Hi! It's a really nice fall morning here. Since I don't work on Fridays, I've been cleaning up, folding laundry, cleaning the bathroom, etc. I love having a tidy house. It just makes me feel a little calmer and more put together. Hey, maybe you can't control the world outside, but at least you can control the chaos inside. Well, sort of, depending on the day. It doesn't always happen, but it's nice when it does. =) And...I'm making Russian tea today. For those of you who spent much time around the Whitaker household, you might be aware of the tea-making seasons. There are two official teas in the Whitaker house. There is summer/fall tea, and this is Mom's special raspberry-mint sweet tea. It's a staple through at least half of the year, and it's great stuff. Then the weather turns colder, and it's time to switch over to Russian tea. This will last you until it gets warm again. This is how I grew up. The rhythm is as predictable as the seasons, and it's comforting to me to get ready to switch over every year. Now, Mom's Russian tea is nothing like the concoction you sometimes get in a jar at Christmas. It's not a mixture of Orange Tang and instant tea or anything like that. This is the real deal, and it's as far from that dry mix as you can imagine. It's fruity and spicy and warm, and I love it, so I thought I'd make it my first attempt at blog recipe sharing. If you try it at home, please post to this entry to let me know how it went. So, here goes. It may sound complicated, but it really isn't, I swear....
Mom Whitaker's Russian Tea
2 c. pineapple juice (you can buy this in a large can and store the rest or freeze it)
1/2 12 oz. can orange juice concentrate (just scoop out and put the can back in the freezer)
2 T. Real Lemon or lemon juice
2/3 c. sugar
2 family-size Luzianne tea bags (I use decaf so I can drink before bed)
1 t. each whole cloves and whole allspice (found in spice aisle, or for B'ham folks, try Penzeys on 280)
tea ball
1 cinnamon stick
Fill a 3 qt. pot about 1/2 full with water, and fill a 2 qt. pot a little over half full with water. Put on the stove. Bring the larger pot to a boil for the tea bags, and put the smaller pot on low-med heat. Put the cloves and allspice in a tea ball and put in the smaller pot. Add a cinnamon stick to it as well. Then just stir your spice pot occasionally and keep an eye on it while you're working with the larger pot. After the larger pot comes to a boil, cut off the heat, take off the burner, and add the two tea bags. Let them steep for 5 minutes, and then squeeze out and discard. Add 2/3 c. sugar to the tea in the pot and stir to dissolve. In a large, 1 gallon pitcher, you will have put the pineapple juice, the orange juice concentrate, and the lemon juice. Pour the hot tea over it all. Then fish out the tea ball and cinnamon stick from the smaller pot and pour it in as well. The goal is to have about 1 gallon of liquid all together in your pitcher. I use a 1 gallon pitcher with the amount marked on the side and just fill up to there. (I highly recommend the Quick Stir pitchers from Pampered Chef. They have a stirrer built in so you're not always dirtying your spoons.) If you're short on liquid, just add a little water. Stir, and enjoy. I heat this up in the microwave by the cupful at night, and David and I enjoy it while we share our evening.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a nice afternoon cup of tea. =)
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