Spice it up with Chai!

In my home, everything is spiced up or infused with herbs grown in my garden.  Since my husband and I are foodies, we typically find new, fun and different ways to turn an everyday meal into an experience.  I also enjoy making many things from scratch – from homemade instant oatmeal mixes, to my own marinades. We even can our own fruit and jellies every year. 

This time of year, I begin craving the spices so reminiscent of fall bakin. However, because I’m a foodie, I desire something more than just a standard pumpkin spice mix.  After playing around a bit, I created a Chai Spice blend that gives a nice exotic kick to any recipe!  Mix this together and then add to just about anything from pies, hot chocolate mix (very yummy!), waffles/pancakes, cake mixes, cookies, zucchini bread, oatmeal, applesauce and so much more.

Chai Spice Blend:
2-3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (I like lots of cinnamon)
2 teaspoons of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
½ teaspoon of ground coriander
¼ teaspoon of ground white or black pepper (optional for those that like tons of heat)

Chai spice is far stronger than a regular pumpkin spice mix so be sure to play round and find out what strength you like in each of your recipes.  Some people prefer the mix without coriander, but I enjoy the flavor it lends to food.   In fact, Chai is designed to be personalized so if you are not a huge fan of cloves, lower the amount called for in the recipe.  Love ginger?  Increase the amount for that lovely sweet kick it creates.  

My rule of thumb is if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of cinnamon then I use 1 teaspoon of my Chai spice blend.  I use an equal amount of Chai spice blend for pumpkin spice mix when making pies. 

Here is one of my very favorite recipes for Chai spice; the one that started it all in our home and created the Chai spice blend used above.  In fact, the word “Chai” simply means “tea” in South Asia, but to us in the States, it usually is associated with a frothy and spicy tea made popular by coffee stands everywhere.  Enjoy!

Chai Tea Latte Mix:
1 Cup – nonfat dry milk powder
1 Cup – powered non-dairy creamer
1 Cup – French vanilla flavored powered non-dairy creamer
2 ½ Cups – white sugar
1 ½ Cups – unsweetened instant tea
2 teaspoons – ground ginger
2 teaspoons – ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon – ground cloves
1 teaspoon – ground cardamom
½ teaspoon – ground coriander
¼ – ½ teaspoon – ground white or black pepper (if you like things with heat)

• In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea.  Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and perhaps black pepper.  In a blender or food processor, blend in 1 cup at a time until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.

• To serve, stir in 2-5 heaping tablespoons of Chai Tea Latte Mix into a mug of hot water. Start out with 2 tablespoons and continue to add until you reach a spice level you enjoy. To make it extra creamy, use hot milk.  Mixed into warm eggnog makes a great holiday drink to serve your friends and family, too!  Add a couple tablespoons to cocoa mixes to create a very elegant spicy hot chocolate

-posted by Miss Jesikah, who is currently sipping some Chai Tea while sitting before a lovely fire enjoying a good book….a great way to begin a Fall evening!