We love a good tea at our house, so when I saw a recipe for a Chai Tea Mix in a Christmas with Southern Living cookbook I knew we’d have to give it a try.

This recipe is super easy to make, the most time-consuming part is probably accumulating all the ingredients. And with no actual cooking required, it’s a great kitchen project to make with even the youngest chef (who could do everything but use the food processor). The end result is a spicy, flavorful Chai Tea Mix perfect for a cold winter day; and perfect for gift-giving as well. It also smells amazing, like a spicy, holiday potpourri.

We tried the mix dissolved in water, milk, and soy milk. And although they all worked, we think the Chai Tea tastes much better made with milk or soy milk; the version with water tasted very weak.

Although I have an embarrassing amount of spices in my cupboards, if these aren’t spices you typically use, you’ll need to collect a few things. I would check out a grocery store with a bulk foods department for small amounts of these spices (at incredibly low prices); however, most baking aisles are full of 50% off spices this time of year.

Here’s my daughter mixing up all the ingredients.

And the finished Chai Tea Mix all jarred up and ready to give away.

Chai Tea Mix

Makes 5 1/2 cups mix.

If you don’t have superfine sugar, you could use regular granulated sugar; however, you’ll want to place it in the food processor with the tea and spices.

• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
• 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
• 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 cup powdered nondairy creamer
• 1 cup French vanilla-flavored powdered nondairy creamer

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tea and spices. Blend for about 1 minutes, or until mixture becomes a fine powder. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, stirring until mixed thoroughly.
2. Spoon tea mix into gift jars and label with a tag with the directions: “To serve, stir 2 heaping teaspoons Chai Tea Mix into a mug of hot milk.”

Cooking With Kids, Drinks, Food Gifts, Kids Cook Monday

So, I was reading a cookbook by some Hollywood “family chef” and saw a recipe for smoothies using coconut water. Call me crazy, but I had never heard of coconut water or even seen it in the store. But, all of the sudden I have seen it everywhere. Some stores display it in the juice aisle or in the produce section. The price seems to vary greatly, so you’ll want to shop around. I have only used C2O brand, but I know there are several brands available.

So what is coconut water? It is the liquid inside the coconut when you crack it open, and unlike coconut milk (which is the coconut meat ground up and liquid pressed out) it is very low in fat and calories. Coconut water is water, natural sugar, and minerals; I’ve read it’s like nature’s version of Gatorade. Of course, minus the artificial flavoring, colorings, etc.

There are lots of health claims surrounding coconut water, and I doubt it’s a miracle food or anything, but it is extremely high in potassium and slightly sweet tasting, making it a smart choice for desserts or smoothies.

My kids were sick and wanted smoothies; I couldn’t find a appetizing smoothie recipe with coconut water, so we came up with our own version. It was really easy to throw together in my food processor and it tasted great! I am not a huge smoothie fan in general, they usually need copious amounts of sugar or honey to make them palatable, but this one tasted just right to me. The coconut water added just enough sweetener, without it tasting like a dessert. Of course, our frozen fruit may have been especially sweet.

I used plain Greek yogurt because that is what I had in the fridge, but I think any yogurt would work, even a flavored one. And of course a sweeter yogurt would make a sweeter smoothie, which the kids would probably prefer anyway.

I think Coconut Water Smoothies make a healthful breakfast or snack. And of course coconut water, or a beverage made with it, is a great alternative to Gatorade if you are dehydrated from illness or strenuous exercise.

Coconut Water Smoothie.

Coconut Water Smoothie

Makes 2 large smoothies.

• about 2 cups frozen fruit (we use a combo of frozen peaches, melon and berries)
• 1-6 ounce container Greek yogurt (I use plain)
• about 6 ounces coconut water
• 1 TB sugar or honey to taste if desired

1. In a blender or food processor, pulse the frozen fruit until it is chopped into small pieces. Add the yogurt and coconut water and continue to pulse until smoothie has reached desired consistency; adding more coconut water if needed. Taste and add sugar or honey if desired (although I think it is sweet enough without the addition of sweeteners, the kids disagree).

