Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Easy pumpkin spice muffins - healthy enough for breakfast, tasty enough for dessert!

Spiced Date Ice Cream

We were trying to use the cashew milk we bought since we didn't enjoy drinking it plain, and I didn't want it going to waste. With this weather and my love of chai, I thought about making a refreshing treat. I froze this spiced date mixture to ice cream, but I'm thinking it'd be even yummier as a smoothie. Yum! Or maybe even popsicles. :) Lots of possibilities! The recipe's not too sweet as written, so you might want to use more dates or add a bit of sweetener. I really liked all the spices mixed in, and I think this would taste even better with cream instead of cashew milk since the richness would serve as a perfect counter to the aromatic spices!

Do you prefer the lighter taste of cashew milk or the richer flavor of cream?

Spiced Date Ice Cream

by CJ Huang

Aromatic spices, frozen with cashew milk (or cream) and slightly sweetened with dates for one yummy spiced date ice cream!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
		1 tablespoon		ginger, grated
		1/4 teaspoon		cardamom, ground
		1/4 teaspoon		cinnamon
		1/8 teaspoon		cloves, ground
42 grams	1.5 ounces	1/2 cup		coconut shreds
		1/2 teaspoon		pepper, ground
484 grams	17.125 ounces	2 cups		cashew milk	Substitute cream or half and half for a richer ice cream.
85 grams	3 ounces	1/2 cup	12	dates
		2 teaspoons		vanilla extract	or alcohol free vanilla extract

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Chop the dates. I've found chopping the dates on the coconut shreds solves the issue of the dates sticking to each other or the the knife.
	3. Combine cashew milk (or cream or half and half) with all materials except chopped dates and coconut shreds.
	4. Pour milk mixture into ice cream maker, following instructions. Add in chopped dates and coconut shreds towards the end of freezing time.

Shared with: Delicious Dishes, Wonderful Wednesday, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Creative Ways, Pinworthy Projects, What's For Dinner? Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday

Spiced Pumpkin Butter

Got some extra pumpkin? Make your own spiced pumpkin butter, and sweeten it up with a bit of maple syrup for an additional layer of flavor!

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

A moist and flavorful spiced pumpkin bread.

Chai Tea, Version 2

I thought I would try making chai tea again, but using different spices/quantities this time. One definite advantage to making your own chai is the flexibility to change any aspect of the recipe to suit your own taste. This recipe is still very easy - just throw most of the materials together and boil! I still have not been able to locate any reasonably priced cardamom, but I will see if I can stop by the Indian grocery soon. The bay leaf and star anise added some complexity to the flavor profile, but I think next time, I will significantly decrease the amount of peppercorns used. While I do like the spice it adds, I also want to be able to fully taste all the other spices used. Since the chai tea I made last time was a bit strong, I just used regular black tea this time instead of the chai loose leaf tea. Give this version a try and let me know what you think. I look forward to version 3!

Chai Tea, Version 2

by CJ Huang

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
				water
			2	star anise
			10	cloves
			2	cinnamon sticks
		1 tablespoon		ginger, minced
		1 teaspoon		peppercorns
			1	bay leaf
				black tea
				milk/creamer (optional)	I used milk.
				sweetener (optional)	I used honey.

Methods:

1. Combine all materials except milk/creamer and sweetener and boil.
2. Strain tea, pour into cups, and add milk/creamer/sweetener as desired.

Chai Tea

One of my favorite, if not my favorite drinks is chai tea, but most pre-made versions aren't quite "spice-y" enough for me, so I usually have to add more spices or combine two kinds, some tea and some mix, for example. Given how much I like chai, I figured it was about time for me to make some chai from scratch. Following this recipe with loose leaf chai resulted in a tea that was just a tad bit strong for me, so I might use plain black tea next time, or I might try decreasing the amount of spices used or I might just enjoy it stronger. :) One definite advantage to making your own chai tea is the amount of flexibility in changing it to suit your tastes. Some other things that you could try are star anise, nutmeg, orange peel, green tea instead of black, etc. While I didn't try any of those this time, I will definitely try at least some of those next time! You can also decrease the amount or eliminate any of the materials that you're not liking. The method is not much harder than making tea! Just throw all the materials together, boil for a while, and then filter and you're good to go! The only slightly tricky part was the filtering because I used powdered cinnamon, and that tends to turn a bit slimy when boiled. If that's a concern, you could try using cardamom or extra cinnamon sticks instead. I didn't find it difficult to just pour everything through a wire mesh strainer, although I did move the mesh around a bit to get some faster flow.

Chai Tea

by CJ Huang

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
				water
				tea	I used loose leaf black tea.
				cream or milk	I used milk in one cup.
				sweetener	I used honey.
		1 teaspoon		ground ginger
		1/2 teaspoon		black pepper
			10	allspice berries
		1 teaspoon		cinnamon
		1 teaspoon		cloves
			1-2	cinnamon sticks

Methods:

1. Mix all ingredients except sweetener and cream.
2. Bring to a boil, and then simmer until tea is desired strength.
3. Strain into cup.
4. Add cream and sweetener if desired.