Easy Matcha Energy Bites

Meet my new favorite plant-based energy snack. Loaded with oats, almond butter, dates, and a dose of matcha, these bites are the perfect grab-n-go snack to curb my sugar and carb cravings. These raw energy snacks are simple to make, too. Just throw everything into the food processor and blend until pasty. Then form into…

Rooibos Honey Bubble Tea (Boba)

I finally tried making bubble tea (boba) at home. I can’t believe how easy it is! It tastes so fresh, and it sure beats paying more than $5 a drink at the boba shop. Boba—also known bubble tea or milk tea—is a Taiwanese treat consisting of four main components: chewy-sweet tapioca pearls, ice, brewed tea,…

Coconut Matcha Mochi

I made mochi for the first time! It’s been on my recipe wish list for a long time. I’ve been nervous to tackle it because I thought it would be a big process. Turns out, it’s super easy.  Mochi is a sweet Japanese rice cake made of chewy glutinous rice. The key ingredient for this…

Black Tea Blondies

Where’s the hottest place you’ve ever spent a summer? For me, it’s Arizona. I recently moved here and just experienced my first 118-degree day. Yep, that’s hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, and way too hot to turn on the oven. During this same record-hot week, I received samples of the most…

Ginger-Herb Drinking Vinegar (aka Switchel)

“Why the heck would I want to drink vinegar?” you ask. “Because when you steep it with herbs, honey, and fresh ginger it’s super delish!” I answer. “Oh, and it’s good for your gut, packed with electrolytes, and makes for a not-boring, non-alcoholic refresher for the non-drinkers in your life,” I add. Convinced yet? A…

Easy Vegan Matcha Ice Cream

I developed this recipe for a tea company awhile back using just matcha green tea powder, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk. I recently pulled the recipe out of the archives to see if I could whip up a dairy-free, vegan version with some coconut milk products I had in the pantry. Good news! It…

Ginger Detox Latte

Anyone else trying to cut back on booze in 2021? One of my strategies to drink less this year is to replace cocktails with either refreshing mocktails before dinner or comforting herbal tea drinks after dinner. I’ve started making this ginger tea latte as a post-meal digestif of sorts. You can make it a couple…

Slow Cooker Chai-Ginger Apple Butter

If you’ve peeked at my cooking with tea recipes lately you’ll notice I’m a bit lazy. I’m all about minimal work for maximum flavor. Enter this slow cooker apple butter. Apples, crystallized ginger, sugar, and a bold spice mix transform overnight in the slow cooker, emerging in the morning as the perfect fall spread for…

Sunset-tea-ni Cocktail

Next to morning tea, sunset cocktail hour is my favorite time of day. Especially when the cocktail I’m sipping is infused with tea. This summer, in our mountain cabin rental, Dan and I curated a small liquor cabinet with bitters, orange liqueur, vermouth, and a rotating spirits list of vodka, rum, gin, or whiskey. (When…

Orange Rooibos Pudding

I’m always on the lookout for easiest-ever dessert recipes. The kind that have very few ingredients and don’t take a lot of effort to whip up but still look and taste impressive. This is one of those recipes. This genius pudding from Food52 consists of just three ingredients: half-and-half, sugar, and cornstarch. Then you can…

Matcha Blackberry Muffin Cakes

The ease of a muffin and the beauty of a cake? I’m in! Plus, these handheld treats are perfect for pandemic times; everyone gets their own, with no sharing of utensils and serving dishes necessary. You essentially mix and bake these mini cakes like muffins, then turn them over and glaze them upside down to…

Strawberry Earl Grey Mini Pies

Friends invited us for a socially-distanced pandemic porch dinner for four and I stressed about what to contribute. I never want to show up to dinner empty handed, but what’s safe to share these days? Enter the mini pie. One for each person and no touching of shared serving dishes or utensils required. Plus, they’re…

Chamomile Grits with Blueberry Compote

I confess, I did some panic grocery buying when this pandemic first started. When the grocery isles were low on rice, beans, and pasta, I randomly stocked up on bags of grits hoping to stretch them out into many meals. Being full-time nomads with no home, Dan and I were camping in Arizona when things…

Cacao Coconut Overnight Oats

I was introduced to cacao tea several years back at the World Tea Expo, an annual trade show where tea companies unveil their latest offerings and tea geeks like me get drunk on tea. At the time, the chocolate company debuting cacao as tea explained that the locals on their South American cacao farm would…

Earl Grey Plum Torte

Being somewhat of a tea snob, I’m almost embarrassed to admit my favorite tea is one of the most common—Earl Grey. I find this deliciously flavored tea both nostalgic and comforting. It’s also of the easiest teas to cook with, because you really notice the flavor it imparts into a dish. What is that famous…