I’m a big fan of homemade gifts. Mainly because I enjoy food and drink so much, I guess I just expect everyone else to as well (that’s not always the case, but nevertheless, if you’re friends of ours, you can bet your gift will be edible). 
My mom makes this spiced tea every year at Christmas and it’s just scrumptious. Really. There’s nothing more comforting than sipping a big cup of this while watching a Christmas movie, and I imagine it would be perfect after an afternoon of playing out in the snow….just a guess, seeing as how we don’t get much snow ’round these here parts!
As luck would have it, this recipe makes a very large amount, so there’s plenty to go around! It looks great in glass jars with a little ribbon or even cute little gift bags. Pretty much everyone who’s ever tasted this loves it- my father-in-law especially! It really is the perfect gift!
Holiday Spiced Tea
-I think this recipe has probably been around a very long time, but I got it from my mother, who got it from Baba many Christmases ago!
1 cup instant tea (unsweetened)
2 cups Tang (or any powdered orange drink- just NOT Gatorade)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl.
To serve: stir in 2 rounded teaspoons for every cup of boiling water. Enjoy!
This sounds fabulous…and such an easy gift!
[Reply]
Comment by Steph@stephsbitebybite — December 6, 2010 @ 11:19 AM
I am intrigued– Tang? Does this taste very orange-y?
[Reply]
Comment by Amanda — December 6, 2010 @ 12:33 PM
Amanda- it’s basically a “breakfast Koolaid”. Sort of like orange juice in powder form. It’s definitely very orange-y, which is what gives the spiced tea so much flavor! I love it!
[Reply]
Comment by amy — December 6, 2010 @ 1:24 PM
I used to LOVE that spice tea mix! It is all about the Tang.
[Reply]
Comment by Noelle — December 6, 2010 @ 1:26 PM
I just made this… I have been drinking this every Christmas for the last 20 years, the only problem is that the sugar content can be pretty high if you like to drink it like I do, so this year I substituted splenda and it worked out wonderfully! doesn’t eliminate all the calories but it gets rid of a good portion of them. growing up I always thought this was some secret family recipe, little did I know that it is wildly popular!
[Reply]
Comment by Erin — December 7, 2010 @ 4:11 AM
What a fun idea for a homemade gift. And it sounds super delish too.
[Reply]
Comment by Eliana — December 7, 2010 @ 2:29 PM
Thanks for posting! Such a great gift to give! I just made some tonight for all the tea lovers in my life. Of course I had to test it out with my own cup while I was assembling the cute packages:-)
[Reply]
Comment by Kristen — December 7, 2010 @ 6:56 PM
I always have a jar of this in my pantry in the winter. Reminds me of Baba’s house everytime I have a cup because she served this a lot. Think I’ll go make a cup right now!
[Reply]
Comment by Mother — December 9, 2010 @ 12:19 PM