Spiced Tea

This is a simple but rich hot tea drink that makes wet, chilly weather worth tolerating. It's an instant mix that can be prepared by the cup, mug, pot, or by the batch. Here are the proportions:

- 4 Parts Sweetened Iced Tea Mix with Lemon
- 2 Parts Tang (or similar) Orange Drink Mix
- 1 Part Lemonade Drink Mix
- Cinnamon and/or other spices to taste (Nutmeg, Cardamon, Ginger, Allspice, among others)

- Mix the dry ingredients together, then add:

- Hot Water

For a basic 20 ounce hot Spiced Tea, I use rounded teaspoons as the measure and 3 shakes of ground cinnamon.

This style of drink is known by other names (Russian Tea, Winter Tea, Masala Chai Tea, etc.) and can also include other flavors, such as pineapple, cayenne, or black pepper. It's a comfort drink, so create your own. And there's no law that prohibits enjoying this year 'round nor any regulations requiring that it be served hot, so have at it.

;^)

Gazpacho, Cold or Hot

This recipe is so easy, I'm mad at myself for not thinking of it years ago.

Ingredients

- Chunky Salsa. I use Safeway Select Southwest Salsa, Hot. The more vegetables in the salsa, the better. As an example, the Safeway salsa has tomatoes, Jalapeno Peppers, Green Chili Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Black Beans, Corn, Onions, and Garlic, besides the usual herbs and spices like Cilantro, Basil and Oregano.

- Vegetable Juice Cocktail, like V8© , though there are usually store or generic brands that I find very comparable

Preparation

- Combine the Salsa and the Vegetable Juice in a 1:5 ratio (adjust the ratio to taste).

- To serve cold, the soup should be thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator. To serve hot ... do I really need to explain this?

- Can be garnished with sour cream, avocado slices, cucumber slices, tortilla chips, crackers, shredded cheese, boiled egg slices or your favorite whatever—or no garnish at all.

;^)

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Caramel Apples

Real Easy Carmel Apples (Original post)

(Updated graphic)

Ingredient List
~ 1 bag wrapped caramels (for this recipe, I prefer Brach's)
~ 8-12 (pending size) apples (I prefer Granny Smith)

Preparation
Sit in a comfortable chair (I prefer a recliner). Unwrap 1 caramel, place in mouth.
Take a bite of apple. Chew.
Add additional caramels or apple to taste.

;^)