October is here!
Hello Beautiful Souls,
This is my favorite time of year! The weather starts to change a bit for us here in CA, and I look forward to a little rain. If nothing else, the light changes and nights grow longer and cool down. All the fall foods this time of year are my favorite. I love warm apple pies and pumpkin spice everything! Hot drinks on cold nights - maybe with a little Irish whiskey splashed in - and being curled up with a book and a cat at my feet. Where I live, it almost never gets cold enough to warrant a fire, but I do it anyway because having a fire going is soothing for my soul. The sound of licking flames and the smell of the wood burning is something I don't often get to enjoy. It is truly a treat!
Speaking of foods…
What are some of your go-to favorites? Do you make them yourself at home? Do you enjoy them at a favorite restaurant or bake shop?
For me, teas and coffees complement baked goods in the autumn and winter months like no other combination for me. It’s comforting and brings back memories of my Mother teaching me how to bake when I was little. Since it was always too warm in the spring and summer months to do much baking, autumn became the chance to learn. Something I remember learning to do in the autumn first, was pumpkin bread, then perhaps apple and pumpkin pies. My Mother, was raised in Virginia and no matter whose home you visited, coffee, tea and something sweet was always offered. She passed this tradition on to me as well, so I enjoy the effort it takes to share my baked goods with friends and family.
Let’s talk Tea
Did you know that in India, their most prominent drink is tea? Not only that, they are the world’s largest producer, exporter, and consumer of tea! Arguably, they offer some of the best teas in the world that are characterized by their full-bodied flavor and rich, deep color. India's prized teas are Darjeeling teas, Assam, and Nilgiri teas while Chai is more common in Northern India.
Not only can you find tea sold in trains and bus stations, but many vendors called Chai Wallahs will specially prepare the comforting drink for their patrons. Garam Cha, meaning hot tea, is usually accompanied with samosas or pakoras (Indian fried snacks). Chai Wallahs typically serve Chai in low fired clay cups called “kullarhs” which are handmade out of native clay in open fires. Here's the best part, an average Indian has four chai breaks in a day! Yes, please! At about 4 pm, they may even enjoy some chai savory snacks like farsan or nashta.
I do believe Americans would be in a better mood if we also took proper tea breaks with a bite of sweet in the middle of our day.
I have here for you a lovely simple Green Cardamom Chai recipe. Everyone is familiar with using black teas, but it can be made with green tea as well, and it will cut the caffeine down a bit. I hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to know what you think of it!
I hope you have a marvelous autumn season with many fond memories to be made. Be well on your journey and be present in the moment.
Love and Light,
Shara
Do stop by and take a peek at our Instagram because I do writing prompts every Wednesday. The current writing prompt is what do you love most about Autumn. You can also follow us on Facebook.
About Our Free Printables
We love to support artists, so all of the graphics used in our printables were made by Mercedes or purchased from other artists selling their graphic assets. Please respect the work and remember that these printouts are for personal use only. If you liked the graphics used for Green Cardamom Chai, you can purchase them here to use in your own projects! Thank you and enjoy!
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