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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Mulled Mandarin Marmalade

(An older post updated December 2018) Mandarins are little bursts of sunshine that appear during the chilly winter months and keep on shining through spring, just before the fruits of summer start to appear. I make this easier-than-ever marmalade recipe every year, often for holiday gifts. The recipients of the homemade goodness always ask for…

Rooibos Candied Clementines

Orange-chocolate is my second favorite dessert flavor, next to lemon. I have memories of my dad treating me to Swiss Orange Chip ice cream at Swenson’s as a kid. Anytime I see a Terry’s chocolate orange at the market, I scoop one (or two) up. Set a bag of chocolate dipped candied orange peel in…

Turning Sugar Cookies into Tea Cookies

I used to hate anything heart shaped. Despised! You’d think since I was born on Valentine’s Day this would be innately impossible. But I got an annual overdose of birthdays bursting at the seams with anything and everything heart shaped. Sometime during my third decade, however, I turned from a heart hater into a heart…

Loose Leaf Iced Tea

Believe it or not, the recipe I get asked how to make the most is iced tea. If you have a package of loose leaf iced tea (my preferred vice over commercial tea bags) you can easily brew yourself the perfect glass to sip or pitcher to share. Here’s how. Loose Leaf Iced Tea By…

Mussels in Fennel Tea Broth

I use fennel seeds in several of my handmade herbal tea blends. One of my favorite blends has fennel seeds, cinnamon chips, orange peel, cardamom pods and licorice root for a dose of sweetness. Another one I love to sip combines fennel seeds, ginger root, and cinnamon with refreshing peppermint leaves. But I rarely—make that…

Tea Foodie’s Frozen Faves

It’s been a hot summer here in Denver, CO! To beat the heat, I find myself going back to some of my favorite tea foodie dishes in the iced or frozen category. Thought I’d share some of my top picks for recipes to cool down with tea. Enjoy. Happy cooking and sipping! Tea Foodie’s Frozen…

Chamomile Breakfast Quinoa

[Post updated September 2020] I was recently asked to describe my approach to cooking and eating. I described it as, “healthy with a dash of decadence.” While this recipe post leans way to the healthy side, I have no problem whipping up a creamy, decadent dessert or a fatty, buttery slow-roasted cut of meat. All…

DIY Tea Foodie gift ideas

I’ve been busy working the holiday market circuit this season, sampling and selling my hand blended teas. One of my favorite markets is coming up this weekend, the Denver Handmade Homemade Holiday Market. I love the community spirit and creativity at this market, which features a lot of local, artisan vendors making everything from food…