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Whenever Valentine’s Day appears on the horizon, my thoughts go back to those days when “red-hot” cinnamon candies would make an appearance in the dime and drug stores (that’s going way back, isn’t it?). My brothers and I especially loved the “red-hots”, as we would take turns showing each other how deep-red our tongues were after eating a few! Our mother would sometimes stir a few of the candies into hot applesauce, to spoon over oatmeal or to serve with pork chops at dinner. From those days of childhood to now, I am happy to say that the taste of cinnamon and apples has stayed with me, and I mix them together whenever I get the chance. Here is a recipe that combines both, is simple to make, tastes great, and can be made with the help of a new generation of little ones you may have, who like this flavor combination as much as my brothers and I did, so long ago.
Homemade Cinnamon Tea Applesauce
4 medium apples, washed, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
1 cup water
2 bags, cinnamon apple tea
½ cup brown sugar, packed
Pinch of nutmeg
Heat water to boiling, remove from heat and steep tea bags in water for several minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing to get all the flavor and moisture. Place cored apples and steeped tea into a medium-sized saucepan. Cover tightly and heat to boiling (about 4-5 minutes). Reduce heat, keep covered, and simmer until apples are tender when pierced with a fork or sharp knife. Stir in brown sugar and nutmeg; reheat to boiling, stirring to keep from burning. Cook until applesauce reaches the consistency you desire. This may be served cold or warm, alone or over a slice of gingerbread or pound cake, or with your favorite recipe for pork chops or pork loin.
*Note: if you want to stir in some “red-hot” cinnamon candies, that will be your little secret!
The holidays are behind us, and winter is closing in. If you live where the temperature drops appreciatively when the sun goes down, you and your family might enjoy a hearty dish that includes tea used in the sauce. Easy to make and delicious to eat.
Pork Chop Casserole
6 or 8 pork chops, loin or shoulder
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup strong black tea
3 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked peas
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish well. Brown pork chops on both sides in a skillet; remove from skillet. Using the fat rendered from the browned chops, cook the onion and green pepper until tender, but not brown. Add soup, tea, rice, peas, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Place half of rice and peas mixture in greased baking dish. Arrange half of the browned pork chops on top. Layer on the rest of the peas and rice. Finish with the last of the chops. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 6-8, depending on the number of chops used.
The holidays seem to come out of nowhere each year, no matter how much we think we will be ready for them. This recipe is perfect for a quick dinner, ready in about an hour, or made ahead, can be re-warmed for those days when holiday shopping takes more time than you had planned.
Baked Orange-Tea Chicken and Rice
1 small chicken (2 ½-3lbs.) cut up 2 teaspoons salt
1 small onion, chopped ½ teaspoon thyme or tarragon
Grated peel and juice of 1 orange 1 cup boiling water
2 bags of orange spice tea (Celestial Seasonings is one) 1 cup uncooked rice (your preference of white or brown)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a 3-quart covered casserole or oven-proof pan with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces in casserole or pan. Add, in order, chopped onion, orange peel and juice, salt and thyme. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in the cup of boiling water, steep the teabags for about 5 minutes; discard teabags. After 30 minutes, remove casserole or pan from oven. Stack chicken to one side of the casserole or pan, then add tea and rice. Rearrange chicken over rice, cover, and continue baking an additional 30 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed, and rice is tender. Serves 4-6. Can be made ahead and reheated.
As we move deeper into autumn, the colors and flavors we associate with this time of year are heightened. Mornings are frosty, leaves turn and fall quickly, and we look for treats that will comfort as the days grow shorter. Here is a recipe that can be made quickly, flavored with spicy tea. Cut a slice for yourself, enjoy with a cup of the same tea you use to flavor it, and savor the beauty of the world outside your window.
Pumpkin Tea Cake
2 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil (not peanut)
2 cups flour (all purpose) 4 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups canned pumpkin (w/no spices added) ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 spiced tea bags, unbrewed and opened
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a bundt or 13x 9 inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, place sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin, beating well to combine. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and contents of tea bags, sifting at least twice, before adding to the other ingredients in the bowl. Mix well, incorporating all the ingredients thoroughly. Pour into greased pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool bundt cake for about 10 minutes in pan, then release from pan onto a rack to cool thoroughly. If using a 13×9 inch pan, cool thoroughly in pan on a rack. Slice as desired. Can be served either warm or cooled, with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 10-14. Can be frozen if wrapped tightly.
If you live where leaves turn color, this is a wonderful time of the year! Even if you don’t, you can enjoy the change of seasons from summer to fall with this recipe that combines the taste of bright, sunny oranges with the flavor of walnuts. Enjoy this with a cup of cranberry-orange tea for a true treat.
