Personal Notes, Reflections and More…

I’ve been thinking about adding a new page to my site for some time. I’ve finally decided to run a beta test of my page. From The Little Blue Cottage is going to be about many things. I want to make this a place you will want to join and participate. Here, we can seek comfort and connect through life stories. Share personal notes, reflections, and anything else we want to talk about. I want this to be fun and healthy, both for the mind and spirit.

This is Mr. Moo, he is our rescue dog—A Deer-Head Chihuahua. He will certainly be making frequent appearances as my sidekick. I’m excited to ready to get started. Cooking and baking are part of my life-and I have recipes that are both heirloom and newer to offer. Recently, I began teaching myself book binding. I look forwards to hopefully getting better and maybe inspiring others to give it a try. There will definitely be more about my quirky life style and home too. Maybe even some seasonal decorating—‘tis the season after all. Most importantly, these topics are personal in nature. Something I’ve always been less inclined to do in past. They will center more on things I enjoy and less around my art. But, indirectly, they are all pieces in my puzzle.

As my first official post, and in consideration of the fall/winter seasons, I’m sharing my revised Russian Tea recipe. There is nothing I can think of more soothing and enjoyable than a hot, steamy mug of Russian Tea. On a cold, blustery evening, it is soothing and relaxing. And, since one of its main ingredients is Tang, nectar of the astronauts—it must be good for us, right?! 😝 Do you know that NASA selected Tang for the menu on the 1962 Mercury flight? It gave astronauts a source of vitamin C. (Click on TANG to read more about the history)

But, the amount of sugar is…wow… So, I sat down and worked out a MUCH less sugary version. We think it’s pretty close. Now, we can enjoy Russian Tea anytime we like—without all the extra sugar/carbs. Find the recipe below. If you try it—let me know! Or maybe you have your own version, please share!

Russian Tea

A lower sugar version

• 1 cup of Tang already sweetened
• 1/2 cup Instant Tea w/Lemon Flavoring
• 1 pkg of unsweetened Lemonade Koolaid Mix
• 1 pkg of unsweetened Orange Koolaid Mix
• 1 TSP cloves & cinnamon
• A container to store mixture

Mix all ingredients together well and store them in a dry, sealed container.
Add one tsp to a mug, add approx 8 ounces of hot water, stir well and enjoy!

*Tips* my husband adds about 1/4 tsp more mix—

-If you prefer, and if you can find it, SF tang works too

I usually add 1-2 tsp of sugar. I have a sweet tooth.