 

 

Breakfast, Cooking With Kids, Desserts, Drinks coconut water fruit smoothie, gluten-free smoothies

It has been a chilly, blustery week at my house. We’ve even seen a few snow flakes falling, putting us in the mood for some warm drinks.  So we decided to make some warm apple cider, but not just any apple cider, Caramel Apple Cider.

I think my three year old summed it up best when she took a drink and exclaimed excitedly “Wow! This tastes just like pie.” It’s flavorful, comforting and the perfect drink for a cold winter’s day. And the flavors really do remind me of a warm slice of apple pie.

And unlike so many hot apple cider recipes, this one is alcohol free and not overly spicy, making it entirely kid-friendly. It is a bit on the sweet side though, so you might want to reduce the sugar a bit if you prefer a less sweet drink.

Have you read my tip about freezing cream? It is a great way to save dollops of cream for a later use, like when you are in the mood for a mug of hot chocolate or warm cider.

Hot Caramel Apple Cider with whipped cream & cinnamon on top!

Caramel Apple Cider

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups apple cider
• whipped cream and cinnamon for topping, optional

1. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and half-and-half. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and apple cider. Continue cooking until heated through, about 10 minutes. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon if desired.

Drinks

This Candy Cane Cocoa mix in a jar is a really cute idea; and I wish I could claim it as my own, but I actually got the idea from Sunset Magazine. Just as they explain, it’s a super simple, yet stylish gift that is perfect for gift giving this time of year. And as far as food gifts go, this one is really inexpensive.

I didn’t stick to the original recipe, but the idea will work with almost any favorite cocoa mix you might already use. And if you are like my husband, and dislike peppermint cocoa, you could omit that layer altogether and add a layer of miniature marshmallows. However, I think the peppermint layer makes the jar look rather festive. Or you could even substitute the mini chocolate chips for flavored chips, just chop them a bit so they’ll melt (and read the ingredients if it needs to be gluten free, some flavored chips actually have gluten. I once bought butterscotch chips only to realize, too late, they weren’t gf).

Although really special, decorative jars can be purchased at kitchen or craft stores, regular canning jars also work. Or, if you are like me and you save up cute jars to reuse throughout the year, this would be a perfect occasion to pull them out of the cupboard.

Candy Cane cocoa, a super cute food gift.

Candy Cane Cocoa

This recipe makes 1 quart (12 servings), but I prefer to divide it between 2 pint size jars. You could use any size jar, just keep the ratio of the ingredients the same.

• 1 cup powdered milk
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
• 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows, optional
• 1 quart size or 2 pint size jars

1. For wide-mouth jars I simply scoop the ingredients into the jars, but for small-mouth jars, I find a funnel works best. Layer powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar & salt, chocolate chips and peppermint candy. If adding marshmallows, press gently on the peppermint layer to make room, then add marshmallows to fill jar.
2. On a gift tag give the directions “Mix contents in a large bowl. For each serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mix in a mug and stir in 1 cup of boiling water; for a richer cocoa use hot milk. Store remaining mix in an airtight container or bag.”

Drinks, Food Gifts, Holidays & Special Occasions

I am always on the lookout for family-friendly beverages for the holidays. When having family and friends over, I find that it is easiest to have one drink the whole crowd can enjoy.

Making a punch is a great solution, however I not particularly fond of the sherbet based ones. I prefer a fruit juice punch with a little soda for the bubbles. And of course, with kids in mind it has to be non-alcoholic, and being the holiday season, not too tropical in flavor. That’s a lot to ask for in one drink!

This Orchard Punch recipe is great! It has lot of fruit flavor, but because of the ginger ale and cranberry juice, it isn’t too sweet. Kids and adults alike seem to love it. It’s simple, delicious and pretty, making it a great choice for holiday entertaining.

Orchard Punch ready to drink

Orchard Punch

I would use these amounts as suggestions; honestly, a little more or less of one juice still works beautifully.

• 1 (12 ounce) can frozen apple juice, prepared as directed
• 1 (12 ounce) can frozen cranberry juice concentrate
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 liters ginger ale
• cranberries and apple or orange slices for garnish if desired

1. In a large punch bowl, combine the juices and stir until dissolved. Slowly add the ginger ale and stir to combine.
2. Float cranberries, apple and/or orange slices on top if desired.

Drinks, Holidays & Special Occasions easy holiday punch, non-sherbet punch