Monday, December 25, 2017

12 Slays of Christmas & Holiday Chai


Cari Dubiel is making merry with Jacqueline Frost's 12 Slays of Christmas and some lovely Chai tea. Where every you are, we at Mystery Playground hope you have a wonderful holiday. 

When Holly White returns to her hometown of Mistletoe, Maine, at Christmastime, she’s wounded but relieved. Her ex-fiance has left her for a yoga instructor just weeks before the wedding. Luckily, her parents run a cozy, homey Christmas tree farm called Reindeer Games, and she’s happy to be surrounded by warmth and comfort while dealing with her pain… until murder gets in the way.
Holly finds Margaret Fenwick dead in a sleigh on her parents’ property. Mrs. Fenwick, a longtime Mistletoe denizen, made a lot of enemies in her position at the Historical Society, where she spent her time bullying the town’s shopkeepers into getting their businesses up to code. Holly’s parents are among those, and if she wants a merry Christmas for everyone, she’s got to puzzle out the murder.
I loved this light cozy. Jacqueline Frost paints a picturesque town, everyone’s favorite holiday retreat, inhabited by a lively set of characters – and suspects. Holly is a masterful amateur sleuth, sharp and witty, even as she deals with her own baggage. I can’t wait to see what mysteries she’ll solve next.
At the Reindeer Games Tree Farm, there’s a station called the Hearth, where the employees serve warm drinks for the guests. I salivated over the coffees, cocoas, and teas described in the book. Maybe in the sequel, my own Holiday Chai could appear. Check it out for yourself!

Easy Holiday Chai
You’ll need to have on hand:
-Whatever holiday spices you like the best. Some ideas: nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, clove. I like to swirl in just a bit of turmeric as well. It gives the drink an earthy flavor.
-Milk
-Honey
-Vanilla
-Chai tea bags – I like the Twinings brand
In a saucepan or kettle, boil one cup of water, plus a teaspoon of each of your favorite spices. When the water has heated through, steep one bag of tea for five minutes, covered.
Fill a mug about halfway with milk. Add honey, vanilla, and turmeric if using to taste. Microwave on high for 1 minute. 
Combine milk with tea concentrate. If you don’t use it all, the tea concentrate can be refrigerated. 

I adapted this recipe from Budget Bytes – Golden Chai.

Cari Dubiel is a libraian and writer in Northeast, Ohio. She is the author of How to Remember, which is now available for pre-orderOr sign up for her mailing list.

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