The arctic weather we had here in Nashville earlier this week (highs and lows in the single digits Monday and Tuesday) put me in mind of curling up with a warm blanket and a hot drink. There’s the old stand-by sugar-free hot cocoa mix you can get at the grocery store, and even sugar-free cider mixes. But I’ve always associated cold weather with spiced tea, something my mom made a lot when I was a kid.

Sugar-Free Spiced Tea Mix

• Sugar-free “morning” orange drink (Tang, Crystal Light, etc.)–enough to make 6 quarts
• 2/3 cup unsweet instant tea mix
• 2 packages lemonade drink mix (each makes 2 qts.)
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves (I used a heaping 1/2 Tbsp.)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (again, I used a heaping 1/2 Tbsp)
• 2 cups granulated Splenda

Mix all ingredients and store in an air-tight container. (Makes approximately 4 cups of mix.)

My supermarket didn’t have the sugar-free Tang or the larger size of the Crystal Light orange morning drink (with 5-6 of the 2-quart tubs), so I ended up having to get two boxes of the individual (16.9 fluid ounce) packets, of which I used 14, because I like my spiced tea a little more on the orangey side. I also added closer to 3/4 cup of instant tea mix.

Depending on how strong you like your spiced tea, use 1-2 heaping tablespoons for a large mug (16-20 oz.) with hot water.