Cooking with Janie: Spice Tea Recipe

I love hot drinks in the winter. Why? I know Phoenix doesn't offer many "winter things" like snow, but it does get cold -cold enough that hot drink mixes are always in our pantry. Plus running the kettle will warm up your home. Honestly  we have only turned on the heater once this year and only for an hour or so. Baking helps too. Sorry east coasters!

So here's a family favorite and it is simple to make.

What you need:

1 c. instant tea   ($2-$3 just about anywhere)
1 1/2 c. Tang   ($2 @ Winco or $1 @ 99 Only)
1 (3 oz.) Wylers Lemonade pkg.   ($1 @ 99 Only and Walmart)

1 1/4 c. sugar   ($0.50 at 99 Only)
1 tsp. ground cloves   ($1 @ Dollar Tree)

2 tsp. cinnamon   ($0.50 @ Walmart)

Mix all ingredients together carefully. These ingredients can leave a fine powder in the air if you try to stir too vigorously. If you are sensitive to this, instead of a bowl you may want to use a zip-loc bag.  This also makes mixing and pouring into jars easier.  Just snip the bottom corner of the bag with scissors to make a pea-sized hole. Use like a funnel and you are good to go! For each serving, combine two to three spoons of mix with piping hot water and stir.

This mix makes about 2 pint size mason jars. This is great for gifts too! It's easy to dress up and you can make multiple batches in a flash.