Fall is my favorite. I get all nest-y when cooler weather hits. I get out the fuzzy socks, drape my couch in snuggly blankets, light candles and make sure my Kindle is full of good reads.
I fight the hustle and bustle of life, deliberately slow down and nestle in.
I delight in evenings when we are all home together, and when it happens I make sure there is soup simmering, and often offer mugs of warm drinks after dinner.
Even when I can’t gather my 3 lovelies (as they are teenagers and often scattered), you can still find me most fall evenings with a warm mug in hand.
Here are 5 favorites that I have on rotation:
5 Warming and Comforting Drink Recipes To Sip Slow and Savor
Warming Spiced Almond Milk
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon almond milk creamer, vanilla flavor (optional)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of ginger
a pinch of cayenne
……….
Combine all ingredients in a small pan.
Heat on the stove over medium heat until warm.
Sprinkle top with a touch of cinnamon for pretty. Sit down, inhale, and sip slow.
Hint: if you like a bit of froth on top, you can put it into a blender & blend (venting to allow steam to escape) or use a french press and plunge a few times until bubbles form.
3 Ingredient 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 the teabags in milk for 5-7 minutes & warm to desired temperature. Add chai concentrate. Stir. Pour into 2 mugs, sit with a loved one and sip slow.
Hint: if you don’t have pumpkin spice tea (my favorite is from Trader Joes) you can use black tea or rooibos tea and sprinkle in a little pumpkin pie spice. Also, the brand of chai I like is Oregon Chai Concentrate. Tazo is another popular brand but its cardamom flavor is too strong for my taste.
ALMOND VANILLA MAPLE SPICED MOCHA
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup double- strength brewed coffee
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
pinch of cinnamon
2-3 dashes of cayenne or a pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of salt
……….
Brew a double strength coffee. Heat the almond milk until quite hot. Add cocoa powder. Whisk the cocoa powder into the milk, briskly stirring until all clumps have melted away. Stir in the coffee, spices and maple syrup. Adjust the sweetness and spice according to your own taste. Snuggle up in your favorite chair and sip slow.
Hint: if you don’t have vanilla flavored almond milk, just add a drop or two of vanilla extract.
Best Ever Hot Chocolate
8 oz milk of your choice (almond, soy, dairy)
3 Dove chocolates (or your favorite brand chocolate square, milk or dark, I like dark)
1-2 teaspoons Godiva Chocolate liqueur
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
……….
Heat in microwave until hot (less than 2 minutes.) Whisk until combined.
Sit back, relax, and sip slow.
Hint: use my favorite frother to whip it up and make it extra creamy and beautiful.
Honey Lemon Ginger Tea
1/2 inch fresh ginger root, cut into slices (no need to peel)
2 wedges of lemon
1 tsp raw honey
……….
Squeeze 2 wedges of lemon into your tea cup. Add the wedges into the cup for added benefits of the oils from the lemon skin. Add 2 slices of ginger. Heat water in a tea kettle–I love my electric one that heats in minutes. Pour over ginger and lemon. Add honey and stir. Steep for a good 5 minutes. Strain, hug the mug, inhale the steam and sip slow.
Hint: both lemon wedges and ginger slices can be kept in the freezer in small mason jars. The hot water will thaw them. Also, a tea cup with an infuser like my favorite one is very handy.
{click photo for your pinning pleasure}
How about you?
What is your favorite warm drink?
