let the 12 days of Christmas begin! and where better to start than a hot cup of coziness? word to the wise: relaxed, coffee-drinking shopping is the way to go at Christmas. have you noticed that like 70% of Christmas shoppers are walking around with a cup of hot something in their hands? it's like we cannot dream of touching a cart at Target with both hands. no. one hand must contain Starbucks. you must master the one-handed driving of a shopping cart so you can keep sipping. you must. (i actually love this phenomenon. it kinda makes me feel like we're all upping the cozy level of Target.)
a chai latte has been my Christmas drink of choice this year. warm and peppery, silky smooth.. it's so cozy i can hardly wait for another mug. and i've been making my own! it's the perfect way to start a nighttime. i recommend the following routine:
1. once your babies are asleep/the dinner dishes are cleared away/laundry has been started or finished/lunches made/house is picked up/work is done, go to the stove.
2. make chai. pour it into a mug and watch the steam rise.
3. take your steamy mug by the handle and pad around the house in your thick socks while it cools.
4. find your Christmas tree. stare at it. sip. stare. sip. enjoy.
5. then go sit yourself down at the computer where you can Christmas shop on amazon or write that blog post you want to write or huddle into the leather recliner with a blanket and maybe watch A Christmas Story. continue sipping while it's piping hot.
homemade chai concentrate
(caffeine free)
(caffeine free)
adapted from cheeseslave
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp nutmeg
2 pinches ginger
1 cinnamon stick (2 inches)
cardamom/peppercorns/ anise are also great, but i didn't have these in my cupboard:)
4 ruby red spiced rooibos tea bags (i used the trader joe's brand)
4 cups water
milk or coconut milk
honey
1. add all loose spices to a coffee filter. bring edges of filter all together and tie with a string. presto! a homemade tea bag.
2. fill a saucepan with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. add your homemade tea bag and the 4 rooibos bags to the pan. turn off the heat and let steep for 5 minutes.
3. at this point, remove the rooibos tea bags. leave the homemade tea bag and simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. or you can just let it steep all day. (24-36 hours)
4. when finished simmering/steeping, remove tea bag and pour into a glass jar to store in the fridge. keeps for about a week.
to make your latte: pour half a cup's worth of the chai concentrate into a small saucepan. turn the heat on and let it get nice and hot. add honey to taste; stir until blended. stir in milk or coconut milk. pour into a teacup or mug and enjoy.
wishing you many merry mugs.
what's your cozy Christmas drink of choice?
10 comments:
oooh how yummy, defs trying this one!! your blog is still amazing! I love it Summer xox
Oh yummy... I have been waiting for this one. Thank you Summer. SO glad it is caffeine free too!
Amazing blog I like it,will be visiting my link !!
Chai
A nice, piping hot cup of hot cocoa. I had two last week while I was studying for finals. Perfect!
Mmmm...Chai is my favorite! And your nighttime ritual sounds an awful lot like mine! : )
I stick to regular coffee (though I'd love to try out some new teas). But I make sure to switch to my christmasy mugs the moment snow is in the forecast. (though at this rate, much of Minnesota might be brown for Chrsitmas!)
I love Celestial Seasonings nutcracker tea. Also, just this weekend, I discovered Trader Joe's holiday tea. I love chai, and these holiday teas are very similar - creamy and fragrant. Though, since these are caffeinated, I tend to go with Good Earth sweet and spicy in the evenings - also very fragrant. Mmm...just thinking about tea makes me smile.
Mmm, I went through a chai phase this fall. This recipe sounds delicious! Right now I have been drinking peppermint hot chocolates like crazy.
This is perfect. I made hot chocolate in the crock pot the other day and I can't stop thinking about it. I may have a problem.
1. I did all of my Christmas shopping this year with a Starbucks cup in hand. In it, was a Caramel Brule Latte. SO GOOD!
2. Your pictures are gorgeous. Always.
3. My cozy Christmas drink of choice is the above Caramel Brule Latte, but if I'm home, it's a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows, of course. (Or tea, but that's my cozy all-year-round drink of choice).