Author: Lani and Norm

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge. Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family. Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!
Recipes Salads Tea

Try this creamy tea leaf salad dressing recipe for an interesting flavour

creamy black tea salad dressing
creamy black tea salad dressing
Estimated read time 3 min read

I was thinking about the salad dressings my mother would make. Always some kind of vinaigrette with various herbs and spices shaken with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. That’s when the idea of using tea came to mind. I wanted to try and make a creamy dressing so I found this basic creamy dressing base and stared playing around with adding tea. I tried steeping tea and adding it in resulting in watery dressing. Eventually I settled on just adding the tea leaves and I think the result isn’t too bad. I will keep working on different salad dressings, creamy and vinaigrette and see what I can come up with. I think they type of tea is quite flexible. All teas will result in a lovely flavour and compliment to any salad.

Desserts Recipes Tea

How amazing can a chai spiced chocolate cake taste?

chai spiced chocolate cake
Chai spiced chocolate cake
Estimated read time 4 min read

I remember making one of those chocolate molten lava cakes and being quite impressed and delightfully surprised with the outcome. So I thought, wouldn’t that be great if it was a chai molten lava cake? That was my goal! Unfortunately, there was no molten chai lava flowing from my cake when I cut it open. But, I did end up with a beautifully chai spiced chocolate cake! Not exactly what I was going for, but made a wonderfully, moist, spicy, yummy dessert! I will continue to work on the chai molten lava cake so stay tuned!

Desserts Recipes Tea Vegetables

Chai spiced pumpkin pie

chai spiced pumpkin pie recipe
chai spiced pumpkin pie recipe
Estimated read time 3 min read

Every year I make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. It’s not necessarily my favourite pie but once a year it’s fun to make, share and have a slice. I don’t have a family secret pumpkin pie recipe that has been passed down the generations or anything. I just used the old standard E.D. Smith pumpkin pie recipe on the back of the pumpkin pie filling can. Works for me. This time though, I decided to use my spices and in particular the tea masala chai spice mix below that I found in Little India in Toronto this fall. I’m really enjoying this chai spice mix I found in one of the shops there. I’m probably not using it exactly as intended but I’m still loving it. When you open the container, the smell is amazing! Smells like you’re in a pot of brewing chai!

Desserts Recipes Tea

How do you make a perfectly spiced chai bread pudding?

chai bread pudding
Chai Bread Pudding
Estimated read time 4 min read

I thought a chai bread pudding would be amazing. Soaking the stale, old bread in some strongly brewed chai; adding chai spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger to the bread pudding itself to get that chai spice flavour. Below is my attempt at a chai flavoured bread pudding. Note that the amount of “chai spices” added is a personal thing. My goal is to always get the flavour of the tea somewhere in the recipe. The sauce recipe is modified from an existing bread pudding sauce recipe. It is a work in process and will continue to be refined as the desired strength of the chai flavour wasn’t quite there for me. However, there was hint of it.