amazonSo what does one do when one has done “99 recipe posts on the blog, 99…” (sung to the tune of 99 bottles of beer….). Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the Music. Celebrate! Celebrate!… (Thank you 3 Dog Night)YAY!!! HURRAH!!! (imagine confetti in the air, bottles of champagne popping open, much noise and chatter in the background….). I have to tell you, dear bloggers, how much I enjoy ‘visiting’ with you all, learning from you all (all those FANTASTIC recipes), and sharing with you all. I also have to tell you HOW MUCH FUN THIS IS!!! I don’t always have the time to do these the way I want, but they are fun – no matter what.


I am going to celebrate with some Tea and scones. My favorite tea is Masala Chai . If you are not familiar with that, it is a black tea served in India mixed with cardamon, cinnamon, and ginger or cloves. Usually served ‘latte’ it is very common to see vendors for it everywhere in India. It is gaining popularity here now – finally. I have tried so many different ones – Stash, Twinnings (the one here in the US is not as good as the one found in GB), Celestial, etc. But I haven’t found one I really, really like. Answer – make it your self, so I do.

    Chai Spice Mix
    2 tsp ground cardamom
    1 tsp ground nutmeg
    1 tsp ground cinnamon
    1 tsp ground cloves
    1/2 tsp black pepper

Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (to taste)to 1 teaspoon black tea leaves in a brewing ball (although the paper tea filters work much better since the spices are small) and seep as for black tea.

    Chai Spice Scones

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    3 cups AP flour
    1/3 cup sugar
    2 1/2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    3/4 cup chilled butter cut in small pieces
    1 cup milk or cream(and I added a smidgen more)
    1 Tbl chai tea mix + 1 tsp black tea leaves

Preheat oven to 400F.
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring milk and chai masala to a simmer. Let it steep for 15 minutes, then cover and chill for about 45 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the chai mix.
Sift dry ingredients. Add orange peel. Add butter and mix until flour resembles course meal. (Remember I use a food processor, so just process until butter well mixed in.) Gradually add chai infused milk until dough is workable. (Needs to be little moister since will be kneading on a floured board which is why I added a tad more milk.) Knead briefly – about 4 turns. Form dough into 1 1-inch thick round and cut into 8 wedges or two smaller rounds and cut into 4 wedges. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. (Sometimes I add additional chai spice without the tea to the dry ingredients. It depends on how strong a chai flavor you want.)


Y’all have a great 2009.

May all your recipes be correct when you get them and your tastebuds never waver from real flavor.

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