There are lots of mixes you can make to give to people during the holidays. We’ve talked about soup mixes, muffin mixes and spice blends. But for the winter, you might want to try something to make hot drinks. Make your own chai tea blend, hot cocoa mix or coffee drink ingredients.
The nice thing about this Hot Cocoa Mix
is that it is simple and easy.
Ingredients:
- 10 cups dry milk powder
- 4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine milk powder, confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder, and creamer. Stir till thoroughly combined. Store cocoa mixture in an airtight container. Makes about 15 cups mix, or enough for about 45 servings.
- For 1 serving, place 1/3 cup cocoa mixture in a coffee cup or mug, and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Top with dollop of whipped cream or a few marshmallows, if desired.
Chai tea is very popular these days. It’s essentially regular tea combined with spices. You can make an instant version that makes a great gift.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
- 1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
- 2 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.
- To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.
If you’re a bit more ambitious, you can learn to do home canning and preserving to use all those great fruits and vegetables available now. We’ll talk about that next time in The Bachelor’s Kitchen.
