps with weight management)
Trusted for many, many years in other cultures as a treatment for depression.
Speeds up wound healing and assists in the treatment of acne, eczema, psoriasis, uneven pigmentation, and lackluster skin.

I’ve added it to a list of my most favorite medicinal herbs. In fact, it’s right up there with garlic, ginger, parsley, sage and rosemary.

Turmeric Chai Tea Recipe

Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
(4 servings)

-3 tablespoons ground turmeric
-4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/8 teaspoon ground clove
-1 teaspoon ground cardamon
-2 teaspoons ground ginger
-1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions: Mix all ingredients together and store in a glass jar.

Note: Cayenne pepper, although optional in the recipe, will speed the turmeric through the blood stream by relaxing blood vessels down to capillaries allowing more turmeric to get to the infections faster.

Tea Prep
(single serving)

-4 teaspoons of Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
-1 cup water
-sweetener to taste
-1/2-1 cup warm milk (i.e. cow, goat, almond, hemp, coconut, etc.)

Directions: Bring 1 cup of water to boil. Pour water over spices and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. Add sweetener and milk.

Notes and Tips

-WARNING: Turmeric will turn everything it touches yellow.

-Using fresh herbs is always the better option. If using fresh turmeric and ginger increase steep time, during the prep, to 20 minutes.

-Turmeric, along with the other spices required in this recipe, is available in a well-appointed health food store, the spice aisle of most grocery stores, and in bulk online through companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs and The Bulk Herb Store.

-Because it stimulates the uterus, turmeric is not recommended for pregnant women. It is also contraindicated for those with gall bladder disease or gallstones. As a good general rule, please consult your physician prior to the use of any herbal/spice remedy.

Inspirational Resources:
Turmeric Superfood
20 Health Benefits of Turmeric
New Findings Show Disease Fighting Powers of Turmeric

_____________________________________________________

Andrea is a Registered Nurse turned Frugally Sustainable Homemaker. Her blog, Frugally Sustainable, is “one of the most featured blogs in its niche! It is host to 4-5 informative posts per week that catalogue the why, the how, and the how-to on: frugality, simplicity, health and nutrition, motivation and inspiration, homeschooling, up-cycling, recycling, and designing a life that is interdependent on like-minded others, ecologically responsible and centered around the home.”

Drinks/ RECIPES

Turmeric Chai Tea: For Your At Home Medicine Cabinet

Thanks so much, Andrea!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Turmeric is an anti-microbial. That means it will attack both bacterial infections and viral infections and destroy both. It is particularly effective in treating illnesses of the respiratory system (this makes it a superb remedy for the cold and flu season).
It has shown to prevent and stop the growth of prostate, breast, skin, lung and colon cancer
Known to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes
A natural liver detoxifier.
Research shows it may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
As a potent natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric may work just as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs. Furthermore, reducing the risks associated with the side effects of those types of medications.
It’s a natural painkiller.
Aids in fat metabolism (i.e. helps with weight management)
Trusted for many, many years in other cultures as a treatment for depression.
Speeds up wound healing and assists in the treatment of acne, eczema, psoriasis, uneven pigmentation, and lackluster skin.

I’ve added it to a list of my most favorite medicinal herbs. In fact, it’s right up there with garlic, ginger, parsley, sage and rosemary.

Turmeric Chai Tea Recipe

Tea Prep
(single serving)

-4 teaspoons of Turmeric Chai Tea Powder
-1 cup water
-sweetener to taste
-1/2-1 cup warm milk (i.e. cow, goat, almond, hemp, coconut, etc.)

Directions: Bring 1 cup of water to boil. Pour water over spices and steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. Add sweetener and milk.

Drinks/ HOME/ RECIPES

Candy Cane Lane Green Tea

Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Green Tea

When something makes me this happy, I just have to share it with you!

I am coming down with a cold, my throat is very sore and I’ve got a stuffy nose. Crap.

