“Making it Fall, Y’all” by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

I’ve had to smile at the common thread that’s been weaving its way through the porch this week. In short, the prevailing wisdom here at SBV suggests that sans the dropping temperatures signaling its arrival elsewhere in the land, southerners have learned to approach fall as more of an attitude. If the calendar says it is fall, then by golly, fall it is! Long before our stubborn trees give up a single leaf and regardless of whether we need shorts and flip flops or jeans and sweaters, we take our make-the-best-of-it upbringing and deem that the season has arrived.

We start tossing cinnamon in this and nutmeg in that. Never you mind the hum of the air conditioner, you’ll find us pulling out our pumpkin recipes right along with our seasonal decorations. And at least at this house, the first official ode to fall begins, unofficially known as The Making of the Tea.

It’s a tradition traced back to my Mama’s house and everything about it feeds my soul from the colors to the smells to the memories of countless cups shared with family and friends– just like y’all. Hence, I give you Fall’s Favorite Spice Tea and wish you many warm blessings from my home to yours!

“Fall’s Favorite Spice Tea”

1 cup instant tea

2 cups lemonade mix

2 cups Tang instant breakfast drink

1 cup sugar (option)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. allspice

We’ll begin by measuring out a cup of instant tea, two cups of lemonade mix, two cups of Tang instant breakfast drink and one cup sugar. Mix this up with a teaspoon each of ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and allspice and store it in the pantry in a closed container. Now, whenever you feel the hankering for a great cup of spice tea, just heat a mug full of water and stir in 2-3 heaping teaspoons, depending on how strong you like it. Believe it or not, I used to put 2 full cups of sugar in this recipe. These days I either use half the amount of sugar or leave it out completely! I think there’s plenty sweetness in the Tang and lemonade mix. You can always add a teaspoon to your cup if you need it sweeter.

Oh, and if you want a quick wassail flavor, just substitute orange juice for the water. This also makes a really nice gift. Just put it in a pretty container, tie a bow around the top and attach the recipe!

Hugs,
Shellie

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson in an author, speaker, radio host and Belle of All Things Southern once asked her husband to build a fire in the fireplace while the air conditioner was running so it would “feel like fall”. He declined. Sigh.

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