The Steaming Cup

This is a peppy tea to give you some energy. It's nice and tart.

A tangy blend of ginger and cranberries. This tart tea recipe will make your taste buds jump for joy, and wake you up in the morning.

• 2 tbs loose black tea
• 2 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup fresh ginger, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup whole cranberries
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice

Steep tea, ginger slices and whole cranberries in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and add cranberry juice. Heat through and serve warm. This recipe makes 2 cups of tea.

Heavy cream makes a rich cup of cocoa

Downright decadent. This hot chocolate recipe calls for heavy cream and whole milk. No need for spices or other flavours when you have real chocolate and cream. This isn’t a recipe for anyone watching their diet. You could always use 2% milk if you want to cut the fat down a little.

• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 oz semisweet chocolate

In a saucepan, simmer together milk, cream and sugar. Don’t let the cream mixture come to a boil. Chop chocolate, and stir into hot cream. Stir until melted and mixed.

Serves 2

Another lightly spiced coffee with a citrus twist

This quick recipe has all the ingredients coming together before you actually brew your coffee. How convenient. The anise and orange add a noticeable tropical flavour to your coffee. 

• 3 tbs ground coffee (coarse)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cocoa
• 1 tsp anise seed (whole)
• Pinch of dried orange peel pieces

Blend ingredients, and brew by your favorite method. Using a french press or a plunger pot is the traditional brewing style for this coffee recipe.

Makes enough coffee for about 4 cups.

Don't be afraid of the peppercorns, they give this chai its unique taste.

Whole peppercorns give this tea recipe some kick. Actually, the cloves and minced ginger add their own extra kick as well. It’s generally a strong tea recipe.

• 1 quart water
• 1/2 pint milk
• 1 tsp loose black tea
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 inch chunk of ginger
• 2 whole cloves
• 5 whole peppercorns

Peel ginger root, and mince finely. Break up cinnamon sticks into small pieces. Combine all spices in water and bring to a boil. Add milk, and keep heating until almost back to a boil. Stir in tea leaves. Let simmer for 1 or 2 minutes. Strain and serve hot.

Two kinds of chocolate, if you don't mind some decadence.

This hot chocolate recipe calls for two different kinds of chocolate, and it’s whipped frothy. The half and half cream makes for an extra rich cup of cocoa. The title really says it all.

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 8 tsp sugar
• 1 oz semisweet chocolate
• 1 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Grate or chop chocolate, and stir everything together in a saucepan (except vanilla). Stir over low heat until the chocolate melts and is well blended.

Pour about half your mixture into a blender. Whip until thick and very foamy. Pour back into saucepan and add vanilla. Stir hot chocolate through and serve immediately.

Blending hot pepper with chocolate is a little daring for most people.

The Aztecs were the first to serve chocolate as a drink, but they also mixed it with hot chili pepper to make a really special beverage. Try something exotic with your hot chocolate today. You can always reduce the amount of chili if it’s too hot for you.

• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 red chili pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

Split red chili and remove the seeds. Also split the vanilla bean, lengthwise. In a saucepan, heat milk to simmering with vanilla bean, chili pepper and broken up cinnamon stick.

Continue to simmer for a minute or two. Grate chocolate, and whisk into the hot spiced milk until melted. Remove hot chocolate mixture from heat and let sit for 10 minutes, to steep. Strain, and heat through again if necessary. Serve hot.

Serves 2.

Chocolate biscotti should be served with coffee or tea

By Terri Paajanen

That’s right, there are 3 different types of chocolate in this biscotti recipe. These crisp cookies should satisfy any cocoa-craving sweet tooth.

• 5 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
• 2 tbs baking powder
• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 400F. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth then add vanilla extract. Sift together all of the dry ingredients and stir into the egg mixture. Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Shape the dough into short loaves (about 6-inches long) and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cut each loaf into 1-inch diagonal slices. Reduce heat in your oven to 350F and place slices back into the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool.

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave or double boiler, and drizzle over the cooled biscotti.

Evaporated milk is a creamy touch to the spicy flavor

A creamy iced tea, with some spicy hints. An iced tea recipe for all chai fans. Only a couple of spices, but enough to make a delicious impact. This is a delightful recipe for a get-together.

• 6 cups water
• 8 tea bags, black
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 4 tbs sugar
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tsp cardamom
• Ice, crushed

Boil the water and steep tea bags with cardamom for 5 minutes. Strain out teabags and let cool. Put ice into 4 glasses, and add tea. Leave about a quarter of the glass empty. To each glass add, 1 tbs sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup of milk. Serves 6 to 8.