Welcome to Paisley Petunia…part two!
I find inspiration in pretty pictures, endless possibilities in a bowl of Meyer lemons, the meaning of lifetime devotion in the wagging tails of our 3 rescue dogs, end-of- the-day bliss in a glass of red wine and now, the boundless, soul clutching meaning of life in the faces of my 2 little angels.
It's a happy, creative, joy-full life we've got here in the LA sun. Come play! Bring wine.
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Tea Time
{Katie’s Chai}
On Saturday morning the rain had finally let up and I woke up very excited for my morning plans. My friend Katie was going to teach me how to make REAL chai tea from scratch. Those pre-made mixes are too sweet for me; I was longing for the real thing. I am lucky to know Katie and her wonderful talent for making tea (she’s also a pretty super friend, to say the least). She greeted me with homemade scones (followed by a little overflowing butter-smoky oven-smoke alarm incident) and we began the cooking lesson. She tried her best to tell me how she makes it, but its mostly by memory and taste. Aren’t all the best recipes that way?
{Freshly Grated Ginger}
A note from Katie: I learned and have always made chai by intuition (learned from my Mom and Aunt), so its hard to translate to measurements…Of course there are millions of variations on making chai, like adding 3 dashes of cinnamon and sometimes I add 2 clove pieces to the pot with other spices, which is delicious. This is the recipe that has stuck with me for some time now…
{Ingredients}
Katie’s Chai (yield 3-4 persons)
4 cups filtered water in pot on med/low heat while you prepare the spices
Wash & grate fresh ginger into pot- approx 2 TBSP
Add 1/2 tsp ground Cardamon
Add 1 pinch of Fennel seed
Turn up heat to med/high
Let boil for several minutes to release flavors
Add 1 tsp of loose Assam tea per cup (4 tsp) (its best to use loose leaf tea or cut open the tea bag)
Turn down heat to low for 1 minute to let tea steep
Add approx 1-1/2 – 2 cups milk (I use 2% or for creamier flavor use whole milk)
Look for a dark golden creamy color – add more milk or tea accordingly
Turn up heat to med/high
Turn off right as it begins to boil
Strain tea into tea pot and serve
(Add sugar to taste)
{A Cup of Tea}
Enjoy with friends and scones.
Thank you, Katie, for sharing your recipe with us!
Looks so yummy, am going to try this weekend, or maybe tomorrow if I get snowed in!
Oh wow, this sounds and looks so yummy!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This looks delish! Especially with this less than stellar weather…
I’ve got a little something for you in my latest post – come see!
thanks for the recipe steph!
Herbal tea leaves can be made with strong or dry flowers, leafages, seeds or stems, generally by running stewing water through the flora pieces and allowing them steep for a a couple of minutes. Seeds and roots can also be stewed on a range. The tisane is then filtered, sweetened if so preferred, and served. Many companies make herbal tea bags for such infusions, like ours Check Us Out. And also look at our guides to brewing teas.