Dried fruit into tea?

I had the chance to sample some fruit tea sold by Teaopia here in Medicine Hat and LOVED IT! I normally do not like tea...the bark/grassy taste is a big deterrent for me as that is what I always taste first. Seeing as this tea is made just from dried fruit, there was no other taste but fruit. Seeing as it is an expensive tea, and I am looking for an alternative to hot chocolate to help me relax at night to sleep, I found some help on how to make my own dried fruit to make tea. I will have to tell you how it turns out in a few weeks.

Things You'll Need

• 10 quarts fruit
• Ascorbic acid crystals or Vitamin C tablets
• 2 quarts water
• Paper towels
• Slotted spoon
• Drying pan
• Large plastic container
• Zip bags or glass jars

  Instructions

  1. • 1
       Select fresh, ripe fruit. Overripe fruit may be too stringy or leathery. Unripe fruit may not be sweet or colorful. The drying process will not enhance the quality of the fruit.
     • 2
       Wash fruit. Sort through and toss decayed fruit. Mold can impact the fruit while drying.
     • 3
       Crack skins of fruit that have a waxy coating, such as plums, prunes and berries. Place fruit in boiling water for 30 seconds to one minute. Run under cold water. Drain on paper towels.
     • 4
       Mix 2 1/2 tablespoons of ascorbic acid crystals into one quart of chilled water. Soak fruit for 10 minutes. Take fruit out with slotted spoon, and drain.
     • 5
       Preheat oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Place treated fruit on drying tray in a single layer. Put the tray of fruit in the oven for four to 12 hours. Drying time depends on the kind and size of fruit: Finely sliced apples take about six hours, while thick-cut peaches can take up to 36 hours.
     • 6
       Allow a handful of pieces to cool to room temperature. Pinch fruit to check for pliability and dryness.
     • 7
       Pack dried fruit in zip-closing bags or moisture-proof glass jars. Put fruit in cool, dark place for storage.
  
  

  Tips & Warnings

  • One quart of the ascorbic acid solution treats 10 quarts of fruit; if you need less, measure 17 grams of crystals for every two cups of water.
  
  
  Read more: How to Dry Fruit to Make Tea | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7716957_dry-fruit-make-tea.html#ixzz1pnVupRYZ

Oriental Shrimp Soup

I have found a new comfort food on cold days!!

1 tsp vegetable oil
8oz roughly shrimp
3 green onions or one small sweet onion
1/2 pkg rice noodles
3-4 cups stock (veg or chicken preferably)
2 cloves garlic, diced
splash soy sauce
drizzle seasame oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz snow peas, cut in half
1 tsp dried or a few slices fresh ginger, diced

In large heavy saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium heat; cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Pour in chicken stock,soy sauce and sesame oil; bring to boil, skimming off any foam. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add noodles; cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add shrimp and snow peas; cook, covered, for 3 minutes or until shrimp are bright pink and snow peas are tender.

Pumpkin Pie

I look forward to trying this later this week!

For a great tutorial on roasting your own pumpkin, go HERE

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 
  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Spiced Maple Syrup

Ingredients

• cheesecloth
• kitchen twine
• 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
• 8 black peppercorns
• 6 whole allspice
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 3 orange zest strips

Instructions

1. Add the orange zest and spices to the cheesecloth. Gather it up, and tie with the kitchen twine.
2. Add the maple syrup and spice packet to a saucepan. Heat over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. Pour the syrup into a container. Cover and chill for 24 hours.
4. Warm the syrup a bit before you pour it over pancakes or waffles. The syrup will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.

I am so excited to try this one out tomorrow. I got it from my new recipe find.....

BAKED BREE

She has some great recipes over there.

Enchilada Pasta Bake

4-1/2 cups medium pasta shells, uncooked

2 tsp. oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 pkg. (35 g) 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning mix

1 can (14 fl oz/398 mL) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 can (14 fl oz/398 mL) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed

3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

2 cups Kraft Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

HEAT oven to 375°F.

COOK pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add yellow onions and peppers; cook 3 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Stir in seasoning mix and tomatoes; cook and stir 3 min. Add chicken, beans and halfeach of the green onions and cilantro; mix well. Remove from heat.

DRAIN pasta. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Pour into 13x9-inch baking dish; top with cheese.

BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until pasta mixture is heated through and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining green onions and cilantro.

* You can serve this with Sour Cream and Salsa on top or on the side.

No Beans Chili

One Pound Of Bacon Cut Into Very Small Pieces.
Five Pounds Of Lean Trimmed Small Cubes Of Beef Brisket.
1/3 Cup McCormick Chili Powder.
1 Large Heaping Tablespoon Minced Fresh Garlic.
1 Large Heaping Tablespoon Ground Cayenne Pepper.
1 Tablespoon Cumin.
1 Tablespoon Oregano.
1 Tablespoon Ground Sea Salt.
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper.
3 Four Ounce Cans Green Chili's.
36 ounces  Apple Juice
1 28 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes.
1 Teaspoon Coriander.
1 Six Ounce Can Tomato Paste.
1 Ounce Unsweetened Chocolate Very Coarsely Chopped. 
1/2 cup milk

One Pound Of Red Sweet Onion Diced Very Fine.

Your chocolate needs to be chopped up fine and it deepens the flavor of this delicious chili and darkens the sauce. I even use my fine cheese grater and grate the chocolate.

You will want to start with a large skillet. In it you want to place your diced up bacon and cook until crisp. Move bacon to slow cooker, and drain most of the grease from the pan. Using the remaining grease, cook your diced onion and your garlic until tender. Transfer to crock pot.

Now you will want to add all your other ingredients and cook on either high for 2 hours, or low for 6 hours. 

Your chili should now be done and ready to eat. Test it out by trying a couple pieces of your meat. It should be tender by now and starting to come apart. If its not tender keep cooking until your meat is tender. Add another 12 ounces of apple juice if your chili gets to thick. If you want more hot add more ground cayenne pepper. If it is too hot, add more milk. 

You can serve your chili with a garnish of shredded cheddar cheese, fine chopped cilantro, and/or sour cream. 

Easy Flaky Pastry Recipe

Ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
2 tbsp cold butter
2 tbsp cold lard
1 tbsp ice water, (approx)
2 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vinegar

Preparation:

In bowl, combine flour with salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter and lard until in fine crumbs with a few larger pieces. Whisk together water, milk and vinegar; drizzle over dry ingredients, stirring briskly with fork to form ragged dough and adding up to 1 tbsp more water if too dry. Press into disc. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes, or for up to 24 hours.

.