One of the things that they make at the Landmark restaurant in Dallas is a fruit lemonade. The flavor changes daily; watermelon, honeydew…. The drinks are so refreshing, so good, and so unique that of course I wanted to be able to replicate them at home. Since it is lemonade I knew there would be lemon juice..but you know me..I wanted to take it a step further.

White tea. Adding the tea gives the flavor another depth and it is really good. White tea is very delicate so it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the fruit, in this case honeydew.

For an added intensity try this with Republic of Tea’s Honey Dew White Tea

Honeydew-Lime Iced Tea

• 6 cups cubed honeydew melon
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup sugar, more or less to taste
• 2 tea bags of white tea, or amount of white tea leaves to make 2 cups of strong tea
• 1/2 cup lime juice

1. Bring water and sugar just to a boil. stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
2. Add tea or tea bags and allow to steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Let come to room temperature.
4. Check to make sure there are no stray seeds on melon. Blend the melon in a blender with the white tea until it is a liquid. Blend in the sugar and lime at low speed, just until sugar dissolves.
5. Pour over ice and serve with a lime wedge.

Makes about 6 servings depending on size

image:marye audet

A new mall opened last winter not too far from me. It is basically and outdoors mall, not the closed in mole tunnels that you usually think of  when you hear the word mall…

Anyway, this one has water fountains and they are done in such a way that the kids can play in them in the summer. The grass is astroturf so it doesn’t get muddy. And, best of all, the mall provides towels for the guests. I took Kyrie down there a week or so ago and she had a blast playing in all of the fountains. The just shoot up from the ground.

We didn’t stay very long for a couple of reasons so K-Bug did not get too much sun… she DID have an awesome time though.

My oldest daughter, Erin, took her three kids to play in the water with different results. I guess they stayed a bit longer than we had but the kids ended up looking like lobsters, boiled lobsters.

My favorite home remedy for sunburn is black tea. If you have burnt a small area then just steep some tea and place the bags on the burn while you sip the tea. For more all over burning float tea bags in a cool bath. Use enough to get the water a good tea color and just soak while the tannins in the tea work on healing that burn. If the burn is especially bad it may take a couple of soaks but at the very least you will be feeling better.

I know it sounds weird, but it works. Use cheap, grocery store variety black tea bags. If you get a sunburn give it a try.

I have been on the lookout for various teas that can be used for chilled drinks and popsicles lately. Of those that I have tried I think that (so far, anyway) Stash’s Mangosteen Green Tea is on the top of my list.

The tea is a nice amber, almost diluted cola color with a pinkish tinge. The flavor is what is outstanding. I used a little sweetener and it brought out the complex flavors. I am really not sure whether to describe this as cherry coke or chocolate cherry or something in between. Fruity and sweet with just a slight tang…I think I lean toward cherry coke. Not the chemically cherry coke of the 21st century but the old fashioned cherry cokes where you mixed coke and a little cherry juice. I am pretty sure that this is going to be the next popsicle flavor at our house.

I really liked the strength and flavor of this tea, and the kids liked it as well. It would be a great base for punch, mixed with club soda for Italian sodas, or even slushees. Give it a try and see what you think. I am not a big fan of green tea but this one is superb.

image:maryeaudet

One of the things I used to love about summertime was the homemade popsicles that my mom made from koolaide in the little tupperware things. Once they were put in the freezer it was hard to wait until they were frozen. I never much liked the commercial variety of popsicles buthomemade ones have always been one of my favorite things.

Mmmmm...Tea Popsicles!

As I have gotten older I like different flavors. Since I am an ice junkie anyway a popsicle is just added pleasure. You can make them out of any tea or coffee, just like the ones you make for the kids. In fact, you can make tea popsicles with two or three different teas. Just freeze one layer, then another, and so on. Some great teas to try this with are the white tea and fruit blends. They are light, refreshing, and sweet.

Just make sweet tea and let it come to room temperature. Pour into popsicles molds and place in the freezer until frozen solid. You may want to make the tea a little sweeter than normal.

Hey, don’t let the kids have all the fun!

Image:sxc

I fought trying Stash Acai Berry herbal tea for one reason. I am tired of the acai berry hype. Seriously, folks! Acai berry is not the answer to your weight problems, IBS, or Male Pattern Baldness! I am so tired of seeing it in everything.

That being said……I did get the tea..you know..curious-i-tea and all.

I like it. It reminds me of raspberry in an odd way. Tangy and fruity and sweet all at the same time, but there is another hard to identify taste there as well. I know it sounds weird but almost a coffee flavor in the aftertaste. This would be an awesome Italian soda when mixed with club soda, or a great healthy  koolaide substitute for the kids.  The color is a really pretty burgundy I can see someone making popsicles out of it..or sherbet… I think it will be a great addition to my flavoring ingredients shelves!

