Hey guys!
I am back from my long weekend in North Carolina. And boy, was it refreshing. Three full days of people I love and trust more than anything. Sometimes I forget how privileged I am to have various communities of people around the globe who care for and love me in the way they do. These deep friendships and relationships are borne out of effort, intentionality and love that spans across states and grows stronger with time. This weekend I was reminded of the blessing that the community up in Boiling Springs is to me. It's just a really special place and a gift to my heart.
Anyway, all sentimental stuff aside... I wanted to drop in to share some photos from the chai party we had Sunday afternoon after church! In my last post, I mentioned my friend Charlene and that she was a mentor of mine years ago, before she and her husband Grant moved to India to work as missionaries. Before she left, she taught me how to make chicken curry and a simple and delicious chai recipe that I've used ever since whenever I'm craving something subtly sweet and full of Indian spice. I promise to share a tutorial on how to make the perfect cup of chai later this week (once I get a chance to visit the grocery store again!) but, until then, here are some cute photos from our get-together.
We made three or four pots full of the delicious chai. I thought it would be way too much, but it was such a hit that we had to constantly refill our friends mugs with tea, sugar and cinnamon.
The cutest little set of chai cups, borrowed from a friend for the party. Whenever I get to visit India, it's a top priority of mine to find the perfect chai set for myself. I just loved the burnt orange and teal in this set. And I love the aesthetic with the hand-painted lines. Just so great!
Here are our American snacks: buttery pretzels, dark chocolates, peanuts, chocolate raspberry cookies, orange cranberry oatmeal cookies, and butter shortbread cookies. I couldn't stop dunking the chocolate cookies into my tea. Heavenly.
Some of the guys gathered together outside, so the ladies enjoyed the air conditioning and catching up around the dinner table. (I mean, I was within arms length of the chai, so it was perfect for me!)
Charlene and I, with some fresh cardamom and Indian black tea. I'm almost fully restocked and ready to throw a party of my own now. <3 I love this woman so much!
I'd love to go visit Grant and Charlene in India before I turn 27, so my time is ticking away... I have a little over two years to make it happen. Anyone else have a burning desire to visit India? Have you ever had authentic Indian chai? I'll be back later this week with that chai tutorial.
K
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ReplyDeleteHey Kaitlyn! I usually use cardamom for just my mango lhassi, I've never tried it with my chai. I usually go to the indian food market and get Red Label black tea. I boil the water on the stove then steep the tea like normal, taking the bags out after about 5 minutes of steeping. Then I put slices of fresh ginger in the pot with some sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I then take a strainer and pour the tea in another container. Then steam some milk and voila! Chai latte :)
ReplyDeleteOh man, Brooke. That sounds amazing. I'm going to try adding ginger to black tea... two things I love so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm posting my chai recipe soon. Try it and let me know how you like it! :)