Shady Creek Reflection

This was taken about a year ago. It is a little creek which runs near my brother's place in northern California.  I like the blue of the reflected sky and the shadows of the trees.

For more reflections, visit Newtown Area Photo. To see more shadows, head over to Hey Harriet.

Apricot Crisp-ilicious!

I bought a lug of apricots yesterday. They were ready to be used then, but I didn't get to it until today, owing to an unplanned trip to get steps for our camper and a fishing pole & reel for me. Worthy causes, both!

So today was a canning day. I still have fruit to process, but I canned 8 pints of apricots and made 9 jars of apricot jam. They are cooling on my table as I write.
I knew I didn't have time to do any more canning today, but I wanted to use more of the fruit, so I decided to make a crisp.

Apricot Crisp

Filling:
5 cups cut up ripe apricots
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup tapioca
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons butter, melted

Mix the filling ingredients together, put in an 8x8 or 9x9 square pan. For the topping, mix the flour and brown sugar together in a dry bowl, then add the melted butter and stir with a fork until it forms moist crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the fruit. Do not try to cover the top evenly, just let the crumbs fall to mostly cover the top. Put the pan in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, and bake for about 50 minutes. The time will vary; the crisp is done when the filling is bubbling well in the middle of the pan. Remove from the oven and cool. Enjoy plain, with milk, cream, whipped cream, or ice cream. Delicious!

*I actually used a blend of spices I made a long time ago. I don't remember the recipe I used, but I know it contained cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and I think nutmeg (and/or ginger). Pumpkin pie spice is very similar. I would have used a little plain cardamom if I had some!

How to Make Sun Tea

A few readers have asked how to make sun tea. Thanks! I'm glad you're interested!

1. Start with a clear glass jar, as large as you like. I use a recycled one gallon (that's about 4 liters) jar. Fill it with cold water.


2. Add tea bags of your favorite tea. I like Stash teas (that's a brand name in the USA; I don't know if it's available elsewhere). They come in many flavors, both with and without caffeine. Each bag is good for 2 cups of tea, so I use 8 bags in a gallon. If you prefer loose tea, I'm sure it will work, also, but you will need to experiment with amounts.



3. Put the lid on and set the jar in the sun, either outside or in a sunny window.

(If you click on the second picture you will see the swirls of color from the tea infusing into the water.)













4. After several hours your tea will be ready. Remove the tea bags and discard them. Pour the tea into a pitcher for ease of serving. Serve over ice in glasses, adding sugar if you like.

5. Enjoy!

Hints:
This can be done without the sun on your kitchen counter, but then it won't be SUN tea! :))

The tea can be frozen into cubes to add to the glasses so it isn't diluted when you drink it.

I store what is not consumed right away in the refrigerator for future thirst.

Simple Sweet Sugar-free Chocolate Tea

What a busy week it's been! I have many thoughts, but they are in a jumble! So today I offer a recipe that includes chocolate:

Simple Sweet Sugar-free Chocolate Tea

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (use more or less to your taste)
1 bag Good Earth Original tea, either regular or caffeine free
Boiling water

Put the cocoa powder in a mug and pour in boiling water to fill it. Stir until the cocoa is dissolved. Add the tea bag and steep at least 5 minutes--the longer it steeps, the sweeter the tea will taste. Keep a spoon handy to stir up the cocoa, as it will settle to the bottom.

This is delicious, even without sugar. Try it!