Holy smokes, it's almost the end of June already, isn't it? Well, as usually happens, I've fallen a bit off the "maintain real life and also your interwebz presence" during these last couple weeks of school. But I do have a very easy recipe to share on this first day of summer - and my first official day of summer vacation!
I first tasted mango lassi when the hubs and I were on vacation over April break. We went to an Indian restaurant in Flagstaff, and I thought this would be an interesting drink to try. Absolutely awesome. After some searching, I found a recipe that, turns out, tastes almost exactly like the one I had in Arizona. There's probably some secret ingredient the folks in Flagstaff included, but this was darn close!
For those of you who don't know, wassailing was a tradition wherein people would walk from house to house singing Christmas carols. Scholars believe the practice started as an Anglo-Saxon pagan ritual based of an Old English salute - "waes hael" - which basically meant "good health." In addition to walking along and singing, carolers or wassailers would "beg" for some sort of charitable gift and perhaps a warm beverage as well. Wassailing traditionally occurs on "Twelfth Night", January 5th or 6th, rather than before Christmas. So if you haven't gone wassailing yet, you still have time.
I did some fiddling and adjusting this year based on how last year's wassail turned out, and everyone agreed it was better than before. To make this "stronger" you can also mix in brandy while the wassail is heating, but I always serve it on the side, as there are some in my family who prefer to leave out the alcohol.
And yes, we did sing before we drank it. No, no one got it on video. Thank God.
Traditional Wassail Ingredients
1/2 gallon apple cider
3 small (6 ounce) cans of pineapple juice
3/4 cup of hot tea (I used English Breakfast, but you can use any black tea you like)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
French brandy (optional)
Orange slices (for garnish)
Method
Measure out the spices into a coffee filter, and securely twist and tie the filter with thread or string to prevent anything from leaking out. This creates a spice bag.
Pour the cider, pineapple juice, and tea into a 4 quart pot and stir to combine. Add the spice bag.
Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to low to keep the wassail hot.
Offer orange slices for garnish - and a slightly stronger citrus flavor. Offer brandy on the side if anyone wants to add a splash to their cups.
Notes: This can also be made in a slow cooker. Combine all ingredients and heat on low for 4-6 hours. In place of ground cinnamon, a cinnamon stick can be used, and you can also add allspice.
And with that, "may God bless you and send you a happy New Year!"
You're going to find this completely ludicrous, but up until this past Saturday, I had never attempted to make Southern sweet tea.
I don't know why. I love it. Every time I've traveled to the South, I pretty much drink nothing else. I always make some comment along the lines of, "I really should figure out how to make this." I probably have sweet tea running through my veins.
Duh. It's so easy. I feel like a complete idiot for not doing this sooner. For some untold reason, I thought it was hard to make sweet tea. For years I've been buying iced tea mixes and believing sweet tea to be some mythical nectar I could only procure on my travels south.
No more, I tell you! For it is beyond easy to make sweet tea, and here is how you do it!
