 Nothing soothes the body, mind, and spirit like a cup of tea! It is a fantastic, healthy way to unwind. There are so many wonderful flavors out there, all with varying benefits. Here are a few recipes of homemade teas that I make in my own kitchen. I love these so much that I felt I should share these simple recipes. Even Ben kitty likes tea. Enjoy!
*Cinnamon Tea
*Ginger Tea
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Cinnamon Tea |
 Before I share the details on how to make cinnamon tea, let's go over a few of the potential benefits. I want to emphasize that I am not a dietitian or nutritionist of any kind. Please do further research for yourself. According to the website Web MD, some of the potential health benefits of cinnamon include: lowering cholesterol, diabetes management, sooth stomach or intestinal issues. Cinnamon may even help with infections, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, heart disease and more! Although not proven to have all of these benefits for humans, it's still something to consider.
According to lore, cinnamon is said to attract abundance and help you to manifest your dreams! It's been used for centuries and was often given as gifts to those who were in positions of power and prestige. It's said to offer spiritual protection and heightened dreaming/dream recall. It is popular during the Christmas and Yule season, not only in baking but also in holiday decor and festivities.
Brewing homemade cinnamon tea will fill your environment with the warm spicy aroma that many love. It evokes reminiscence and feelings of good tidings, baking, family, and togetherness. Plus, homemade cinnamon tea with honey, is DELISH! If you like the taste of Big Red chewing gum then you'll love this!
Here's how it's done in my kitchen.
Ingredients: Ceylon cinnamon sticks, water, honey
Directions:
 1. Put in one cinnamon stick for every 1.5 cups water (give or take, or shall I say give or taste?)
2. Put water in a pot
3. Place cinnamon sticks in the water
4. Bring water to a boil on a medium to low heat (must be done slowly) About 25-30 minutes.
5. When it starts bubbling, then take it off the heat and let it steep on its own for another 20-25 minutes. You will see the water turn the color of the cinnamon.
6. Strain the cinnamon tea through a coffee filter and re-heat if needed.
7. Optional: Add about a spoon of honey (to taste) for that Big Red gum taste! YUMMY!
That's basically all there is to it. Of course, it's also important to make mention to abide by any dietary restrictions, allergies, and food-prep precautions. Will you be brewing up some cinnamon tea this holiday season?
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Ginger Tea |
 Before I share the details on how to make this yummy ginger tea, let's go over a few of the health benefits. I want to emphasize that I am not a dietitian or nutritionist of any kind. Please do further research for yourself. Some of the claimed benefits of ginger include: easing stomach issues (digestive problems or nausea), balancing blood sugar, decreasing inflammation, boosting immunity, helping to alleviate muscle aches, and many more.
Again, I don't make these claims but there are many articles on the subject. I can speak on one aspect that I know for sure, which is inflammation. I have arthritis and lasting effects from Lyme disease. When my aches and pains kick into high gear, it's time to brew some ginger tea! It truly helps (in my experience) to decrease the inflammation, which in turn decreases pain. Making homemade ginger tea is one of the easiest things to make and trust me, I can't cook!
Here's how it's done in my kitchen.
Ingredients: fresh ginger, water, honey
 1. Be sure to get organic fresh ginger for best results. You can get it already peeled and cut up if you prefer.
2. Put a big pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. I use about 96 ounces of water.
3. While the water is heating up, wash, peel and cut the ginger (it's funny looking but easy enough to peel with a knife). I cut up about 1 to 2 inches of ginger for 96 ounces of water. The size of the ginger slices doesn't matter.
4. When the water is boiling, place your peeled ginger in and let it boil for about 10 minutes and then simmer for another 10-20 minutes. The longer the simmer, the stronger the tea. This is when the incredible ginger smell and the magic starts to happen!
5. How to know if it's done? Well, since I'm a terrible cook, I don't have a true recipe for this so I go by the look of it. The water will start to darken. The darker the water, the stronger the tea. I tend to make my tea stronger and if it's too spicy (ginger can have a kick), it's easy to just add a bit of water to the individual serving.
6. How to drink this yummy tea? I personally like my ginger tea cold with nothing added. I let it cool in the pot until it's cool enough for a pitcher and then I put it in the fridge to enjoy cold. Others like it hot with lemon and honey. It's really just a personal preference.
That's basically all there is to it. If you are having residents work with the ginger, please be sure they don't rub their eyes, for it can sting. Of course, it's also important to make mention to abide by any dietary restrictions, allergies, and food-prep precautions. So, will you be brewing up some ginger tea this Fall?
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