HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
When I think of tea, I automatically think of my mom. You see, while I was growing up in Nigeria the first 9 years of my life, after school it was the "norm" to have tea with my mom at 4 PM.
Instead of using regular milk, my mom added “peak milk” (also known as evaporated milk) to her tea. This results in a creamy texture with a hint of sweetness.
Fast forward 10 years later where I met my best friend Audrey at Rutgers University who also drank her tea the exact same way with the use of cinnamon. Weird, huh? It’s no wonder that Audrey quickly became one of my best friends.
Anyway, I hope you all had a fabulous Mother’s Day, I know I did! I went over to my brother’s home where I celebrated Mother’s Day with my mom, my sis-in-law, and my sister. I especially baked my Oatmeal Cake with Coconut Pecan Topping for my mom since this happens to be one of her favorite cakes.
It was such a beautiful day!
Just GORGEOUS!
My brother was outside grilling away his fabulous Grilled Potato Fries…
…while I was snapping away pictures of nature.
He also made his famous Cajun Gobi (cauliflower) which I really snacked on. He’s a brilliant cook, I think so at least.
My mom made us Rajma (kidney beans in a tomato-onion gravy), Jeera Rice (cumin rice), and Baingan Ka Bharta (sauteed eggplant and tomatoes… my favorite Indian dish) for dinner.
We also had some desserts from the bakery.
Lastly, my sis-in-law cut up fruits which we all enjoyed. See, we can be healthy, too!
Yup, my family are a bunch of eaters, but we only celebrate with food when we have major gatherings. FYI… we don’t typically eat like this all the time. 
NUTRITION: This Cuppa is not terribly high in fat, but if you want a slightly healthier version, use Evaporated Milk 2% (low fat), it tastes similar with a slightly less creamy texture. Of course, you can skip the sugar.
INGREDIENTS:
- Cinnamon Stick – ½ a stick (Green Cardamom works just as well, just use 1 piece)
- Brooke Bonde Taj Mahal – 1 teabag (another favorite is Twinning's English Breakfast)
- Boiling Water – enough to fill a cup (shown below)
- Carnation Evaporated Milk – 1 ½ tablespoon (less or more)
- Sugar – 1 teaspoon (less or more)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Start by boiling about 2 cups of water.
1. Start by boiling about 2 cups of water.
2. Place a teabag in a cup.
3. Add a cinnamon stick. Green Cardamom works just as well.
4. Pour boiling hot water.
5. Just like that.
6. Dip-dip-dip until the color from the teabag is extracted.
7. Add evaporated milk.
8. Add sugar.
9. Every sip reminds me of my mom and I having tea in Nigeria... and my best friend, Audrey!
TELL ME: How did you celebrate Mother’s Day yesterday?
SarahP says
How thoughtful of you, your such a sweet person to your mom......Anyways, I hope you are fun of cooking, why don't you try visiting also http://www.gourmetrecipe.com and foodiamond.com. You can find many interesting and exciting recipes in that site for your mom and to your family for they are bunch of eaters as you said.....You won't regret because you will learn alot!
honeywhatscooking says
@Elsa - hahahaaaaaaaaaa. Of course, in Ghana I'm sure you'll be using "peak milk", too! 🙂
Elsa says
I'm from Ghana, and this is exactly how we make our tea too! And I remember "peak milk"!
Linda says
Evaporated milk reminds me of my mom, too. She canned her own fruit and for our breakfast would whiz up a jar - juice and all - of plums, apricots, or peaches and drizzle canned milk over the top. SO GOOD!
Thanks for the memory!