Friendship tea is easy, cheap and tasty

Dear Readers: We have had many requests for a favorite, Heloise friendship tea. This is easy and cheap to make, plus tasty to drink hot or cold.

heloise friendship tea

21‚Ñ2 cups powdered orange-flavored breakfast drink

13‚Ñ4 cups powdered instant tea

2 to 21‚Ñ2 cups sugar

1 package lemonade mix (small packet, when mixed with water makes 2 quarts)

11‚Ñ2 teaspoons ground cloves

11‚Ñ2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix together all ingredients well and store in jars or resealable plastic bags. You can put the ingredients into the blender (1‚Ñ4 to 1‚Ñ2 cup at a time) to make the tea smooth and creamy-looking. Add 1-2 rounded teaspoons to 6-8 ounces of water.

You also can make a sugar-free version by using sugar substitute, diet powdered orange drink and sugar-free lemonade. This version is more concentrated, so use less mix (about 1 teaspoon to 6-8 ounces hot water). Add more or less, according to your taste. For other great tea and coffee mixtures, send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (59 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Coffee and Tea, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. If you have only a regular tea bag but want a zippy cup of tea at no extra cost, brew it and add strips of fresh orange peel and a dash of nutmeg or a piece of peppermint candy. A couple of red-hot cinnamon candies really give it an extra zip. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Why do we waste our money on coffee or tea creamers? We could get the benefits of skim milk, including much-needed calcium, by using powdered milk. I think it even tastes better, and if your creamer is one that is kept in the refrigerator, the skim-milk powder doesn’t cool your drink as quickly. Barb S., Warren, Ohio

I’m with you, Barb! I have skim-milk powder in a small container on a turntable in a cabinet above the coffee maker with other coffee and tea essentials, and simply pour it just like powdered creamer into my morning coffee. Heloise

Dear Heloise: When asked to make yeast rolls and time was limited and the house was cool, I placed a heating bag (filled with rice) in the microwave for a minute. I put a large towel on my work table, placed the heated bag in the center, placed the bowls of dough on the bag and covered it with the ends of the towel. The dough rose in record time. Shirley G. Aube of Skowhegan, Maine

Dear Heloise: When my granddaughter burned milk and oats on the bottom of a saucepan, I couldn’t scrape it off. So, I covered the burnt area with water and squirted a little dishwasher soap (what you put in the dishwasher) in there. I let it sit for five minutes and then scraped it off with a spoon. Spick and span! Lois of Wilbraham, Mass.

SBlt Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate