tea and chocolate, what else is there?

There's more merry making happening here aboard the good ship Majestic. This time it's two of my favorite things... tea and chocolate.

We have a two fabulous local places to get organic herbs and such, so I have been stashing away herbs and finally made my own tea based on some of my favorites.

Here's what's inside: peppermint, rose hips, lemon balm, sage, thyme, orange peel, cloves, echinacea root, and chamomile.

I jarred it all up in spare jars we had lying around and added a honey stick to each set, and voila! Instant winter warmth and happiness.

Next is my new favorite chocolate recipe aside from the chocolate covered orange peels I wrote about in Rhythm Of The Home this season. I found these Mayan Chocolate Truffles on Pinterest and instantly fell in love.

The key here is to take the time and find all of the ingredients, don't substitute or skimp. If you do it according to the recipe exactly... whoa! It's a complex burst of flavor love. Here is the recipe I followed from Nourished Kitchen.

Ingredients (2 dozen)

• 10 ounces chocolate with 85% cocoa content, chopped coarsely
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 
• 1 vanilla bean 
• dash unrefined sea salt 
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk 
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
• cocoa powder, for dredging truffles

Instructions

1. Toss chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl with the zest of one orange, cinnamon, chipotle chili powder, the contents of one vanilla bean and a dash unrefined sea salt.
2. Bring coconut milk and coconut oil to a slow simmer in a saucepan over a moderate flame. Pour coconut milk and oil over the chopped chocolate and seasonings then stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and the mixture, or ganache, becomes thick, uniform and glossy.
3. Transfer the mixture to a plate lined with parchment paper, molding into a log as best you can, and allow it to harden in the refrigerator for eight to twelve hours, or overnight.
4. After the Mayan chocolate has hardened in the refrigerator for eight to twelve hours, remove it, unmold it from the parchment paper and carve it into irregular bite-sized chunks. Toss the chunks with cocoa powder and serve.

The thing I had the hardest time tracking down was the chipotle chile powder. Thankfully SuperJen came to the rescue and loaned me some because there was none to be found anywhere around here.  Worth ordering some for sure, what a fabulous smokey flavor!

So there you go, one recipe to mellow you out and one to give you a jolt! Enjoy!