Recipe Box - Russian Tea

Our beautiful warm weather that surprised us here in February has given way to cooler temps and high winds.  Oh, the winds!  There's a wildfire burning west of here, and the wind has pushed the smoke all over this area.  When I went outside yesterday morning, the smell of smoke was strong; but now it's even strong inside the house.  After a few days last week of being eager to enjoy the great outdoors, I am content once again to cozy up inside my home with a cup of something warm.

Besides hot chocolate, the other hot beverage I grew up drinking was this wonderful spiced tea, Russian Tea.  I'm not at all sure why it's named that.  When we lived in Israel and had "real" Russian friends (as an aside, about one in five Israelis is from Russia), I asked them about this tea -- was it familiar to them?   The answer was a resounding "no."  Not only would it have been nearly impossible for them to make it because of the unavailability of certain ingredients (like Tang and instant tea) in Russia, but also it didn't even remind them of anything they would have had there.  So the name remains a mystery.

The directions are not mysterious, however, nor difficult.  All you have to do is combine:

1 c. Tang

1/2 c. instant tea

1 1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

Mix well, and store powder in a tightly sealed container.  When in need of something tasty and soothing to drink, mix about 4 teaspoons of powder with your cup of hot water--more or less, to taste.  I tend to like mine strong.  :)

Here's a secret that's a little embarrassing:  I also like to eat the powder plain, poured into the palm of my hand to be licked up or eaten straight from the spoon.  Weird, I know, but aren't we all a little strange?  Some of us just do a better job of hiding our quirks, while some of us hit the "Publish Post" button and give all our readers an opportunity to think how bizarre we are.  ;-)