Favorite Fall Recipes

I love Fall, even in Portland where Fall means lots of rain. I think it's because I love to bake, not to mention sip yummy hot drinks while watching movies all snuggled up on the couch. It also might be because October is my birthday month (yes, I celebrate all month). If you agree, here are some of my favorite Fall recipes (they are good all year long, but once the rain starts I just can't stop making this stuff!).

Yeast Dinner Rolls. Great for big get together meals, I love making my house smell like fresh baked bread.

Hot Chocolate. This is the most chocolatey smooth hot chocolate ever!

Mac n' Cheese. Ooey gooey delicious cheese and pasta. I love this on it's own or served on the side of just about anything.

Chai Latte Concentrate. Super yummy and making it at home lets you control the spices and flavorings.

Mocha Roasted Almonds. These make the house smell great and are an easy snack to make.

The Ridiculous Grilled Cheese. I like about any grilled cheese, but this one is my favorite.

What are your favorite Fall recipes? I'd love to check them out!

Friday Food Craft: Chai Concentrate

I love drinking chai. Nevermind the fact I have never been a coffee person, tea just generally tastes better to me. Chai even more so as it is spiced and added to equal parts milk to create a yummy latte that makes you forget its cold and rainy. I've seen lots of variations on making your own spiced chai concentrate, and this is mine :) I hope you enjoy it!

To make your own spiced chai concentrate you will need:

4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 slices dried ginger (I rarely use ginger so I have dried sliced ginger in my pantry, if you want to use fresh which I am sure would be AWESOME, you will need 3 small chunks rather than slices)
10 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 small slice of orange peel
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
9 tea bags of your favorite black tea

Bring your water to a boil in a large pot and add in your sugar and vanilla extract. I like to do this first so the sugar fully dissolves (and the vanilla makes it smell yummy!). Reduce your heat to a simmer and add in your ginger, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel, as well as your ground spices.

*I happen to have loose tea bags that I use to put my ground spices in so I can remove them when my tea is done steeping, but if you don't you can always strain all of your bits out through a cheesecloth at the end.

Let your spices simmer in your water for about 20 minutes, then add in your tea bags and allow to steep for an additional 5 minutes. Remove all of your bags and spices and pour into container of your choice. Store in refrigerator. To serve, pour 1/2 cup concentrate and 1/2 cup milk together into microwave safe cup and heat to desired warmth. Yum!