Living with the Webers - Drink

Congestion / cough / flu Tea

Christoph — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:01:14 +0000

This tea works better for us than most over-the-counter medicines, and it tastes really nice. Our kids often prepare it just for the enjoyment.

Serves:

- a few slices of fresh or frozen ginger root, as much as you can stomach
(note: ginger can be kept in a plastic bag in the freezer for months and sliced while frozen)
- juice of half a lemon or a whole lime, whichever you prefer and have handy
- a teaspoon of loose-leaf black tea, or one teabag - you can also substitute green or Oolong tea
- honey

Heat the tea water, then add the ginger slices and simmer for a few minutes to extract as much of its good stuff as possible. Take off the heat and add the black tea and lemon juice. After a few minutes, strain out the ginger and black tea.

Sweeten with honey to taste. You can keep it on the tart side and enjoy the tea Pia-style, or you can add lots of honey to make it sweet and sticky, which is how the Weber guys prefer it.

Enjoy the tea really hot!

Green Fruit / Veggie Juice

Pia — Sun, 08 May 2011 20:09:00 +0000

Serves:

Rooibos Chai Mix

Christoph — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:52:24 +0000

This is a caffeine-free chai version, based on the Chai recipe Sarah posted last year - which in turn is a recipe she inherited from Pia, so we're going full circle here. We used to buy a rooibos chai mix at a local Indian supermarket, but this version is much better (if I say so myself), and will definitely become a staple on our tea shelf.

18 tablespoons (4 oz.) of good quality Rooibos tea
3-4 pieces of star aniseed
3 tablespoons of aniseed
3 tablespoons of fennel seeds
24 green cardamom pods
6 2" cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons black pepper corns

Grind the spices in a mortar or grinder until you have small pieces (not powder). The cardamom pods, albeit flattened and freed of the seeds will remain mostly whole, as seen in the image. Enjoy the delicious smell, it's part of the fun! Spoon the spices into the rooibos tea and mix as you go. Transfer the mix into a tin or jar where it is protected from light and air and remains fresh.

When you use the mix, measure out a teaspoon per cup - make it a heaping one for large mugs. It helps to contain the mix in a sachet or tea strainer. Add a slice or two of ginger root, and pour boiling hot water over the mix. Let steep for 5 min, add honey or sugar to taste, and top off with frothy milk or soy milk.

Tip: Ginger root keeps for months in the freezer, and it is relatively easy to slice off pieces from the frozen root with a small knife. Fresh or frozen ginger is orders of magnitude better (and retains its healthy properties) than powdered ginger. Hat tip to my brother-in-law Mario.

Chai

Pia — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 23:58:07 +0000

There are an abundant amount of different chai recipes. This one I tried yesterday for the first time and I love it.

Mixture:
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
1 2-inch cinnamon bark

For each cup:
1 teaspoon freshly grated Ginger
1 teaspoon roibois tea (for a herbal tea) or black tea
Some soy milk or milk

1. In a frying pan over medium heat, combine the ingredients for the mixture and toast 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
2. In a coffee grinder grind the spices and store in a container.

To make a cup of chai:
1. Bring a generous cup of water to a boil with 1/4 teaspoon of the chai mixture. Cook for 5 minutes. Take away from heat.
2. Add 1 teaspoon roibois or black tea and let it steep for a minute or two.
3. Pour into a cup add a teaspoon honey (optional)
4. Warm up a bit of soy milk or milk and beat to foam. Add to the chai and sprinkle with some cinnamon.
Enjoy!

Chai Latte

Sarah — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:58:25 +0000

One of our favorite teas, this one is perfect for any time of the day. It is also a wonderful replacement for coffee!

Serves:

1 tablespoon fennel or anis seeds
6 green cardamom pods
12 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 inch ginger root, thinly sliced (or more, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
7 cups water
1-2 tablespoons of darjeeling or another kind of black tea (optional)
milk (soy milk is wonderful!)
honey or sugar, to taste
ground cinnamon and cocoa powder (optional)

Boil fennel or anis seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves, and water for 5-10 minutes, depending on desired strength.
If using black tea, add and let seep for approximately 3 minutes.
Add honey or sugar. Pour into cups.
Warm up (soy) milk, while whisking it, so as to create foam. Once it is warm and foamy, add to tea in cups. Top with ground cinnamon and cocoa powder.

Recommended With

Basic Bread

any cookie or non-savory snack