Friendship Tea

I mentioned in my previous post that I recently attended a Tea Party. It was a Ladies Tea with several of our church members. We had a great time!! We played games, ate some amazing food, and drank lots of yummy tea! There were so many kinds of tea it was hard to choose which one to taste first. From chai to mint to raspberry to darjeeling...and then there was the Friendship Tea that I made. It is basically a citrusy, spicy, sometimes bitter tea and is sometimes referred to as Wassail.

The recipe that I used for this particular Friendship Tea came from my mom. My hometown always has a Homemakers Christmas Bazaar, and since Mom is the secretary for the Extension Office there, she always has to work the bazaar. Every year she helps make the Friendship Tea and Country Ham Biscuits to sell for breakfast at the bazaar. YUM!! Those two go hand-in-hand. You just cannot have a country ham biscuit without a cup of hot Friendship Tea! :)

Okay, here is the recipe for the tea. Now I will tell you that this makes a BUNCH of tea. It is perfect for gift-giving (I made baggies to hand out to our ladies at the tea) - just put it in a little decorative container or a baggie and make it all pretty. I'm sure someone would love to have this!

Friendship Tea

2 cups instant tea
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups lemonade mix (such as Country Time)
2 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 1/2 cups Tang orange drink mix

Mix all ingredients together well. To make an individual cup of tea, you will need 2-3 tablespoons per 8 oz. of boiling water. If making a crockpot (or stovetop pot) full, you will need 2-3 cups per pot, depending on how strong you like it. You will probably have to "sample" it a couple of times to get the right depth of flavor. Just make sure to add a little at at time so as not to make it "overpowering". :) (I think mine was a little overpowering - - pretty strong and kind of bitter. Next time I will add less tea mixture and more water.)

Hope you enjoy this tea! It is perfect for a cool fall evening or cold winter night. Just curl up with your blanket (or in this day and age - a Snuggie!), a good book, and a warm cup of Friendship Tea. Mmmmmm..... :)

Ale-8 One -- only the best soft drink in Kentucky!

"Kentucky Swamp Water" is what this drink is sometimes referred to as. For those of you who grew up in the central Kentucky region, you know what I am talking about when I say that this drink has been a "staple in my diet" since the day I was born. No joke - my parents used to put this stuff in my bottle when I was little (which may explain a lot of things)! This soft drink is manufactured in a small factory in Winchester, KY about 15 minutes from my hometown. It is sweet, fruity, and highly caffeinated and can be found in most areas of Kentucky and the surrounding states.

Ale-8 is sold in 12 oz. cans, 20 oz. plastic bottles, non-returnable 12 oz. glass bottles, and returnable "long-neck" 12 oz. glass bottles (these can be returned to select stores for $.20 or $.30 per bottle).

The long-neck glass bottles have the best flavor, followed by the "short-necks" as they are called (remember this is redneck country - and I'm proud to be one!). The cans used to be horrible, but the company recently changed the formula, so the flavor is a lot better now. Just think of the flavor as being "ginger ale with a kick" and much sweeter.

Ale-8 is actually becoming more and more popular these days. Although it has been around since the 1920s (check out the history), Diet Ale-8 was not introduced - or perfected - until 2003 - and it has even more caffeine than regular Ale-8 (my advice is to stick with the regular). Other Ale-8 products have made their way onto shelves as well, including:

BBQ Sauce

Sweet/Spicy Salsa

Apple Butter

Suckers

So, as you can see, Ale-8 One is moving up in the world! If you haven't tried it yet, I suggest you pick up a bottle (make sure it is a bottle if you want the full effect). Can't find it where you live? You can order it here (along with other Ale-8 stuff)! And, by the way, check out my brother-in-law (an Ale-8 employee) sporting some of the "Ale-8 Apparel" (the long-sleeve chocolate t-shirt). Isn't he precious? :)

If you do decide to take a gander at it, drop me a line. I'll be interested to know what you think!