Walnut Pie with Orange Cream Cheese
1 unbaked 9” pie shell 1/8 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 cup broken walnuts
2 cups light corn syrup 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons margarine, melted 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon grated orange rind (fresh is best)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine eggs, syrup, margarine, vanilla, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Pour mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle walnut pieces over the surface of the mixture in the shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 30 minutes longer or until filling is just set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Beat cream cheese with milk until fluffy. Beat in orange rind. Serve cooled pie wedges topped with cream cheese mixture.
School starts, days grow shorter, and there is so much to do to get back into the routines of autumn. Here is a recipe that can be made quickly and served for a lunch or dinner (with a bowl of home-made soup), or with a mug of green tea in the late afternoon to stave off the hunger pangs till dinner.
Cheese Squares
½ lb. grated sharp New York cheddar
½ stick (about 4 tablespoons) margarine, softened
Mustard to taste (dry or wet)
Salt, pepper, dash of sugar (to taste)
Mayonnaise for spreading
Multi-grain bread (sliced loaf)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first four ingredients together in a small bowl. Add more mustard if you like a more savory flavor. Spread each slice of bread with mayonnaise, making sure to completely cover from edge to edge. Top with about one-fourth to one-third cup of the cheese mixture, then cut each slice into squares. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden. Makes about 12-16 squares, depending on the amount spread on each slice.
Here are the lazy, hazy days of late summer, and if you are lucky enough to live in peach country, the peach crop is in. Surely, there are few of life’s joys more enjoyable than the taste of fresh peaches. Here is a recipe that is so easy to make, does not involve turning on the oven, and can be made for a family picnic or to enjoy with a glass of peach ice tea.
Peach Delish
1 pkg. lady fingers (split) or one small pkg. plain pound cake, sliced thinly
1 8-ounce pkg. of cream cheese (non-fat if you prefer), softened
¼ c. milk
2 Tbs. sugar
3 or 4 very ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
1 container frozen dessert topping, thawed and divided
Line bottom of a 9-inch square pan with lady fingers or thin slices of pound cake. Beat together cream cheese, milk, and sugar till light and fluffy. Fold in ½ container dessert topping. Spread this mixture over the lady finger/cake layer in pan. Arrange sliced peaches on top of this layer, slightly over-lapping each peach with another. Spread the rest of the dessert topping over the peach layer. Chill in refrigerator for at least two or more hours before serving. Makes 9 servings.
Growing herbs is so easy and fresh herbs add so much to the flavor of many foods. I have a long, rectangular flower box hanging off my back porch, filled with tarragon, rosemary, curly parsley, dill, lemon thyme, basil and chives. Another box holds a variety of mint: peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, lemon, orange, and lime mint, and pineapple mint (the unusual flavors can be found at your local nursery). This month’s recipe uses fresh herbs to make a quick bread you can serve with a tall glass of iced tea, perhaps with a sprig of fresh mint for garnish.
Quick Herb Bread
3 cups baking mix (Jiffy, Bisquick, or what ever you use)
½ cup grated cheese
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 ¼ cups milk
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 egg, beaten slightly
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped herb(s): parsley, basil, chives, or rosemary (your preference: use one or try a combination)
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Mix baking mix, cheese, and sugar in a large bowl. Blend wet ingredients together separately, then add to large bowl and stir only until blended. Fold in fresh herb(s), mixing gently. Pour into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a golden crust forms and the bread tests done with a toothpick or cake tester. Cool on rack. This bread freezes well.
Days are getting longer, school is almost (or already) over, and it’s time to spend more time with family and friends outdoors. If you go for picnics in the summer, whether to the beach, a park, or your own back yard, try this recipe the next time you do your early morning baking. It makes a change from the ordinary, and when spread with your favorite complimentary flavor of cream cheese, can be a great addition to your tea sandwich favorites.
Olive Nut Bread
4 tsps. baking powder 1 egg
2 ½ cups sifted flour 1 cup milk
¼ tsp. salt 1 cup stuffed olives, sliced
1/3 cup sugar ½ cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9 x 5 inch pan. Sift together dry ingredients. Beat egg well and combine with milk. Stir gently into dry ingredients by hand. Fold in olives and nuts. Pour into loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Wrap while still slightly warm.
Note: Feel free to experiment with this simple recipe. You can use any type of olive you prefer, not just the green, pimento stuffed kind. Also try different nuts, such as pine nuts, for a different flavor. This bread freezes well.
Mother’s Day is a good time for children to make something good for Mom or Grandma. Here is a recipe that can be made with adult supervision (maybe Dad will help) and will be a nice treat to share with a cup of milky tea.
Chocolate Crackles
1 box devil’s food cake mix
2 eggs, beaten slightly
1 T. water
½ cup solid shortening (butter-flavored is a good choice)
Confectioners’ sugar for rolling (place in a small bowl or on a large plate)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or spray two cookie sheets. Combine all ingredients and mix with a spoon until well-blended (This is where having Dad lend a strong hand helps!) Shape into balls about the size of small walnuts. Roll in confectioners’ sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove immediately to a cooling rack or piece of foil or waxed paper to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. These also freeze well.
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