We made jell-o! Well I guess technically jelly but that doesn’t sound quite as exciting. It was surprisingly easy, delicious and is a really healthy snack. Here’s what we did:
Pour the strained tea into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of gelatin (we used this one) and bring to a low simmer. Stir in 1-2 tbs honey and stir until completely combined.
Turn off the heat, let it cool and pour it back into a big jar, cake pan or little molds. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. Enjoy!
If you have a little one at home (or
more than 1), you know that anything you eat or drink is literally up for
grabs. We have learned to quickly scarf down desserts and throw back glasses of
wine. And kombucha. She loves kombucha! This, along with our goal of exposing
said little one to different flavours in her food, materialised into: letting
her drink our tea.
While this usually looks like just giving her sips out of
our mugs once the tea has cooled, we sometimes succeed at proactivity and cold-
brew an herbal tea overnight in the fridge to let her drink on its own or in a
smoothie. (See cold-brewing instructions here.) As evident by the big smile on
his face, her best little friend Tom who lives next door has been loving this
month’s Baked Apple Rooibos! His parents brew it hot and then let it cool
before putting it in his sippy cup for him to enjoy. Rooibos is particularly
good for kids because it’s so high in vitamin c and antioxidants, and also
great for digestion. So go ahead and brew a pot! You might even get to drink
some this time.
This is actually how we cold brew any tea, but cold brewing is perfect for this kind of tea as it brings out all the flavour with none of the astringency.
Step 1: Measure one tablespoon per 500ml mason jar.
Step 2: Add cold water, filling the mason jar. Tighten lid firmly and shake
well. Place in fridge for a minimum of 4 hours to a maximum of 10 hours. We loved this tea after 5 hours, but cold brewing forgives both impatience and forgetfulness.
Step 3: Remove from fridge. Feel the excitement.
Step 4: Strain the leaves as you serve the tea. Enjoy! Celebrate your awesomeness.
Well folks, it’s officially spring…oh wait, unless you live on the east coast and just got a dump of snow! On behalf of West Coast Canada, we’re sorry.
We made this on a Monday night, after a Sunday all-day birthday celebration (for moi) and before leaving our baby with a babysitter (!) – ok, actually 2, we’re nuts – and riding our bikes to Italian birthday dinner date night. It was a delicious weeknight celebratory drink. A way to keep the birthday going…maybe for a few more days.
Here are the basic proportions:
1 part bourbon
3 parts tea
1 tsp sugar
Splash of milk
+ a sprig of mint (mostly for fun, and to pretend/celebrate the coming of spring)
It was lovely sans milk but honestly so deliciously creamy with just a splash. Feel free to play with the ingredients and let us know how it turns out!
1. Preheat the oven
to 350°F. Grease and flour or line two
8” round cake pans.
2. In a small
saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil. Remove from the heat and add 2 Tbsp of
the tea. Steep for 3-4 minutes, then
strain and set the milk aside.
3. Sift the flour,
baking powder, and salt into a small bowl.
4. Using a coffee
grinder or mini chopper, pulse the remaining tea into very fine pieces. Gently whisk into the flour mixture, then set
aside.
5. In a medium bowl,
cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until well combined.
6. Beat in the eggs one
at a time, mixing well between each. Add
the vanilla.
7. Mix in a third of
the flour mixture until combined, then beat in half of the milk. Add another
third of the flour, then the remaining milk and green food colouring (if
using), and finally the remaining flour mixture, beating between each addition.
8. Pour batter into 2-8″ cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
9. Cool the cakes in
their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
10. Run a small knife around the edges of the pans, then
remove cakes and allow to cool before filling or icing.
I stacked my
Jasmine Green Tea Cakes with orange cream cheese buttercream, and topped with
candied peel and orange sugar.
Serves 2.
Steep 2 heaping tsp Red Hot Chai
in boiling water for seven minutes to make the tea base. While tea is
steeping, heat ¼ cup milk, either with an automatic whisk, or a milk
steamer or foamer. Spoon the hot foamed milk, dividing evenly, into two
10–12 oz mugs. Pour the ready Red Hot Chai over the foamed milk in each
mug and serve immediately. Sweeten with honey, if desired. A soothing
spiced chai tea favorite!
