"Mom, I am just so tired. School was pretty tough today," Zoe said. She was currently sprawled on one of the cafés' comfy leather chairs reading a magazine.
"Oh?" Stella said as she tidied the stack of books.
"I need some caffeine. You know I have drama tonight right? I think some serious espresso is needed right here," Zoe said as she stood up.
"I think not! But you can have a mug of hot chocolate or some earl grey tea if you like," Stella laughed.
"Can I please have an Americano? Or even just a large cup of coffee? All the other kids have it every morning and they don't even have moms who own coffee shops!" exclaimed Zoe.
"No way. We don't want to stunt your growth now, do we? Besides, all those kids shouldn't be drinking coffee anyway. They have enough energy already let alone needing a cup of most likely awful coffee every morning," Stella replied, "but there is a steaming cup of chai waiting...it's freshly made, and I can even make it a latté...if you want it that is," Stella offered.
"It's generic, but I guess it will satisfy my extreme present need for caffeine, " sighed Zoe, plunking herself back onto the chair.
"Coming right up!" Stella laughed.
Homemade Chai Latte! -adapted from the book 'Tea Party'
Makes 2 large mugs of chai, or 4 mugs if adding steamed milk
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons black tea, or 2 teabags of black tea. I used Dilma tea-bags.
1/2 cup honey
Combine water and milk in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to low and add all the spices and vanilla.
Cover and let simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove from heat, add black tea, and let steep covered for 2 minutes or more.
Add honey, mix well and then strain.
Serve hot or cold!
Now you may be asking. Chai Latte? At home? Well if, like us, you don't have a Keurig then you can purchase one of these! A handy dandy milk frother!
If you're not sure what it is, it is just like a french press, except for milk. You add hot steaming milk to it and pump away, and it froths the milk right up! We first got one last Christmas from our cousins, but I broke the spout...and let's just say it is out of commission. So I purchased another one for my mom for Christmas this year. It was only $11.00, and works great!
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 teaspoons black tea, or 2 teabags of black tea. I used Dilma tea-bags.
1/2 cup honey
Combine water and milk in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring often.
Reduce heat to low and add all the spices and vanilla.
Cover and let simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove from heat, add black tea, and let steep covered for 2 minutes or more.
Add honey, mix well and then strain.
Serve hot or cold!
Now you may be asking. Chai Latte? At home? Well if, like us, you don't have a Keurig then you can purchase one of these! A handy dandy milk frother!
If you're not sure what it is, it is just like a french press, except for milk. You add hot steaming milk to it and pump away, and it froths the milk right up! We first got one last Christmas from our cousins, but I broke the spout...and let's just say it is out of commission. So I purchased another one for my mom for Christmas this year. It was only $11.00, and works great!
So add the frothed milk on top of 1/2 cup of your freshly made chai, and top with cinnamon.
You may even want to pair it with a slice of Stella's apple danish. Trust me, it tastes divine.
Writing and photography by Emma!
Stella and Zoe have a good relationship. I wonder if Zoe will follow in her Mom's footsteps. :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had that Chai Latte and Apple Danish in front of me right now!
Zoe is pretty dramatic, though. (My Emma is waaaayyy more pragmatic and even-keeled, so she has fun writing about this sort of character!) I think Zoe likes to cook and bake, but she longs to perform, so recipes will take second place to scripts I think.
ReplyDeleteI wish I did, too! I had some strong black tea and a slice of lemon loaf instead.
Now I feel stupid. I bought some chai mocha for my Keurig. I liked it, but I kept saying "This tastes more like tea than coffee."
ReplyDeleteAnd I hate tea. So just the idea that I actually LIKED tea, is kind of upsetting. lol
Nah, they throw chai spices in everything these days. I had a tea once called 'Chai Cappucino Rooibos'. It just tasted weird! Thanks for dropping by :)
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