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Hi, everyone!

It's just starting to get hot here in the West Chester area…what’s it like where you are?  Hot? Humid? Are you looking for a way to beat the heat? I have two refreshing little words for you: Iced Tea.

I think everyone has their own special iced tea recipe…my grandmother used to steep loose black tea leaves on her stove for hours. Then, she strained it, added LOTS of sugar, and I thought it was the best drink in the world. But what about making flavored teas like you see in the photo above?

Red Berry Iced Tea

Ingredients:

• 6 red herb tea bags

• 4 oz fresh raspberries

• 8 oz fresh strawberries

• 8 oz fresh watermelon

Directions:

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and add the tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes (more or less depending on the strength of tea desired) and then remove the tea bags from the water. If desired, sweeten with sugar, honey, or agave syrup, to taste.

1. Pour the tea into a pitcher, refrigerate until chilled, and add the fresh fruit when ready to serve.

Mojito Iced Green Tea

Ingredients:

• 6 green tea bags

• 2 lemons, sliced

• 2 limes, sliced

• 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves

• 1 small bunch mint leaves

Directions:

1. Prepare the green tea, as per above instructions.

1. Gently crush the basil and mint leaves in a mortar and pestle or a small ceramic bowl with the back of a wooden spoon, to release the fresh oils. Set aside the muddled herbs.

1. Pour the green tea into a pitcher, refrigerate until chilled, and then add lemon slices, lime slices, and the muddled fresh herbs. Serve chilled.

Orange Chai Iced Tea

Ingredients:

• 6 chai tea bags

• 24 oz orange juice

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 2 oranges, sliced

Directions:

1. Prepare the chai tea, as per above instructions.

1. Bring the orange juice to a gentle simmer in a sauce pot. Place the cinnamon sticks into the orange juice, turn off the heat, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the orange juice. Combine the chai tea and the flavored orange juice, and then refrigerate until chilled. Add the orange slices and serve chilled.

Hope these sound as refreshing to you as they do to me!  Remember you can always access recipes like my Iced Tea 3 Ways on one central page…just search “Jill’s Recipes” and you can sort by category. To print, look for the handy little icon at the top right of the recipe page.

Stay cool out there!
—Jill