Thursday, December 14, 2023

In the Kitchen with Nikki Rae - Recipe for Homemade Chai Tea #InTheKitchen #ChaiTea #TeaRecipe


This time of year, one of my favorite things to drink is Chai tea. 

Over the years, I’ve come up with a not-so-specific recipe. It’s anything but precise, so add as little or as much of the ingredients as you like to make it your own!

What you’ll need:

A pot with a lid
A strainer with small holes
A jar or other kind of storage container

Ingredients:

Water (however much you want to make)
Your favorite black tea (3-4 teabags depending on how much water & how strong you like your tea)
Ginger
Cinnamon sticks
Peppercorns (I like mine spicy so I add a good amount)
Cardamom Seeds (this is the “Chai” flavor to me)
Star Anise (optional)

Step One: Prep

Peel however much ginger you like and cut into chunks.
Crush cardamom seeds with the back of a spoon to release the fragrance.

Step Two: Cook

Add water and all the other ingredients except for the tea (we’ll use those later to avoid burning the leaves) and bring water to a boil.
Boil for a minute or two and then wait for it to simmer for as long as you want, really, but probably no more than five minutes just to be safe.
Turn off heat, add tea/tea leaves, and cover for 2-3 minutes.
Strain liquid into heat safe container & discard the solids.

Step Three: Enjoy!

Add milk and sugar if you like or drink it as is.

You really can customize this to your tastes. 

Sometimes I’ll add dried orange peel or experiment with other herbs. 

Pretend you’re making a potion and have fun! You can keep it refrigerated until you want to heat up more for up to a week.





Slither
The Shadow and Ink Series 
Book Two
Nikki Rae

Genre: Dark Paranormal Monster Romance
Publisher: Nikki Rae
Date of Publication: December 14, 2023
ASIN:  B0CNSFBY1V
Number of pages: 340
Word Count: 98,921
Cover Artist: Nikki Rae

Tagline: Some cycles repeat for a reason, but is this one worth fulfilling?

Book Description: 

Plunged into darkness after an eerie ritual, Corbin finds herself torn between the reality of her life with her mother and the nights she spends with Six. Even though she wakes alone every morning, the nights they spend together are worth it. Suspicion and unease surround her, drawing Jordan closer and closer while Six disappears deeper into the shadows.

Obsessed, Corbin sketches only him. As his monstrous image becomes clearer, etched in ink and gold, the pair and Jordan are enticed into a sensual world meant to feed him.

Six is reluctantly forthcoming with information about his origins and the mystical connection between the three of them. He has no control and little concern for the human world he affects with his mere presence—even when no one can stop the consequences.


Excerpt 

“You’re here.” I wasn’t sure whether it was for my comfort or his, but I was relieved nonetheless.

Yesss. I heard it directly in my ear. I smelled fire on him. Leaves, earth, and flames. Alwaysss.

A breeze wafted through my hair, tickling my shoulder. His presence calmed me, and I felt like for the first time all day, I wasn’t holding my breath. I wasn’t waiting to hear or see him. I wasn’t constantly anticipating when and in what way Six would appear because he didn’t need to. He was with me as much as any other vital organ.

In the span of one summer, I had gone from hearing his disembodied voice and believing I had lost my mind to accepting that all of it was true. Now when I thought of us together, it made no sense how we had ever been apart. Why I would try to push him away, defy some ancient law of nature?

“Can you come closer?” I whispered, staring straight ahead, out the window. “I won’t look.”

I sat on the edge of my bed and it wasn’t long before I felt the mattress sink in on either side of me.

A soft breeze moved the curtain. A car drove down the street.

I kept my promise and didn’t direct my gaze anywhere but the sky outside my window. I could feel him parting my hair, strands swaying on their own until I felt his mouth against the back of my neck again. From the corner of my eye, I watched the shadows grow into lengths of multiple arms that pulled me toward him, completely supporting my weight.

I am right here, my love.

Bands of scales wrapped around my middle, draped themselves over each thigh. Little by little, my head inched upward so all I could see was the pink canopy above my bed. I felt the trace of claw marks just beneath my chin, the strong hand around my throat.

Are you pleased with your gifts, little one?

I nodded against him, surprised even now at how solid he felt behind me. “Thank you, Six.”

I have so much more to give you, he cooed.

Before I could stop anything, I fell backwards, into a stain shaped like him. Legs splayed open, my arms were also restrained above my head, but he surrounded me at the same time. The darkness was weighted, warm. I wasn’t afraid to let it creep across my field of vision and obscure everything in sight.

So many ways I could please you, my flower. My lace of light.

Warmth traveled up my back, throughout my chest and down into my belly. His tone left no question as to what he might mean, so I decided to feed into it.

“Show me, then.”

It came out more of a challenge than I’d intended, but I liked how it sounded.

An echo of whispers met me and I realized it was laughter. Always demanding your proof.



About the Author:


Nikki Rae is the head editor of Metamorphosis Editing Services and a writer who lives in New Jersey. She is an independent author and has appeared numerously on Amazon Best Seller lists. She is the author of The Sunshine Series and concentrates on making her imaginary characters as real as possible. She writes mainly dark, scary, romantic tales, but she'll try anything once. When she is not writing, reading, or thinking, you can find her spending time with animals, drawing in a quiet corner, or studying people. Closely.










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