Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A latte LoVe!

We are having company again this weekend!  Our best friends are coming to visit and stay for the weekend and I am about to burst with excitement.  This company is friends you don't have to clean your house for....YEAH!  Since they're going to be stuck in my messy house with my messy kids all weekend, I figured the least I could do is cook for them.  I really want to have a special treat for my bestie.  Here's what you need to know about her....

1.  When I call her all stressed about something she says things like, "I think you should pray about it and the answer will come to you.  Or, you could go shopping.  You can always pray on your way to the mall, right?"
2.  When I say things like, "I have a great idea" she agrees to it before I even tell her what the idea is.  Even when my idea involves tequila and the monkey bars.
3.  We can simulataneously text and facebook one another and carry on 2 different conversations.
4.  She says things like "oh dear", yet doesn't flinch when I say things like "oh f*@#".
5.  She believes in me more than I could ever believe in myself and comes up with projects for me to pursue....like starting a blog.

I know, you kinda wish she was your bestie, don't you?  And you totally see why I want to have something special for her this weekend.  The one thing my bestie loves is chai tea lattes, so I am trying this recipe.

Chai Tea Latte
  • 20 bags of chai tea (or 1/2 cup loose-leaf tea) (I used Tazo Organic Chai)
  • 3/4 cup sugar (you can use more or less, depending on how sweet you prefer)
  • 3 cups of water
1.  Put all ingredients into a pan.
2.  Heat to just boiling.
3.  Reduce to simmer and stir for about minute to make sure all sugar is dissolved.
4.  Cover and remove from heat.
5.  Let steep for 15-20 minutes.
6.  Strain the tea leaves.

EDIT:  I have made this several times in the last week.  I have decreased the sugar each time.  I used about 1/2 the amount that the original recipe calls for and still find the chai tea latte tasty and sweet, but not so sweet it overpowers the chai flavor.

This is to show you, use loose tea leaves.



I filtered with cheesecloth.



This is your chai tea concentrate, the equivilent to this that you would buy in the store.  Do not drink the concentrate, you need to dilute it with warmed milk.  Dilute it to your preference.  This drink is seriously tasty and cozy.



You can reuse the chai tea leaves.  I made another batch using 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/5 cups of water.

The writer of this recipe says you can use stevia or agave in place of sugar.  Whatever you do, do not use artificial sweeteners.  We do not use artificial sweeteners AT ALL.  I truly believe that they are dangerous, so please do your research!!! 

Easy peasy, right?  The concentrate lasts for up to a month in the fridge.  Looking forward to sipping my chai tea latte with my bestie this weekend!  If you have a chai tea latte lover in your life, how cute would it be to make them a batch of chai tea concentrate and put it in a mason jar with a little note of gratitude for their friendship!  Show the people in your life that you love them

Today is Wednesday and the minis have swim team practice.  This makes the timing of dinner sort of difficult, so I tried out a new crockpot recipe.  I debated sharing this recipe because I wasn't too crazy about it.  Mr. McGhee thought it was okay and the minis ate it!  I have leftovers that I did save and plan on using in soup.

Crockpot Lemon Garlic Chicken
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/ teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1.5 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cups mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
  1. In a bowl, mix the oregano, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture into chicken. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken in butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Place chicken in a slow cooker.
  2. In the same skillet, mix the chicken stock, lemon juice, and garlic. Bring the mixture to boil. Pour over the chicken and mushrooms in the slow cooker.
  3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours. Add the parsley to the slow cooker 15 to 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.
I served the chicken and mushrooms with quinoa, apple slices, and garlic bread.  I leftovers, which I am going to keep to use in soup.  If you try it, let me know what you think....or if you do anything differently, I want to know!!!