I picked up Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Green Tea at my health food store the other day and boy, am I glad I did. It is REALLY good. It has the taste of peppermint sticks, creamy vanilla bean and a hint of cinnamon. I added a packet of stevia and a splash of milk to make it sweet, white and creamy.
This makes it feel like I am drinking an expensive, hot drink that is full of calories, when really, I am drinking something full of antioxidants, and all kinds of things that are good for me, and it is sugar free! There is just something about peppermint when one has a stuffy nose! Ahhh…

I just bought a bunch of red and white, candy cane striped coffee mugs at my local Dollar Tree. They are square and really cute. I am planning on using them in some way as Christmas gifts for teachers. They would be perfect stuffed with these tea bags, (they smell SO good), and a candy cane, then wrapped with cellophane and tied with a red bow. Great, simple gift for any tea lover’s out there!

If you go to Celestial Seasonings Website, you can type in your zip code and they will tell you where to find this particular tea in your area, or, you can click here and order it from Amazon.

Drinks/ HEALTH/ RECIPES

Masala Chai-An Indian Beverage To Die For!

I am sitting here is absolute Chai heaven. Seriously. I’m so happy about this recipe that I am smiling stupidly at this computer screen, and I keep taking my fingers away from the keyboard to take another sip–this post could take awhile because of this tasty distraction. It is sooooo good!

I have made 2 different Chai recipes in the last 2 days. I liked the first one, but now that I have tasted this second one, I know I have the Chai Tea recipe that I hoped to find. I’ve had Chai tea on my brain ever since a Friday night a few months back, when I stopped at one of our local Indian Restaurants.

The restaurant is called Taj Mahal. I walked in to order take-out on a Friday night. It was fairly late, so they were not busy. The owner greeted graciously in his heavy Indian accent, took my order, and motioned to the bar showing me where I could sit and wait. He headed toward the back, and before the door shut behind him I saw him grab a pan in an empty kitchen, which excited me, because it meant that he would be the one cooking our meal. A few moments later, he returned with a teacup in one hand and a pan in the other. He had made a complimentary cup of Chai Tea for me to drink while I was waiting. I watched him pour the contents from the pan into my cup using a fine mesh strainer sitting atop of it. As the pan emptied, towards the bottom were all kinds of interesting shapes and shades of loose tea, seeds, and pods; browns and greens. I was intrigued, excited and touched by this man’s kindness.

cardamom pods

Needless to say, that cup of Chai was authentically amazing, and I have craved another ever since. This is SO much better then the Chai concentrate that you can buy in a box. There is no comparison! I am quite pleased that it only took a couple of tries to find a recipe that comes very close to the cup of Chai that I drank at Taj Mahal.

The recipe comes from Sabra @ One Life To Eat. It is a blog I just recently discovered on the basics of Indian cooking. I can’t wait to explore her blog more, as I would love to learn how to cook Indian food!
I loved this post she wrote about Masala Chai. She talks about memories of her father making it in the mornings and evenings, and some history of Chai tea. She also had this to say about the different ways it can be made:

Every Indian you talk to will probably also have his / her own favorite method of preparing Chai. Variations include brewing the loose tea leaves in boiling water, brewing them in milk, brewing tea leaves along with spices (known as Masala Chai) and brewing the chai with pieces of ginger (known as Ginger or Adrak Chai). Some like their chai weak, some like it strong. Some like more milk, some less.

Her process is simple and detailed at the same time. Hers is thicker and flavored with ginger & vanilla.
I think it is perfection and my search for a Chai recipe ends here!

