1/13/13

A Yummy Warm Sipper!

Hey everyone!  Just got back from seeing the movie "Lincoln."  Will Mr. Lewis win yet another Oscar?  I don't know, but he was very believable as the great Mr. Lincoln.  Anyway, weather here in the Arizona desert has been rather frigid -- seriously, anything below 45 degrees is really cold to us "desert rats," and we have been having below freezing for the last couple of days.  I'm talking 26* yesterday and 21* this morning -- we are really into layers of clothing and warm cups of yumminess to sip.

My new favorite warm beverage of choice lately (after a couple of cups of my favorite coffee, of course) has been Russian Tea.  This is a homemade brew, and one that I used to make many years ago when my kiddos were, well little kiddos!  The original version had lots of sugar in the form of sugary Tang, and sugar-sweetened lemonade mix plus the instant tea.  Well, a few weeks ago I went on a hunt for a sugar-free version.  I found several recipes that sounded okay, but not quite what I wanted, so I just started combining bits and pieces from here and there and came up with the following.  Hope you enjoy!

Russian Tea Mix -- "Sugar-Free" Version

What you will need:
1 packet sugar-free Crystal Light Lemonade ( Walmart's brand is what I use)
1 packet sugar-free Crystal Light Orange (Walmart's brand is called Orange Early Rise)
1 cup unsweetened instant tea (any brand)
1 to 1 1/2 cups Splenda (or your sweetener of choice)
1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (I'm generous with this amount because I like cloves)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (generous as above)

Simply mix everything together, and even add some cinnamon sticks if you like -- I do.  Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of mix, depending on the size of your cup, and fill with almost boiling water.  If you let the water boil, you have to wait for it to cool a bit before you can begin to enjoy this yumminess -- just sayin'.  I like to add one of the cinnamon sticks to mine for a little added flavor.  This was my "go-to" beverage a few days ago when I was feeling "poorly" and nothing much tasted good, except this!  I do hope you will give it a try; and if you are lucky enough not to be watching your "waistline," then simply substitute all the sugar-laden ingredients.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead, and for goodness sake, try to stay healthy!
                                                                

9 comments:

  1. Glad you are feeling better! I'm all for a cozy warm drink....especially if cloves or allspice are involved!

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    1. Thanks, and I do hope you give this tea a try -- so good!

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  2. We have not seen it yet Carol but it has a ton of great actors in it so we are intrigued. It did not pass 50 today but felt much colder. I think we are only going to be in the low 40s the next few days. Hope your weekend was a good one!

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  3. I bet that cold weather is making for even more amazing skies then you guys already get to see! I know when it gets cold here the sunrises and sunsets are brilliant. Russian tea?! I must try!!! Are you Russian? My grandparents migrated here from Russia. :)

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  4. PS- Thank you for following back!

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  5. Your tea sounds yummy. I love Russian tea but not all of the sugar... this sounds like the perfect solution. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Your tea is looking very yummy!! I have never try this tea before but still I can't wait to prepare this tea.

    Regards,
    Kopi Luwak

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Make this a great day!
Carol