every winter i start to crave this russian spiced tea that my mom would make around Christmas time.
i take a sip and i can close my eyes and pretend i am 10 years old again. it is like my own personal time machine. in a cup.
it is so easy. and makes a great gift. in fact the raa pto moms made little baggies of the mix for all of the teachers (based on my suggestion. i am so influential.) i usually make a batch of it around thanksgiving and give it to mrs. gardner who hosts my weekly Bible study. not because i am a really nice person but because i like to drink it at Bible study. and all my Bible study ladies (or which i am the youngest by a good decade) remember making the mix back in the 70's. then they can climb into their cup sized time machine and visit the years of polyester pants also.i made up another batch of it today because i gave the rest of my stash to my dad. he hadn't had any in years. he needed a cuppa time travel...
and maybe you do too. or maybe you just need a cup of yummyness. either way here is the recipe.
i tweaked the original recipe a little bit. here is my version...
lea's spiced russian tea mix
2 cup powdered tang (which is really the whole plastic container. so don't measure.)
1 cup powdered lemonade
2 cups unsweetened instant tea (or the whole glass canister of tea. no need to measure. this isn't a real defined kind of thing.)
1 cup sugar (or less if you like less sweetness)
1 heaping teaspoon ground cloves
2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
in a large ziploc bag, combine all the ingredients. make sure that bag is sealed and then shake well to mix. pour into storage container. to use, stir 2 tablespoons powder into about 8 ounces of hot water.