To make 2 mugs of Chai – You will need:

A medium sized saucepan
A small sieve
4 heaped teaspoons Red Label or Society tea, available at any Indian store **I used loose Darjeeling
1 inch piece of ginger root
6-7 cardamom pods, slightly opened

3 tbsp sugar (I used processed white sugar, going to try pure cane sugar next time)
1/2 Vanilla stick (optional) (I used a splash of pure vanilla extract, added it at the very end)
1.5 cups water
1.5 cups whole fat milk

Method:

Heat water to a boil in the saucepan
Add the tea leaves, cardamom pods and ginger root and allow to brew on medium heat till the water turns a golden brown color
Add the milk and reduce heat to low. Add the vanilla stick and sugar at this stage. Mix well
Allow the tea to boil gently and thicken on low heat for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the saucepan as the Chai may boil over
Turn off the heat and let the liquid rest in the saucepan for 2-3 minutes. This lets the temperature of the liquid come down a bit
Pour through a sieve in your favorite mug. (*or mason jar:))

Do not be intimidated by the exotic ingredients. I took a quick trip to my local health food store, where they have bulk bins for the Darjeeling tea and the cardamom pods. I had ginger root in my freezer, and everything else on hand. I personally think whole milk is a must to achieve the creamy texture. My only complaint about this recipe is that it doesn’t make more! I would love to double or triple it and keep it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. My first cup was hot, but now I am drinking it over ice and OH. MY. YUM!
This post is linked to:
Get Your Craft On @ Today’s Creative Blog

Drinks/ Featured/ FUN/DIY/ RECIPES/ Seasonal

Homemade Gifts-Peppermint Stick Cocoa

I have seen SO many great homemade gift ideas this year. I really want to write a post featuring them all, but they are all disorganized and saved in my bookmarks, or starred somewhere on my reader. You would think I would would take the time (2 clicks!) to clip and annotate them to my Circus Ponies Notebook, but….no. Gotta work on that!

I read so many blogs a day thanks to my Google Reader –I’ll post about this soon for those who don’t know what it is– so I come across many, many great ideas. My head started to feel spinny whenever I would think about what I wanted to do. I finally had to just pick one, so Peppermint Stick Cocoa it is. I thought the layers were pretty, especially the mini-chocolate chips and the crushed peppermint candies. Plus, I got to use a mason jar! I like that I can do smaller jars for 1-2 people and larger jars for families. (if you click on the link, you will see that they put it in a very cool square-ish jar. I love it and you can buy them at wal-mart, but at almost 3 times the cost of a mason jar. They are very cool but not THAT cool!:)

Peppermint Stick Cocoa
Layer the ingredients for homemade cocoa in a jar, add a ribbon, embellishment, and a tag, and you have a simple but cute gift. This mix will fill a 1 quart jar (12 servings), but if your containers are different sizes, just keep the ratio of ingredients constant. On the back of the tag, write: “Mix contents in a bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in one cup boiling water. Store remaining mix in airtight container.

1 cup powdered milk
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy

Layer powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and peppermint candy.
Yeild: Makes 1 quart mix or 12 servings hot cocoa.

I used a 16 oz jar (1 pint) and halved the recipe, this serves 6. I also made 8 oz jars (1/2 pint) and adjusted the measurements, this serves 3.

16 oz jar measurements (1 pint) serves 6
1/2 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy

8 oz jar measurements (1/2 pint) serves 3
1/4 cup powdered milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/8 cup crushed peppermint candies

I like giving away homemade gifts to people like co-workers, school teachers, mailman, neighbors, piano teacher, pastor, and friends. Just a little something to let them know I am thinking of them during the Christmas season.

My oldest daughter and I made these together today, while the younger 2 watched a Christmas movie. It was the perfect thing to do on a “school’s- out -snow- day!” It went pretty smoothly, I do wish peppermint candies came pre-crushed! Beating them with the rolling pin did not work, banging them with the bottom of a mason jar did not work, finally we got out the hammer and with some muscle–it worked! Those were some hard- headed peppermints! Once we had the candy crushed and a fun little math lesson with the measurements, we were good to go. We made an assembly line, and got busy!

We found that with the small 8 oz jar size, we needed to change up the order so that the peppermints would show. We did sugar, cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips, crushed peppermints, salt and powdered milk. Much prettier that way. In the 16 oz jars, we kept the order as stated in the recipe.

