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Winnipeg Chai Tea Latte Tour

| TeaKisses
What do four girls do in Winnipeg on a reading week morning? Go on a Chai tea latte tour of the city! We picked four independent coffee shops and drove around the city tasting tea. We definitely did not try all the places we would have liked to, but this is a start. Here are our ratings and some pictures. Enjoy!
This was the first place we visited and the lovely manager split the latte into four small glasses for us. What a lovely surprise!

We found out that this particular shop does not have any chai tea, so we had a latte made out of their black tea. This is why we couldn’t rate on spice.  

This was by far the best Chai tea latte. You must try this out, Dustin was right when he said we were in for a treat!

We tried Thom Bargen’s rumoured Matcha latte and it was incredible! The only downside we found was that it was a little grainy. Kind of disappointed on that point but it tasted delicious! 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

| TeaKisses

So late last night as my sister and I were sitting at the dining room table “finishing up homework” also known as being on YouTube we came to the realization that it would be a really good time for cupcakes. I looked for some easy recipes that wouldn’t take too long but still had lots of good reviews. I found some and they turned out to be the most amazing cupcakes of my life! 

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1/2 cup       softened butter
1 3/4 cup    sugar
2                 eggs
2 tsp           vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup    flour
1/2 tsp        baking powder
1/4 tsp        salt
2/3 cup       cold milk

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl with a hand held mixer. Add eggs one at a time whipping the mixture in between. Mix in the vanilla. Next add to the bowl the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. Add the milk and beat on high for a minute. Batter should be fluffy. Spoon mixture into cupcake lined tins. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown over the whole top. Should make 12 cupcakes.


Chocolate Frosting:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Cool partially, then beat with a mixer for 3 minutes or until spreadable consistency. 

Frosting Feedback:
Make sure to follow the directions carefully and do not boil for too long. A little over a minute should be perfect. If the sugar gets too hot you will end up with crunchy lumps. We had some of these but it was easy to pick them out. This recipe does not make thick icing, just a nice frosting (like what you would use on doughnuts. My sister and I both agree that it tastes like hot chocolate powder that you mixed with just a little bit of water. Delicious!

Once the cupcakes had mostly cooled I spread a thin layer of frosting on the tops of them and put them in the fridge to cool off a little more and help the frosting set. They turned out amazingly!

Celebration Dip

| TeaKisses

I posted this recipe in the beginning of the year as “Study Dip”, since then it has become fairly popular with my friends and at home. So here is a slightly revised version and a new name. I hope you enjoy this delicious dip!

Cut these up and put in a large bowl:
1      Red Pepper
1      Onion
1      Jalapeño Pepper (without the seeds and white flesh)
1      Can of Corn

Mix in a smaller bowl:
1      Avocado
8oz  Cream Cheese
1/4   Cup Miracle Whip / Mayo / Sour Cream
1      Package of Ranch Dressing Mix

Scoop the dressing mixture into the large bowl with the vegetables and mix together thoroughly.

Eat with chips, veggies or crackers.