Jenn’s Cook Book

Here is another recipe in the DIY Herbal Teas mini-series, this one a Jenn Original Recipe. The combination of cinnamon and lavender is great at night before bed. Sip this fragrant tea as the temperature drops after the dark.

1 cup boiling water
1 tsp dried lavender
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp honey, or to taste
lemon wedge, for serving

Pour boiling water over lavender and cinnamon stick. Steep for 5-7 minutes. Drain lavender and cinnamon stick.

Stir in honey to taste. Garnish with lemon wedge and cinnamon stick if desired. Serve hot.

Another DIY Herbal Tea, this one using sage, fennel seeds, mint, and lemon. Sweeten with honey, sugar, or simple syrup as desired.

1/3 cup chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp fresh mint, crushed
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
5 cups boiling water
honey, to taste

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add sage, fennel seed, mint, and lemon rind. Cover and steep 15 minutes.

Strain and stir in honey. Chill 1 hour.

Serve over ice with fresh sage and/or mint leaves as garnish. Add lemon wedges for extra flavor.

Served in a pitcher with mint leaves, ice, and lemon wedges:

Single serving, garnished with a fresh sprig of sage:

Another DIY Herbal Tea, from the website Recipe Goldmine. In this recipe, tea is made by water steeped in anise seed, which is similar to fennel seed but with a stronger licorice flavor. Can be served hot or chilled. I liked the flavor of honey with this tea better than sugar.

5 cups water
2 1/2 tsp anise seed
sugar, to taste

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add anise seed and remove from heat. Cover and steep 20 minutes. Strain out seeds and add sugar (or honey).

Serve immediately hot or chill 1-2 hours and serve over ice.

Anise Tea for One

Here is another version of Anise Tea, this one from About.com. Great on a chilly night or a day when the AC has been turned on for too long. A quick and easy treat to serve one.

1 cup boiling water
1 tsp anise seed
1 tsp honey or to taste

Pour boiling water over anise seed a small heat-resistant bowl or saucepan. Steep for 5-6 minutes.

Strain tea into a mug and sweeten to taste with honey.

To serve iced, chill for 20-30 minutes and serve over ice as shown below. Again, this herbal tea will not be as dark as regular tea.

Here is the first in a short series of DIY Herbal Teas (do-it-yourself). No tea bags required! From the website www.about.com.

1 1/2 cups loosely packed sage leaves
1 large lemon
2 tbsp sugar
4 cups boiling water
sage sprigs or lemon wedge, for garnish

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan and maintain a slight simmer (not a full, rolling boil). Separate sage leaves from stems and discard stems. Using a vegetable peeler, remove rind from lemon in 3-inch long strips.

Add sage, lemon strips, juice from lemon, and sugar to simmering water. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Maintain simmer for 30 minutes, covering saucepan with lid.

Strain tea into a heat-resistant pitcher. Can be served hot. For sipper, chill tea for 1-2 hours. Serve over ice with garnish, if desired.

This herbal tea will not be as dark as regular tea.

Garnished with sage leaves: