Sunday, April 10, 2011

A Trio of Hot, Drinkable Treats

It's thunder storming here today. I love thunderstorms, and it makes me want something warm to drink, which reminded me of these recipes...which I've been meaning to post since February...but I have just never found the time to take the pictures. I've finally given up on doing so while at school [less than a week until I'm home..ah] and was sick of seeing this as a draft, so I am posting it anyways. Pictures will come eventually. On with the recipes...


I always want a warm drink as soon as I wake up in the morning, but crave something more substantial than just tea. I used to love London Fogs, so, in an attempt to mimic one, I ended incorporating this drink into my morning routine:

Milky Morning Tea

Ingredients:
  • 20 grams (1 Tbsp) honey
  • 1 cup (8 oz) strong tea (Earl grey would be typical of a London Fog, but, for the benefits of the spices, I now like to use Chai)
  • 1 cup (8 oz) milk (I use skim, but I am sure any would do)
  • splash of vanilla (optional)
  • pinch of fine sea salt (optional)
  • dash of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a kettle and steep your tea. Combine milk and tea in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, measure honey into your mug and stir in vanilla and sea salt.
3. Once milk/tea is steaming, but not boiling, pour into mug, stirring to dissolve the honey. Top with a dash of cinnamon.



Sometimes, I also like something warm right before I go to bed but I don't want caffeine.

This is what I drink instead—I use maple syrup rather than honey, both to mix up the kind of sweetener I'm consuming, but also because I find maple syrup has a much stronger, more distinct flavour which makes the drink a special treat.

Maple Steamer for One

Ingredients:
  • 20 grams (1 Tbsp) maple syrup
  • 1 cup (8 oz) hot water*
  • 1 cup (8 oz) milk (I use skim, but I am sure any would do)
  • splash of vanilla (optional)
  • pinch of fine sea salt (optional)
  • dash of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a kettle. Combine milk and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, measure maple syrup in your mug and stir in vanilla and sea salt.
3. Once milk/water is steaming, but not boiling, pour into mug and top with a dash of cinnamon.

This next recipe came about because I really wanted hot chocolate, but couldn't find a balance between the bitterness of cocoa and my reluctance to add more than two tablespoons of sweetener. Since carob is naturally sweeter than chocolate, I decided to give it a try. This drink is one of my, and James', favourite treats.

Hot Carob Drink for One

Ingredients:
  • 6 grams (1 Tbsp) carob powder
  • 20 grams (1 Tbsp) honey or maple syrup
  • 1 cup (8 oz) hot water (tea or coffee)*
  • 1 cup (8 oz) milk (I use skim, but I am sure any would do—James uses lactose-free)
  • a splash of vanilla (optional)
  • pinch of fine sea salt (optional)
  • any spice you like (optional)—my favourites are:
    • cinnamon
    • nutmeg
    • cloves
    • a pinch of cayenne

Instructions:

1. Boil water.
2. Meanwhile, mix together honey and carob in your mug until it forms a sort of paste or syrup. Stir in the salt, and spices of your choice.
3. Pour boiled water into mug and stir until the syrup is dissolved.
4. Combine water/carob mix with milk in a saucepan and heat over medium, stirring occasionally.
5. Add vanilla to the empty mug. Pour in carob drink when it has reached the desired temperature (don't boil it).

* Feel free to reduce or skip the cup of water and replace it with another cup of milk; I just don't notice a difference in taste and like to increase the size of my drink without the extra serving of milk.

Anyways, that's all. I know they're very basic recipes, but I just thought I'd share anyways. Anyone have any simple drinks/variations they love?

3 comments:

  1. I am so happy that you posted about this! I'm always trying to find drinks other than tea to have, and I usually just end up with milk with vanilla. I will definitely try these :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is cold and rainy here so I just made hot milk with maple syrup. The carob drink recipe looks good! I will make it next… with cocoa.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There are different kinds of treats you'll find and if you can use them for your pets then it will be very easy to get back your pets perfect health. So, try to use cbd dog treats because these are the natural one and there is no bad ingredients are mixed up with these treats.

    ReplyDelete

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