I had a bag of cinnamon sticks from Mountain Rose Herbs sitting around and I was inspired one day to add it to some rooibos to steep for a cup of tea. I found that when steeped for about 8-10 minutes, I had a cup of tea with subtle cinnamon undertones. When I let it steep until it was completely cool (around 20-30 minutes), I got a stronger cinnamon flavor, which can then be reheated, or, our favorite, poured over ice for a delicious iced tea.
As my four year old and I were sipping on our iced teas yesterday, I realized how much I like enjoying the simple things in life. For example, a wet kiss from my baby, or a tight hug from my four year old (simple, but oh-so-wonderful). Sipping some delicious tea with one of my favorite people in the whole world (my daughter) is a simple act full of joy. For us, it’s even better when we are sipping on it while reading a Tintin
together!
It got me thinking about other things that I enjoy. One is this silver spoon.
I really love this spoon. It’s going to sound a little silly, but this spoon (which is the only one like it I have) is perfect for soup. I have huge silver soup spoons, but they are over-sized in my mind. This one gives me just the perfect mouthful of soup. I love this spoon.
I also like the way light streams through the windows of my house. While we live in a smaller sized house, that light falls on many good things, like people and tea and soup spoons that are just the right size. It also helps me get good lighting for picture taking.
What are some of the simple things that you have to enjoy?
Here is a recipe for one of my simple things.
Cinnamon Rooibos
Serves 1
I buy both my cinnamon sticks and my rooibos from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have good prices on both.
- 1 cinnamon stick
2 heaping teaspoons of red rooibos
Sweetener of choice (honey or full leaf stevia)
Put the rooibos in a tea strainer and place in a cup with the cinnamon stick. Pour hot water over and steep for 10-30 minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea. Remove tea strainer and cinnamon stick. Ice if desired by pouring over cup full of ice, and sweeten to taste.
Enjoy.
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Hi Kim,
I drink 1-3 cups of rooibos tea every day and love it! I don’t have the loose tea leaves, but pick up the Whole Foods 365 brand that is a good bargain. I’ve never thought of trying a stick of cinnamon and look forward to doing so this afternoon, Thanks! We use a good amount of cinnamon in our house, but I have a jar full of cinnamon sticks that have been sitting far too long!
I enjoy reading your blogs and loved the article on homeopathy and the discussion afterwards.
Debbie
I find that cinnamon and rooibos go well together, and I definitely like using my own cinnamon rather than buying a pre-made blend. Using whole cinnamon, I also find it takes a long time to infuse, so it only works well with herbs like rooibos that cannot be easily oversteeped.
I also like silver spoons…if only for a very practical reason, silver is such a good conductor of heat that it provides a good way to cool off a cup of anything that is too hot to drink!
Do you use other spices when brewing hot drinks? I use a lot more cardamom than cinnamon, blending with tea or various herbs. Sometimes I also use clove as well.
Yum! I got hooked on the green rooibos from MRH because of you. I haven’t made it in a while, I should make some today! I’ll have to try this too.
My kids just discovered Tintin and have checked out every single one from two different library systems we have access to. (Sorry to anyone else in our area who wanted to read any Tintin books!)
I have also been enjoying your salad cookbook! I’ve never been a huge salad fan, so I bought your book to help me eat more salads, and it is working. 🙂 Thanks!
While counting your simple joys in life, perhaps you’d like to read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She helps open our eyes to the many, many gifts – grace upon grace – all throughout our lives… including many of those “small” things that we take for granted or don’t notice because we’re too busy thinking about all the things that are “wrong” – forgetting that it’s all grace. Anyway, I think you’d like it! 🙂
I have a couple of questions about the tea recipe. Do you have a favorite tea infuser/strainer? I use the mesh ball (metal) type, but over time they seem to warp a little and let some loose leaves escape into the tea. Just wondering if you’ve found a sturdy one that doesn’t develop this problem. Also, after steeping, can the cinnamon stick be reused, or is it a one-time thing? Thanks!
