1. Make tea in your normal fashion

2. Add 1 Tablespoon per 2 quarts of tea

3. Sweeten as desired

 

1/2 gallon Orange juice

2 ltr ginger ale

(I open the oj the day before and fill up 2-3 ice trays with orange juice so I can use those as the ice cubes...I saw it on Martha Stewart I think)

ice cubes

Add all ingredients and serve in punch bowl

 

Rich Vanilla Coffee Mix

1/3 cup instant coffee

1 cup instant dry milk powder

1/2 cup powdered coffee creamer

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup store-bought instant vanilla pudding mix

Measure all of the ingredients into a clean, dry bowl.  Use a fork to combine everything evenly.  If you are ambitious, you can powder everything in a blender.  I don't always do this because I am lazy. You do get really impressive results from it though, and it is easier to do than one would expect.   Transfer the mixture to a resealable container, or a pretty jar. This makes a good gift, especially in the winter time.

To Prepare: Place 1/4 cup of dry Rich Vanilla Cafe mix into a coffee cup.  Add hot water to fill up the cup (about 3/4 cup hot water).  Stir and serve.

I invented this recipe because I couldn't find powdered vanilla flavorings.  The closest I could come was french vanilla pudding mix.  After I made this recipe,  and then tried it, I was amazed at how smooth and creamy it was.  Also, all of the powder dissolved when I stirred it.  I didn't find the normal "sludge" of undissolved mix at the bottom of my cup.  It turns out that the pudding mix has chemicals added to it to make powders dissolve completely with only a little bit of stirring.  Since then, I have included pudding powder in many of my coffee and cocoa drink mixes.  It really improves the finished product a lot.  When store-brand pudding mixes can be purchase 2 or 3/$1 it is a pretty cheap way to make hot drink mixes into something really special.

In some of the recipes the pudding mix is optional.  If you prefer not to chance adding the chemicals to your family's diet, then they can be omitted.   I've also seen organic pudding mixes that look like they would probably work in this type of recipe too.  If you find any at your local natural foods store, give it a try and let me know about your results.

 

Chai Tea Mix or Spiced Milk Tea

·         1/4 cup instant tea

·         1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

·         1/4 cup powdered coffee creamer

·         1/2 cup white or (better) brown sugar

·         1 tablespoon instant vanilla pudding mix

·         1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon ginger

·         1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

·         1/8 teaspoon black pepper

In a resealable container combine all of the ingredients and stir with a fork or a whisk to distribute everything evenly. Store on the pantry shelf.  To Prepare: Combine 3 tablespoons Chai Tea Mix with 1 cup boiling water. Stir well to dissolve. Sip and savour.