My Favorite Iced Tea

Oh summer- the time when all I drink it seems is water, iced coffee and iced tea.  But I'm picky about my iced tea; I don't like that stuff that comes in a can, or a bottle.  Nope.  Only the home made stuff for me.  And its so easy to make, why wouldn't you make some homemade iced tea.  There are endless ways to make it your own!  I especially like using herbal tea bag, usually fruity.  I find them refreshing.  But I have used regular ol' black tea and its turned out nice too.  This formula, I guess, is for my current favorite iced tea.  Its refreshing, not too sweet, and caffine-free so you can sip it into those hot summer nights.

You need the basic iced tea materials: A kettle (or a pot and stove), a heat-proof pitcher (I got this Le Crueset one from Winners for 15 bucks!) and some tea bags.  I'm into the herbal berry teas byCelestial  Seasonings, but my absolute favorite is the Very Berry tea from Clipper Teas.  I just ran out when I was making this pitcher.  It turned out really nice too.  Not pictured it the sweetener you want to use.  I use honey most of the time.  You can use a wet or dry sweetener, it doesn't matter.  

Ingredients:

4 tea bags, any kind

3 cups boiling water

2 tbsp sweetener (or more or less according to your own taste)

4-5 cups cold water

Ice to serve

Any garnishes that you want, I used limes and cherries

Method:

1) Boil your water in a kettle or on the stove. 

2) In your pitcher or another heatproof container, steep your tea bags in the water for 15-20 minutes.

3) After you have steeped the tea, you will have a concentrated tea base for your iced tea.  While the tea is still hot, add you sweetener, and stir well.  Make sure that your sweetener is melted, dissolved and incorporated into the base.  

4) Taste.  You want it to be sweeter than you want the finished tea to be because you will be dilouting the tea with water and ice.

5) Add cold water to the tea.  Start with 4 cups and keep increasing until you have the strength of tea desired.  I like pretty strong tea, so I don't add the full 5 cups.  

6) Stir well, and that's it!  Serve in glasses filled with ice and any garnish!  Sip and feel Southern!

We like to sit outside and read and talk while sipping iced tea.  Its a pretty Southern thing to do.  Can we take a minute to look at the cool lids I found for mason jars??!:

They are made by Ball, and they were super cheap.  I got 4 lids and 4 reusable plastic straws for 2 bucks!  They were great for keeping the bees and wasps away.  If you don't have the time to make your own, these are a great buy.  You can use them without the straws, that is my favorite part about these lids.  

Enjoy!  

Cocktails: The classic G&T

Ah summer, when I get all my drinking for the year done.  Since I don't work in the summer, I don't have to worry about pesky early mornings, or "bedtimes."  It becomes the time of the year (other than Christmas) that I can enjoy some adult beverages without the guilt or responsibility of "adult situations" creeping up on me the next morning.

In the summer, I find that I always reach for (or make or order) the classic Gin and tonic.  It is a cool, metrosexual choice for the urban yuppie.  And I have come to grips with the fact that I'm a "yuppie."  Your brother can only call you that so many times before you think about it, and realize that its probably true.  Is being a yuppie that bad?  I have a stable income, a nice home.  We can go on vacation.  I think that dude is just totally jealous.  I mean I work hard for my money; if I want to go on vacation or buy a car, I should be able to right?  When did I start to think being a yuppie was so bad anyways?  So I put fruit on my salads and eat quinoa.  They're good for you!  I still have loads of street cred.   Forget that kid, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

ANYWAYS,  I love a good G&T.  Its crisp, and refreshing.  Lately, I've been livening my drinks up.  I used to just put that good ol' drink helper, lime into my G&Ts, but now I've started being more adventurous.  Here are some of the additions that I have found to be quite tasty in a classic Gin and Tonic:

• Strawberries and mint
• Cucumber and basil (pictured above)
• Cucumber and melon
• Blueberries and thyme (I know, but trust me on this one)
• Mixed berries and lemon
• Apricot and mint
• Sliced peaches
• Lime Cordial and mint

To add any of the above, just muddle your add-ins in the bottom of the glass and add your ice and Gin and Tonic on top, and enjoy!  They taste so good, and they look pretty too.  As soon as noon hits, I'm going to have one.

What are some add-ins that I haven't thought of?  What cool combos have you added to drinks this summer?

Seasons of Love: Sangria

Ah, summer!  That time when I can drink gallons of Sangria on patios and in backyards around the city.  One thing that I love about summer drinks is the copious amount of fruit that can be put into them.  I love adding fruit to my drinks.

Sangria is a wine punch from Spain and Portugal.  I grew up around a large population of Portuguese immigrants, and one of my best friends is Portuguese, so I was introduced to Sangria really early on in my drinking career.  This drink usually consists of sliced fruits, red wine, orange juice and brandy.

Since I don't really like red wine, I always make Sangria with white wine.  I thought I would post the recipe I made up here.  The batch I made above is for a visit to a friend's house this afternoon.  We are going to sit in the yard and drink it while the men folk labor on the "top secret birthday project."

Stephanie's White Sangria (with substitutions for alcohol-free "sangria")

4 cups of dry white wine, I used a combination of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay but usually I use Chardonnay (instead of wine, I've used Ginger Beer, and it was really yummy and non alcoholic)
3 cups or more of white grape juice
1-2 peaches sliced
2 plums sliced
1 mango sliced
Fresh Mint Leaves (optional, meaning I didn't have any left)
A bottle of carbonated mineral water for serving, we use San Bennedetto Acqua Gassata
ice

Pour the wine and the grape juice over the sliced fruit.  Chill until very cold, at least one hour.  When serving, pour a half glass of carbonated water over ice.  Top up with the sangria.  Put on some big shades and sit outside sipping this awesome summer drink.  Enjoy!