I am not Kimi answering 🙂 but for what it’s worth, I have several different infusers. In the past year or more, I have almost exclusively used these cotton tea nets (scroll down a bit on the link) in both sizes. I use the large ones the most often because I often brew 1-2 qts at a time. I live in the CA desert and have made lots of various sun teas using them (in addition to regularly brewed hot teas). One of them has developed a tiny hole over time towards the top but it doesn’t affect the brewing and I haven’t had the problem of leaves or herbs in my tea with these. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/tea_tool/infusers.html#cotton_tea
Thank you for that info, Heather. I think I would need the larger ones as well, because I like to make a half-gallon of rooibos to put in the fridge, so the individual-sized tea balls don’t work so well for that! Do the large sized ones fit okay on the opening of a mason jar or large glass measuring cup?
Sorry for the delay in seeing your follow up question. I’m not sure what size glass measuring cup you are referring to. I’ve used the large tea nets just fine with half gallon mason jars (regular mouth opening) usually with enough slack to fold it over the top of the jar a little bit and still place a lid on the jar.
Great Idea! I love Rooibus, and I love cinnamon – gonna try it tonight!
Your tea sounds lovely. I love hot tea! My husband and I were recently on vacation in Florida and had the chance to shop in a Caribbean market. I bought some tea that is composed of simply powdered ginger and cinnamon, packaged in individual tea bags. The tea is delicious. Also, we have a neighbor who raises his own sugarcane and each fall, makes molasses out of it. Oh, how I love that molasses in my tea, especially teas with ginger or spices, chai being the best.
I’d love to learn how to use sugar cane to make molasses.
Do you know how your neighbour does it?
I tried making syrup from sugar cane before, but it didn’t really work and I couldn’t find any clear instructions that didn’t call for complicated machinery.
Angela,
I have no idea how to make syrup like you mentioned. Making molasses is a very old-fashioned skill that does require some equipment that most people don’t have sitting around their house. 🙂
The friend of ours who makes molasses uses a machine called a cane mill that’s been in his family for over 100 years. He feeds the stalks of cane through it and the resulting juice runs out into a bucket lined with cloth. The juice is strained and then put into a huge vat. A fire is built under the vat and the juice is boiled and skimmed for many hours until it turns a beautiful golden color. In what seems like minutes it then turns into thick syrup and the vat is removed from the fire, the syrup is ladled into jars, and the remains are scraped into homemade biscuits to the delight of all who have helped!
I enjoy when my 4 year old laughs soft and easy but with such joy simply because I handed him a one-bite unexpected treat. I love when my 2 year old belly laughs. I love when my husband comes home early on Fridays just to play. I love when the first smell of fall hits the air.
What a lovely post!
I recently discovered that cinnamon has such wonderful health benefits that I try to use it in everything!
I love a salad plate with cherries on it that I’ve had since my dad had his stem cell transplant. One day when I went to visit him he was at his lowest. It was heart breaking to see him like that. I found this plate on the way home in a clearance bin… it cheered me up that day and every time I use it.
I have mug my great aunt sent me in a care package when I was in college. It’s got hummingbirds on it and is so beautiful. I love that one too.
Once I found a precious little pyrex clear peach shaped cup perfect for an individual serving of peach cobbler at a yard sale. Another of my treasures. 🙂
I love that you have a favorite spoon. I think we’d be kindred spirits.
x
Yum! Rooibos tea has been a recent discovery for my husband and I over the last few months. I’ll definitely have to try it with a cinnamon stick! Thanks for the idea.
yum, I love spicy tea, and I am glad to hear that people still read Tintin comics! I loved them when I was a kid. 🙂
this is such a great idea… i love both ingredients!
My daughter also enjoys drinking tea with me. I drink some kind of tea every morning while I have my quiet time. I like to think of it as my personal tea party with Jesus each morning. Sometimes, my daughter (who is 7) will ask for a cup to drink while she has her quiet time. We also have afternoon tea parties which require British accents and silly names. Simple things like these are what makes every single day special. 🙂
I have tried this, very good. Then I tried with vanilla added. Also veary good. You taste the cinnamon then after swallowing your drink, you have a vanilla after taste. I love it