Despite my best efforts, we've succumbed to the cold that has been traveling around the Bayfield peninsula. Since the kids are sick of green smoothies, we've moved on to Russian tea— my Mom's panacea to sniffling and sneezing. It seemed exotic to me as a kid. We never had Tang in the house (for some reason, I associated it with astronaut food and my parents were firm believers in real orange juice) and drinking 'tea' seemed like the grown-up way to handle a cold. As I was mixing it up this morning for my crew, the mildly citrus and über sweet smell brought me right back to my childhood kitchen on West 60th Street. I'm always struck by how smells and tastes conjure up memories I thought I had forgotten, food is powerful medicine.
Russian Tea
2 cups instant tea powder
2 cups Tang powder
1/4 cup sweetened lemonade mix (I used Country-Time)
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
Preparation
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and combine thoroughly. Add 2 tablespoons to one cup hot water and mix to dissolve. Store in a sealed container.
