Iced tea. Just right sweet. Smooooooth and full-bodied taste with absolutely no bitterness. Best served with the clink of ice cubes. Wheels has become the resident iced tea maker and all around expert. And this recipe is for THE best sweetened iced tea. Ever. And it is so easy to make! Wheels starts with a good brand of tea. Luzianne or Lipton are available almost everywhere. Stock up when they are on sale. His preference is the big one gallon tea bag from Lipton. Start with four cups of water in a microwave safe container and microwave for 90 seconds. Add the tea bags, pushing them into the hot water with a spoon so that they are covered. Steep -- let them set in the water -- for a few minutes to let the water draw out the flavor. Smaller tea bags will need ... [Read More]
Tea
Lemon Blueberry Scones
I made Lemon Blueberry Scones recently. Houseguests took us out for a delicious and lingering breakfast and no one was hungry come lunch time. We waited until about 2:30 and had tea instead. Sliced melon, strawberries and other fruit, some cheese and deviled eggs made up the menu, but the star of the show was Lemon Blueberry Scones. Light and flaky, full of delectable blueberries and a whisper of lemon topped with sweet lemon glaze -- mmmm! Cut the butter into the flour and other dry ingredients quickly with a pastry cutter. You can also use a fork or two knives. The result should look like coarse cornmeal. Add the liquids and mix thoroughly but with a light touch. Overmixing will make the scones tough. Everything was breezing along and then I hit a road bump. Normally I ... [Read More]
Rosy Tea
Rosy Tea has been a winter drink at our house ever since I made it for a New Years Eve party a few years ago. It is a wonderful citrusy slice of warmth on a cold snowy day. Then last summer I discovered it was good cold and over ice cubes as well. So now I keep a carafe in the refrigerator all the time. It’s mine – well, most of the time. The guys are big coffee drinkers but I notice they sneak a glass now and then! First set the tea to steep. For this recipe, I use the yellow box brand of tea bags because it is being mixed in with the juices, “saving” flavorful and special teas for drinking by themselves. If you are doing this on the stovetop, bring water just barely to a boil, pour into a glass container (I pour it into a glass 2 quart pitcher) and add 4 teabags. OR use the ... [Read More]
Chai Tea Latte Mix
Chai Tea is just one thing I have learned about from my Secret Sisters. They’ve written beautiful notes, shared their talents in different ways and introduced me to all sorts of new indulgences. One secret sister was a tea drinker who gifted me wonderful chai tea. Mmmmmm --- a cup of delight! And of course, curiosity . . . . . . “Chai” is from India where it means “tea”. A combination of spices added to black tea in India eventually came to be associated with the word “chai” in English. Even though tea is made with milk in India, English speakers began using an Italian “latte” to indicate that fact. So when we refer to chai tea latte, we are really saying “milky tea, tea, milk”. Or something like that. . . . A little odd when it is the spices that set it apart and make it ... [Read More]