The kids all like it as well.  With a little sugar added it is perfect.

If you are looking for a flavorful herbal tea that the whole family will enjoy try this. If you like fruity raspberry/green apple/cherry flavors this is something you might enjoy.

image:via amazon

So, as some of you know, I worked hard this past week trying to get a menu done for my daughter’s baby shower. I wanted it to be just right, not because it was her first shower (this is her third adorable child) but because Erin is just that awesome.

After a lot of thought and research I ended up with:

• Balsamic and basil strawberries
• Mango chicken salad tea sandwiches
• Spicy curried chicken tea sandwiches
• Mushroom, bacon, and Parmesan palmiers
• Earl Grey truffles
• Chocolate Irish Cream coffee
• Custom roast coffee
• Custom blended tea
• A selection of other teas.
• Sherbet punch

and of course, cake. Not just any cake but almond cake with alternating green tea and cherry filling. Most of the recipes will be showing up over at baking delights over the next few days, but some of them will be showing up here.

Balsamic Strawberries & Basil

Just thought you would like to see some pictures. If you are planning a baby shower, this menu works well for doing ahead. I spent most of the day friday doing the cake so didn’t have much time for anything else. It HAD to be easy and quick and transportable. It was 95 degrees, the church is 30 minutes away and I don’t have air conditioning in my van.

The cake I made for the baby shower

The lady that did the decor did an awesome job! I love the way she took vintage items and massed them together.

Vintage decor for the shower created sweet ambiance.

Apparently this lady collects items from thrift stores, antique shops, and garage sales and then uses them in a sort of cottage chic style to decorate for various celebrations.  I loved it!

Anyway, here are some ideas if you are looking for them. The shower was a big hit and we had a great time.

images:marye audet

East is meeting west as Bigelow and AriZona teas team up to create a new line of organic ready to drink tea.

The flavors they are offering are:

Organic Green Tea Acai White Cranberry : Regarded as a miracle fruit by many, the acai berry’s tantalizing tropical flavor blends exquisitely with white cranberry to create a uniquely flavorful green tea.

·          Organic Green Tea Original Green: The pure, clean flavor of perfectly brewed, all natural green tea … light, refreshing and rich in nutritional benefits.

·          Organic Green Tea Lemon Ginger : Delightfully subtle yet tart, its delicate, lemony flavor is balanced with the gentle spice of ginger.

·          Organic Green Tea Mango Lychee : Fantastically fruity! Juicy mango and exotic lychee combine for a unique and delectable taste of refreshment.

They are made with organic sugar cane and sound like they might be a nice change from cokes and other heavily sweetened drinks when you want something besides water or plain sweet tea.

I wish that when companies send out press releases they would also send samples because it is really hard for me to talk about something I haven’t tried. I like Bigelow Teas, and I like that they are increasingly becoming more involved with organics. Arizona has always made really good stuff so I expect this will be good as well.  How could you go wrong with Green Tea, Mango, Lychee? YUM! Anyway, if they offer me a sample I will let you know what I think. If you happen to try it, let me know what you think…deal?

image: courtesy of Bigelow, used by permission.

Yep.  The temperatures have officially hit over the 80 degree mark here in Texas (more than once) and it is now officially sweet tea season.  Get your glucose meters out.

I did not grow in up the south. We moved to Texas when I was about 10 or 11, but by the time I was 16 I recognized that sweet tea was an institution that was taken as seriously as football in this area.  Not everyone could make it right. My mom, for example, bless her Midwestern heart, bought presweetened instant tea with lemon.  God rest her soul.

No, tea was an art form, perfected by generations of women that talked like Paula Deen, and knew that sweet tea was the answer to everything life threw at their families.  Open any refrigerator door in the South in the early 1970s and there would be a pitcher (probably tupperware) of sweet tea looking back at you.  Center shelf.

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If you didn’t realize it, I am a foodie before I am a coffee-head/tea freak.  Sometimes I forget that many of you only read this blog and have no clue about Baking Delights, which is actually the bigger,more popular blog.  One of the things that doesn’t change is that I like to use coffee and tea in my cooking.

Courtney, who writes Coco Cooks, shared a link to an online magazine that looks wonderful.  In this particular issue all of the recipes centered on desserts made with….tea.  Masala Chai Creme Brulee?  Green Tea Tiramisu?  Wow!

They did look absolutely incredible and I am hoping to get a few of them done and posted.  In the mean time..check out Desserts Magazine.

image:marye audet