Cranberry Christmas Tea (& my favorite books in 2018!)
Tea & books go together like peanut butter & jelly, so today I think I’ll share both with you here!
If I’m not sipping a cup of whatever my favorite tea variety happens to be at the moment, sometimes I’ll get a little fancy with a cup of my Honey Chai. I’ve been craving a festive holiday tea lately, so I concocted this Cranberry Christmas tea. It definitely hits the spot!
Let me start by sharing a few of my favorite books from 2018, and then I’ll share the Cranberry Christmas Tea recipe with you at the end of the post. (Note: These are books I read in 2018, but they weren’t necessarily published in 2018. I’m not good at being trendy, okay?)
I’m linking these books to buying options purely for convenience. I don’t receive any commission if you choose to buy these books!
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers Okay, y’all. I KNOW I should have read this a loooooong time ago. But I didn’t. And I read it this year. And yes, now I understand why everyone is so obsessed with it.
The Lowland, Jhumpa Lahiri In typical Jhumpa Lahiri fashion, this is lovely. She’s probably my favorite author, and I’ve read the majority of her books. I’d say I was on a first name basis with her except that I’m not 100% certain of her name’s pronunciation… Also, she doesn’t know my name…
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows A mouthful of a title, I know. I was late to the Guernsey party because the book came out several years ago, BUT I was still ever so slightly ahead of the trend by reading it before the movie was released on Netflix. It covers some really hard details of World War II but somehow manages to keep the story absolutely DELIGHTFUL. “Delightful” is probably my one-word descriptor of choice for this one. Not to be bossy or anything, but read it and then watch the movie too because both are fantastic.
The Map of Salt and Stars, Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar I picked this book up because I’d seen it compared to The Kite Runner (one of my favorites of all time), and I’m so glad I did. It’s fictional, but it gives some insight into the personal aspects of the suffering in Syria right now. It’s beautiful and hard and important.
Salt Fat Acid Heat, Samin Nosrat This is also available as a Netflix documentary series, but the book is an incredibly useful resource on the fundamentals of cooking. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be read cover to cover, but I did because I’m a nerd. It’s on Amazon’s best seller list for a good reason.
The Laura Lea Balanced Cookbook, Laura Lea Goldberg I checked this one out from the library a few months ago and didn’t return it for nearly six weeks because I didn’t want to let it go. Everything we ate from it was delicious, and Laura Lea is a fellow Nashville-based food blogger.
A Million Little Ways, Emily P. Freeman This one is about creativity and passion, and I read it at just the right time. So encouraging.
The Ivory Shores Series, Tonya Weeks AHEM. This is very important, y’all. My MOM published two books this year (with a third on its way!), and if you’re a fan of faith-based women’s fiction, you need to check them out. You can find the first two books in the series on her website linked above.
Talking about books makes me thirsty, so I suppose you’re ready for a tea recipe now.
If you try this Cranberry Christmas Tea at home, I’d love to hear what you think! Share pictures with me on social media by tagging @thesavvyplate on Instagram or Twitter or by mentioning my page The Savvy Plate on Facebook!
Cranberry Christmas Tea
A hot, spiced Christmas tea recipe with flavors of cranberry, orange, and ginger!
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 inches fresh ginger (sliced)
- 8-10 whole cloves
- 2 black tea bags
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp white sugar
Instructions
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Add water and cranberries to a medium pot, and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat to a simmer, and add ginger, cloves, and tea bags. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
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Remove from heat, and add orange juice. Strain, stir in sugar, and serve hot.