After my girls had some igloo fun in the snow, they came in and sipped on some Peppermint Stick Cocoa. It was very chocolate-y and very good; so good that I got impatient when I had to say no at least 9 times when they asked for more. (3 times per girl, 3 girls). I will blame their persistence on the addictive nature of the cocoa drink, because of course, my girls would respect their mothers “no” the first time, so they must have been on a chocolate high. Ha! Um, yea–guess we gotta work on that one!

This is called Tree-Trimming Trail Mix. Click here for the recipe.

Drinks/ RECIPES

Best Ever Hot Chocolate Part 2

I wrote this post on The Best Ever Hot Chocolate a few days ago, and had a reader ask for ideas on how to adjust this a recipe for someone who is a teetotaler. I think it is a great question, as I know there are many people, with reasons I completely respect, for choosing to not consume alcohol.

I made the original recipe (click here for recipe) minus the Godiva Liqueur, and added another teaspoon of sugar. I am drinking a cup right now, and it tastes creamy and good. (I used whole milk for creaminess.) I have a few ideas to make it even better.

My first idea would be to make Homemade Chocolate Sauce, and add a teaspoon or 2 in place of Godiva Liqueur. This recipe is from Small Notebook (I love this blog, one of my favorites), I put this on my “homemade gifts to make sometime” list.

The next idea I had is quite exciting!! I owe the inspiration to my Grandpa Earl, who is a huge fan of Werther’s Original Candies. They had a way of showing up in his overalls’ pockets, which delighted my girls whenever they got to see him. When we go to Missouri to visit Grandpa and Grandma, there is always a bowl of them sitting in the entryway, inviting us to help ourselves. I will never eat a Werther’s Original candy without thinking of grandpa!

Back to my idea, I think it would be delicious to drop a Werther’s Original candy into the mug along with the Dove Chocolates. I like that it would keep with the theme of dropping candies in the mug. In fact… I will call it Candy Drop Hot Cocoa. Who wouldn’t want to drink something with a name like that? I have never tried this in Hot Cocoa, but I have dropped them into a steaming cup of coffee and they would slowly melt, giving my coffee a great buttery, caramel-y flavor. If you wanted faster dissolving, you could crush the candies before adding. The Werther’s hard candies come in a variety of flavors–Mocha, Butterscotch, Irish Creme, Vanilla– how fun would it be to experiment with all of those? Werther’s also sell a soft caramel chew, which might dissolve easier.

Candy Drop Hot Cocoa

8 oz milk

11/2 tsp sugar

3 Dove Chocolates

2 Werther’s Originals Hard Candy-any flavor (can crush for easier dissolving)

or Werther’s Original Soft Caramel Chew

Microwave milk in mug until hot (about 11/2 minutes). Add Sugar.

Drop in Dove Chocolate Candies and Werther’s Original Candies.

Give it a whirl until Chocolate is dissolved and enjoy!

Here are some other ideas to add to a plain mug of hot chocolate to make it special:
~Marshmallows
~Crushed Candy Canes or a few drops of peppermint extract
~A few drops of almond extract
~Crushed Peanut Butter Cups to melt into it- oh yum.
~Espresso Powder
~A bit of flavored cappuccino
~Any flavor of powdered or liquid creamers
~A pinch of cayenne and some cinnamon for a Mexican Hot Chocolate
~A spoonful of Raspberry Jelly
~Red Hot Candies

All this talk of Hot Chocolate brings back a child hood memory. My mom would have us make Hot Chocolate and accompany it with Buttered Toast. She showed us how to cut the toast diagonally in half and dip it into the Hot Chocolate. I know it sounds like soggy yuckness, but the saltiness of the butter mixed with the sweet chocolate was quite tasty!

PS. Can you tell my healthy eating goes pretty much out the window during the holidays? We still get all our nutrients from real food, but we definitely add more processed foods and sugar foods than normal.
I’m completely at peace about that, as long as my family holds on to their good health throughout the season and as long as we keep it to a minimum.

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