EDITOR’S NOTE 2020: Alas, this wonderful company disbanded operations in 2018.

Instead of a chocolate turkey party favor, this year we’re sending our Thanksgiving guests home with a tin of pumpkin spice tea from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea.

Zhena blends caffeine-free rooibos tea (pronounced roy-boss) into a warm, soothing cup that mimics the flavors of pumpkin pie with vanilla, orange peel, and a trio of pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The line is organic, Fair Trade Certified and certified kosher by KSA*.

Rooibos is a bush that grows in South Africa. The name means red bush in the Afrikaans† language; the leaves steep into a red-colored brew. Honeybush is a cousin to rooibos, also cultivated in South Africa. It is similar in flavor (slightly sweeter with a fuller body) but its flowers have the aroma of honey; hence the name.

Rooibos is very healthy: no caffeine, high levels of antioxidants and low levels of tannin. Children—even infants—can drink it.

We’ve been fans of Zhena’s since we first reviewed the teas in 2007 (here’s the review).

Zhena Muzyka is a proponent of giving back (a percentage of sales goes to very worthy causes), and was an early champion of sustainable, organic and Fair Trade agriculture. She sells more than 70 Fair Trade blends, which support the mission of providing better wages and working conditions for agricultural workers (more about Fair Trade).
 
PARTY FAVORS & HOLIDAY GIFTS

Airtight tins of 22 sachets are $6.67, with free shipping on orders over $35, at Amazon.com.

For a sampler gift, Zhena’s Harvest Stackable has four tins, each with four sachets of Caramel Apple, Chocolate Truffle, Cranberry Bliss and Pumpkin Spice. They’re $8.99 at Zhenas.com.

 
TEA TALK

Learn the language of tea and be inspired to try different types of tea in our delicious Tea Glossary.
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*Some Zhena products are not certified kosher, however the rooibos teas are kosher.

†Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken in South Africa and Namibia and, to a lesser extent, in Botswana and Zimbabwe. It began to develop independently in the 18th century, an offshoot of several Dutch dialects spoken by the mainly Dutch settlers of what is now South Africa.
  

What do you get when you combine Roughly mash potatoes with mellow butternut squash and finish with fresh sage leaves crisped in brown butter? A hit!

This combination will be a crowd pleaser at the Thanksgiving table, as well as for family dinners throughout the fall and winter.

RECIPE: SMASHED POTATOES & BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH BROWN BUTTER & SAGE

Ingredients

1. COOK potatoes and squash: In 3-quart saucepan, cover the vegetable chunks with water; add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile…

2. COMBINE 2 tablespoons of the butter and all the sage in small skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Tilting pan and watching closely, cook about 3 minutes, until the butter foams and begins to brown. Keep warm.

3. DRAIN the cooked potatoes and squash, return to pan and shake 1 to 2 minutes over low heat. Roughly mash with a hand masher, leaving the mixture chunky. Over low heat, gently mix in the remaining tablespoon of butter and enough milk for consistency desired.

4. SEASON with salt and pepper. Spoon into a serving bowl and drizzle with the brown butter and sage.

MASHED POTATOES VS. SMASHED POTATOES

What’s the difference? Unlike mashed potatoes, which ideally are almost as smooth as a purée, smashed potatoes are a rough mash. More rustic (chunky) in appearance, they taste the same and require less labor to mash. A win!
  

Few desserts are more impressive than a towering triple-layer cake. This beauty is paired with raspberries and brandied whipped cream.

While Thanksgiving menus tend to favor pie (apple, mince, pecan, pumpkin, sweet potato) rather than cake, if you set a fancy table, this cake is a fitting ending to your feast.

Prep time is 30 minutes, bake time is 25 to 30 minutes. Assembly time is 10 minutes.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN LAYER CAKE WITH RASPBERRIES
& BRANDIED CREAM

Ingredients For 10 To 12 Servings

For The Cake

 
*TIP: If the raspberries aren’t sweet enough, roll them in granulated sugar.

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the pan bottoms with parchment paper (we like these the best—the pre-cut parchment rounds have handles for easy removal of the cake layer). Dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess.

2. SIFT together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl.

3. BEAT until foamy, in a large bowl with an electric mixer—on high speed, the granulated sugar, oil and eggs (about 1 minute). Reduce the mixer speed to low. In thirds, beat in the flour mixture, alternating with two additions of the pumpkin. Mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, just until smooth. Spread evenly into the cake pans.

4. BAKE the layers until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on wire cake racks for 10 minutes (check out this three tier cooling rack). Run a knife around the inside of each pan and invert onto a rack to unmold the cake. Remove the parchment paper and turn right side up. Let cool completely. (The cakes can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.)

Fresh raspberries. Photo by J. Eltovski | Morguefile.

5. MAKE the brandied cream: Use a medium bowl and an electric mixer on high speed to whip together the cream, confectioners’ sugar and brandy. Whip until the mixture is stiff. The cream can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours. If it separates, beat until stiff.

6. ASSEMBLE. Set one-third of the raspberries aside to garnish the cake. Using a small knife, split the remaining raspberries down their sides so they can be opened flat. Put one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with one third of the cream and add one-half of the split berries. Add a second layer and repeat with another third of the cream and the remaining split berries. Top with the last layer of cake and remaining cream, garnish top with the reserved raspberries. The assembled cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours (then the whipped cream starts to deflate). Serve chilled.

For the holidays, how about traditional Dijon mustard mixed with gingerbread spices? It’s a French specialty.

In French it’s called moutarde au pain d’epices; pain d’epices, which translates to spice bread, is the French word for gingerbread.

Gingerbread is one of the specialties of the Burgundy region of France. So it’s no surprise that creative cooks decided to finely grind and mix it with honey and mustard.

The subtly flavored mustard is delicious served with white meats or sausages, ham or pork. You can spread it on a sandwich, serve it with an omelet, turn it into a dip, or add it to a stuffing mix for roast chicken in a vinaigrette for for salad and crudités.

It’s something special for a foodie holiday gift. We found the Fallot brand at BienManger.com and the Pommery brand on another website, website.

Maille also makes a version with white wine, gingerbread and chestnut honey.

October 6th is National Nachos Day. Here’s a twist on nachos from the United States Potato Board, which uses baked potato wedges instead of tortilla chips.

Prep time is 25 minutes, cook time is 35 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE #1: BAKED POTATO NACHOS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Toppings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 425°F.

2. WASH the potatoes, peel and slice into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Toss and coat with olive oil, garlic salt and Mexican seasoning.

3. PLACE potato wedges in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, stirring several times, until crisp and golden brown.

4. REMOVE sheet from oven. Top potatoes with cheese, beans, tomatoes, olives, onions and chiles. Bake for 5 minutes more, until the cheese melts.

5. SERVE with optional guacamole, salsa, sour cream, etc.
 
 
RECIPE #2: MEXICAN SEASONING BLEND

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND all of the ingredients. Store in an airtight container.