Friendship Tea

This recipe is for a spiced tea (thus the title).  A good friend of mine, Marilyn gave me this as a Christmas gift and it was great.  I liked it so much that I made a batch for myself.  It is one of those gift-in-a-jar type recipes, but I’m not sure where she got it so I can’t give a reference for a cookbook or website.

This tea is great for a cold winter morning, but the best time to drink it is when you have a cold or sore throat.  I drink it every time I feel ill with a cold and it always makes me feel better.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s the spices, the orange drink, or just the warmth of the liquid.  Personally, I have not tried the iced tea version.

Friendship Tea

18 ounces Tang drink mix
1 cup instant iced tea
2 cups granulated sugar
1 package powdered lemonade mix
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients well and place in a covered jar or other container. Use 2-3 tablespoons of tea mix to 1 cup of hot water.  To make iced tea  use 3-4 tablespoons of mix for 1 glass of cold water and add ice.

(Note: Spices will not dissolve completely and settle in the bottom of the cup.)

Friendship Tea

If you use this as a gift include a tag with the recipe and instructions.

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The Best Candy Recipe (Not Even I Can Mess This One Up)

Like everyone else, I wanted to find the perfect recipe to make for potlucks or as a gift for the holidays.  During the search for a candy recipe I tasted Sour Cream Fudge at a family gathering.  It had been brought to the event by my sister-in-law who soon shared the recipe with me.  Admittedly my biggest cooking weakness is making cookies and candy; however, I have made this fudge for several years with near perfect success.  As the title states, “Not even I can mess this one up.”

Despite the fact that sour cream isn’t normally thought of as a fudge ingredient, it is surprisingly delicious.  Everyone who has eaten this fudge has enjoyed it. I even have requests for it at Christmas from my husband’s co-workers, family, and friends.

Sour Cream Fudge

Ingredients

3 cups White Sugar

1 ½ cups Sour Cream

1 cup Margarine (2 sticks)

1 tray Candiquik (or Almond Bark)

1 ½ cups chopped Pecans (optional)

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Line the bottom of a 13” x 9” baking pan with wax paper or grease lightly with margarine.  Chop or shred the Candiquik.  Combine white sugar, sour cream, and margarine in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

  Sugar mixtures will burn your skin severely. Watch for bubbling and splatter.

Continue cooking the mixture until it reaches the soft ball stage.  Near the completion of this stage the color of the mixture will become a slightly richer color and glossier in appearance.  This takes approximately 30-40 minutes depending upon your stove.

Remove the saucepan from the heat source, add the shredded Candiquik, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans, stirring as you add the ingredients.  The mixture will become thick very quickly.  Pour the fudge into a 13″ x 9″ baking pan and allow it to cool completely before cutting it into squares and serving.

I hope this becomes one of your family’s favorite recipes like it has mine.  Enjoy!

Sour Cream Fudge

Change is a Good Thing

As you know, this blog was created as part of my English 415 course work.  Our class is now beginning work on niche blogs and I will be changing topics accordingly.

The topic I have chosen for my niche blog is food or to be more precise, recipes that are easy to make, good for potlucks, parties, and other small occasions.   To be selective, I decided upon criteria for the recipes.

1. Easy to fix
2. Small number of ingredients
3. Easily transported
4. A crowd pleaser
5. Just plain unusual

Many of the recipes I will be discussing have been given to me by friends or family members, but there may be a few that I found in a long forgotten magazine or book.

The look of the blog will be changing to match the new topic.  Although, I loved the old look it just doesn’t match the new topic and needs a redesign of sorts.  Perhaps a bit more upbeat and colorful.  We shall see.