Russian Tea

Comforting, warm, Russian Tea made in a slow cooker. This from scratch drink recipe is perfect for a evening drink after it simmers all day in the slow cooker.

Prep Time:10 mins — Cook Time: 3 hrs — Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins — Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 5 black tea bags
  • 12 whole cloves OR 1 tsp powdered cloves
  • 4 cinnamon sticks (2 divided out)
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 2-3 quarts hot water (to taste)

Optional Serving Ingredients

  • 1 orange (sliced and quartered)
  • 12 whole cloves

Instructions

  1. In a slow cooker, combine the sugar, pineapple juice, orange juice, and lemon juice.
  2. In a large measuring cup, place the tea bags, cloves, and cinnamon sticks.
  3. Pour the hot water over the tea bags and let it steep for 5 minutes.
  4. Strain the tea into the sugar and juice mix. Discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves that you strained out.
  5. Add 2 quarts of water in immediately, then add more water until you get the taste you’d like.
  6. Add the remaining 2 cinnamon sticks to the tea and cover the slow cooker. Cook on low until heated through.
  7. To garnish, slice an orange into thin slices, then halve or quarter them if you’d like. Push a whole clove into the orange slice and place it in the cup on top of the tea.
  8. You can also serve the tea from the slow cooker. You can decorate the top with orange slices.

Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon of purified water
  • Juice from 8 lemons (small to medium) = approximately 1 cup of lemon juice
  • sweeten to taste with stevia or truvia (we use 3 level tablespoons of truvia) OR use 2-3 tablespoons of 100% real maple syrup
  • For a fun twist add 3/4 tsp of organic vanilla extract

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy this refreshing beverage.

Milkshake

Ingredients for one large glass

  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 TBSP maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 cup cocoa powder

Ingredients for a blender full

  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 cups ice
  • 4 TBSP maple syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients and blend until totally smooth.

Fire Cider: Health Tonic and Homeopathic Remedy

Ingredients

  • 1 large horseradish root scrubbed very well, about 7 inches long
  • 1 large ginger root, about 7 inches long
  • 1 large onion root, stem end removed and peeled
  • 1 large orange, do NOT peel- use the whole fruit
  • 1 lemon, do NOT peel- use the whole fruit
  • 16 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 2-4 habanero peppers, stems removed
  • 1 TBSP ground tumeric
  • raw apple cider vinegar
  • raw honey

Instructions

  1. Grate the horseradish and ginger roots. Roughly chops the onions, orange, lemon, garlic, and habanero peppers. Stuff them into a half-gallon glass jar with a tight fitting lid, or divide evenly between two quart-sized canning jars. Pour the raw apple cider vinegar in over the contents, allowing it to settle in through the crevices and adding more until contents are submerged. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the rim of the jar, then screw the lid tightly in place. Let the mixture sit in a dark, cool place, allowing it to marry and infuse for 4 weeks, shaking once daily.
  2. After 4 weeks, pour the contents into a muslin or cheesecloth lined colander positioned over a stable pot. Let it drain for 30 minutes, then gather the corners of the cloth, twisting and squeezing until you cannot release any more liquid. When it’s fully strained, add honey to the liquid to taste and pour into a sterilized wine bottle or canning jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year, shaking well before using.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Yield: about 2 1/2 Tablespoons

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.

Homemade pumpkin pie spice may be used as a substitute for store-bought pumpkin pie spice, or to prepare spiced nuts.

Smoothie Pops!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 can of coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 orange, peeled
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 1/2 cups berries (fresh or frozen)- blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or try 1 1/2 cups mango

Instructions

  1. Blend and pour into popsicle molds- enjoy!

Note: For every can of coconut milk, I usually take 1 can and pour it into a quart jar and add 2 cups of water… then 1 cup of this diluted milk works great for 1 blender smoothie, leaving me with 3/4 of a quart left for future smoothies.

Layered Bean Dip

You make this your own way… here are some suggestions:

  • start your first layer with beans… mash them ahead of time and cover the bottom of a cake pan–then add layers of any ingredient you enjoy
  • organic sour cream
  • salsa
  • guacamole
  • shredded organic cheese
  • sliced olives (we buy these canned, if at all)
  • green chilis
  • diced green onions
  • chopped tomatoes
  • hot peppers (not at my house, but for spice lovers this is a must)
  • shredded lettuce (only add in lettuce if you are sure this will be eaten in one evening– the lettuce and tomatoes might not store well)

What else? Maybe add in layers of spice, like garlic powder or cayenne.

We try to later each item at least two times with a final of cheese on top.

Tuna Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 6oz can tuna fish
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 TBSP small capers
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice
  • 1 tsp grated lemon peel
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped celery
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

Instructions

Combine all ingredients.