How to Steep Tea - Fun Recipes

How to Steep Tea - Fun Recipes

Victoria Knight   

A cup of tea is a part of many morning and daily rituals. Tea is an intricate part of our daily lives and no matter what you drink or when you drink it. We believe that everyone should have that perfect cup of tea every single day. Here’s our perfect method on how to make that special steep tea.

Steeping tea is actually very simple. All you need to do is pour some water over some tea leaves. But there are still some main rules to follow on how to steep tea:

1. Always use cold, fresh water for boiling. Don’t re-boil old water.
2. Pour the water over the tea directly into the cup. Not the other way around – don’t throw the tea to a cup already filled with hot water.
3. If you’re using tea in teabags, don’t squeeze the teabags after the steeping is done.
4. Always cover the cup with something (e.g. a small plate) for the entire time of steeping.
5. When steeping is done remove the leaves immediately.
6. Don’t let the tea to cool down, drink it while it’s warm.

The most popular types of tea and their perfect steeping conditions.

• Black tea: 0.5 teaspoon per cup; water temperature 96°C (205°F); steep for 3 minutes.
• Green tea: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 65-80°C (150-175°F); 3-4 minutes.
• Oolong: 0.5 tsp/cup; temp. 90°C (195°F); 3-6 minutes.
• White tea: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 80-85°C (175-185°F); 7-9 minutes.
• Red tea (Pu-erh): 0.5 tsp/cup; temp. 96°C (205°F); 3-7 minutes.
• Yellow tea: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 90°C (195°F); 3 minutes.
• Rooibos: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 96°C (205°F); 3-5 minutes.
• Honeybush: 1 tsp/cup; temp. 96°C (205°F); 5-8 minutes.

Steep Tea Preparation

Steep Time
It’s really a matter of personal preference. Whole leaf teas take a notably longer time to reach their optimum flavor. Our general rule of thumb is 4 to 5+ minutes for herbal tea and black tea and 3 to 4 minutes for white tea and green tea, which can become bitter if over-steeped. Try steeping these for 2 min, then start sipping every 30 seconds until you find your ideal flavor. Traditional paper tea bags have a much shorter steep time - 2 min or less - because the cut of the tea is much finer.

Steeping Temperature
If black and herbal teas are not steeped at hot enough temperatures, they can lack the full depth and breadth of flavor. Meanwhile, for green and white teas, adding water that’s too hot can scald the tea and release an off flavor. The basic rule: Steep black, herbal and red teas at full boil (around 208˚ - 212˚F) and green and white teas just off-boil (around 170˚ - 185˚F). Don’t forget that altitude affects your boil temp. Where we live, at 6,600 feet above sea level, water boils at 200˚F (which means we often burn our mouths on that first sip of tea at sea level).

Preparing Loose Tea
Use 1 teaspoon of loose tea per large cup or use a kitchen scale to measure out the perfect cuppa. We recommend around 2.5 or 2.7 grams, depending on the type of tea and personal preference.

The main things to remember are to use the right water, get it to the right temperature, and don’t use too much or too little of your chosen tea. Then, don’t let the leaves sit in the water for too long or take them out too quickly.

Once you figured out how long your tea needs to be steeped and at what temperature, give it a shot. It might take you a few tries to get your tea to taste just the way you want it to, but once you get it right, you’ll be able to prepare your favorite tea perfectly every time.

Many teas remain good for a second or third steeping, and you may even notice different flavors emerging when you reuse the leaves or bag.

How to Make Hibiscus Tea - Fun Recipe

How to Make Hibiscus Tea - Fun Recipe

Victoria Knight   

Hibiscus tea is not only tasty and delicious, it’s also good for health. Learn how to make your own hibiscus tea which has some amazing benefits. Make this with either fresh or dried flowers and choose to have it as a hot cup of tea or as hibiscus iced tea because either way it’s delicious and really good for you.

Agua de Jamaica (aka Hibiscus tea) is an infusion of dried hibiscus flowers. Popular at Mexican taquerias, this agua fresca is loaded with Vitamin C and can even lower blood pressure.

Hibiscus tea is an herbal tea made from the petals and sepals - the green plant part found just below the petals - of the hibiscus plant. There are several hundred different species of the hibiscus plant, although the dried flowers from the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant are most common for teas. The beverage is wildly popular in the Caribbean and the Mexican peninsula.

If you’ve ever had red zinger tea from Celestial Seasonings, it’s a little like that. Or a little like cranberry juice. With a squeeze or two of lime juice, it becomes almost punch-like.

Hibiscus Tea INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups fresh Hibiscus Flowers (or 1/2 cup dried Hibiscus Flowers)
• 8 cups Water
• 1/4 cup Honey (add more if you like your tea sweeter)
• 3 tablespoons fresh Lime Juice

Hibiscus Tea INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepping hibiscus flowers: If using fresh hibiscus flowers, remove the calyx or the green part at the base of the flower to which the stem is attached. You can also remove the pistil which is the thin thread like tube in the middle of the flower which has pollens attached to it or you can choose to keep it. You don’t need to do this if you are using dried flowers.
2. Boil the tea: Bring the hibiscus flowers and water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water starts boiling, switch off the flame and cover the vessel. At this point, you can also add other herbs or add ins such as basil, lemon grass, lemon zest etc. Let the tea steep for 15-20 minutes. Mix in the honey and lime juice till completely combined. Strain the tea.
3. Serving Hibiscus Tea: You can either serve hibiscus tea warm or you can chill it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Either way it tastes delicious!

You can add some of your favorite flavors to this tea. Basil, lemon grass, lemon zest and mint all taste really nice with hibiscus.

How to Make Matcha Tea - Fun Recipe

How to Make Matcha Tea - Fun Recipe

Victoria Knight   

Matcha is a green powder, traditionally made from ground Japanese green tea leaves. As matcha comes in a powder form it needs to be whisked with water, or milk, in order to drink it. Preparing your own matcha is a very straight forward task and is a nice therapeutic 5 mins just to yourself! Our quick and easy steps on how to make matcha tea will help you make the perfect matcha every day.

Recognised as a healthy food, Matcha Tea also contains extremely high levels of antioxidants. It is associated with providing a number of wonderful health benefits. One serve of matcha tea is said to be 10 x more potent than a regular cup of green tea!

Follow our easy steps on how to prepare matcha tea below.

Matcha Tea Ingredients

• 1 1/4 tsp matcha powder
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (or stevia to taste // more or less to preference + depending on sweetness of macadamia and coconut milk)
• 1 Tbsp hot water
• 3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 3/4 cup macadamia nut milk

Matcha Tea Instructions

1. Add matcha powder to your serving mug along with sweetener of choice and hot water.
2. Whisk with a bamboo whisk or a metal whisk until completely dissolved. If you don’t have a bamboo whisk, you can use a spoon or a metal whisk or even blend the latte in a blender. Bamboo whisks are gentle on the matcha and also help it dissolve more completely. So if you like matcha, I recommend investing! Otherwise, use what you have. Latte can also be made cold over ice. Simply add all ingredients plus a handful of ice to a jar, cover, and shake vigorously to combine.
3. Once the matcha is completely dissolved, heat* your coconut and macadamia milk (or other dairy-free milks). I added mine to a frothing pitcher and steamed on our espresso machine, but you could also heat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot and steamy. To get more froth, you can whisk vigorously or use a handheld frother.
4. Pour dairy-free milk into your mug – latte art optional. Taste and add more sweetener if needed. I found that, when I used the macadamia nut milk, I only needed a bit of maple syrup or stevia to sweeten.

The instructions are very similar to making matcha the easy way shown above. Enjoy Matcha Tea immediately.

Soft White Sandwich Bread Recipe

Soft White Sandwich Bread Recipe

Victoria Knight   

White Bread recipe is made with basic ingredients & detailed instructions showing how to make bread! Done in just over an hour this recipe is one of the best soft white sandwich bread recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP yeast
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1 egg whisked with 1 TBSP water to brush on top

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Add yeast; let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add the canola oil, egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes.
3. Form dough into a smooth ball. Keeping the dough in the bowl, spray with non-stick spray and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
4. Punch down dough.  Knead for 1 minute. Take the dough and cut it evenly in two.
5. Form each into a loaf by rolling it into an oblong shape then tucking and pinching the ends under the loaf.
6. Place each loaf in a bread pan. Brush thoroughly with egg mixture.
7. Let loaf sit while oven is preheating to 400 degrees F, or about 10 minutes. It bakes at a higher temp than other bread recipes. Make sure your oven rack is on a lower setting so that the top doesn't burn!
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until outside is golden brown and internal temperature of loaf registers 195-200 degrees.
9. Let cool. Slice & enjoy with butter!

How to Make Sun Tea - Fun Recipe

How to Make Sun Tea - Fun Recipe

Victoria Knight   

Sun tea seems to capture the essence of bright summer sunshine in a refreshing iced tea. There is no substitute for a big glass of freshly brewed iced tea on a hot summer day. It's a classic summertime drink - iced tea brewed by the sun and flavored with fresh mint and orange slices.

Sun Tea Ingredients

1. 10 – 12 tea bags (depending on how strong you like your iced tea)
2. 3 medium oranges, sliced
3. Bunch of fresh mint leaves
4. 1 gallon water

The Directions

• About 9am, fill your pitcher with the water, and tea bags.
• The reason for the screw on top, is so that ants don't get to the tea.
• Let the tea sit in the sun for most of the day, a prime full sun location is best.
• When bringing the tea in, boil one cup, and then mix it with the sugar (but, in the summer, the heat from outside can be enough to dissolve the sugar).
• Boiling the cup of tea only helps to make dissolving the sugar easier.
• Combine the sugar, tea, and more water to make one gallon.
• Serve with thick 1 1/2" wedges of lemon.
• It usually takes 4-6 hours of being in the sun, in order to steep.
• You can eye ball the tea, and bring it in, after the tea looks dark enough.
• Since the tea is best served cold, put it in the fridge right away.
• It does not last as long as boiled tea for some reason.
• And I usually leave the tea bags in the jug until the tea is gone.
• Then, I take the tea bags and sprinkle them in my flower garden, or over my roses.

After three hours, the tea should be steeped and dark. If you want a stronger tea, leave it out another hour or two, but not more than five hours total. Remove the tea bags and discard, and refrigerate your steeped tea.

Sun tea is so refreshing and so easy! I used the Splenda option since I am trying to watch calories. Some may find it a little strong for them- if so just add some additional ice or a little water. We are iced tea drinkers so a little strong is good.

Soft & Buttery Potato Bread Recipe

Soft & Buttery Potato Bread Recipe

Victoria Knight   

Potato Bread made with butter, milk, flour, eggs, and your favorite mashed potatoes. Potato Bread recipe that’s easy to make & has a fantastic buttery flavor and a light texture.

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk heated to 110 degrees
• 1 TBSP active dry yeast
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour about, more for dusting work surface

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 170 degrees F and move an oven rack to the center position. (When it's Fall/ Winter, it's best to let your homemade bread dough rise in the warm oven, as opposed to on a drafty counter top. In the summer/ spring, I can get away with leaving it out in the sun. Not now though when it's 43 degrees outside!)
2. In a medium sized bowl (or a stand mixer bowl, like I use!), mix the mashed potatoes, eggs, salt and butter.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the warm milk and 2 TBSP of the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add in the yeast and let it sit, to proof until the mixture begins to bubble up.
4. Turn your oven off. (You just need it warm, not hot!) Add the potato mixture to your proofed yeast.
5. Using the dough hook on your mixer, add in the remaining sugar, as well as the flour in 1 cup at a time, allowing the flour to be incorporated before adding more. If you live in a relatively humid area, you might need an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Knead for 3 minutes. If the dough is still really sticking to the bottom, then add a tablespoon more flour. If it's sticking a little bit, that's fine, no need to add more flour. (Slightly sticky dough often yields soft & tender bread!)
6. Continue to let the machine kneed the dough for about 5 more minutes; The dough should knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total.
7. Dump out the dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Round the dough with your hands and place it in a lightly greased mixing bowl. Turn the dough over so the side with grease on it now faces up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise in the warm oven until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
8. Remove the dough from the oven and punch it down to deflate. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface large enough to roll it out. At this point, divide the dough into two even halves if you're making "normal" sized loaves. I have a 12" bread pan, so I made 1 large loaf! Roll the dough into a long rectangle. It should be about as wide as the loaf pan you plan to bake it in. Carefully roll the dough from short end to short end, and pinch and fold the ends underneath along the seam. Place the dough, seam side down, in a lightly greased bread/loaf pan.
9. Place loaf into the warm oven to rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You're ready to bake it when the dough has risen about 1 inch above the rim.
10. When dough has risen sufficiently, turn the oven on to 375 degrees. Bake the loaves on the middle rack for 25 to 35 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 190 degrees and crust is a deep golden brown. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Brush with butter.
11. Slice and serve, or wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then tin foil to store in the freezer.

How Long Does Potato Bread Last?

When kept in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature, you can expect your loaf of potato bread to last up to a week, or more.

Tomato Parmesan Flatbread Recipe

Tomato Parmesan Flatbread Recipe

Victoria Knight   

Tomato Parmesan Flatbread recipe made from scratch and topped with fresh tomato, basil and Parmesan cheese. Soft & flavorful homemade flatbread to go alongside dinner. Tomato Parmesan Flatbread is the perfect bread to go alongside a variety of dinners. It’s soft and has great flavor due to the fresh slices of tomato and basil on top.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp 1 packet yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 4 TBSP olive oil divided
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 medium tomato
• fresh basil to garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Combine warm water and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir a few times, until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let sit for about 5 minutes, until yeast looks frothy and is bubbling. Add in salt, minced garlic, 2 TBSP olive oil and onion powder. Mix until combined. Continue mixing with a dough hook (or kneading by hand) and additional 5 minutes. Cover let sit in a warm place until nearly double in size, about 30-45 minutes.
2. While you're waiting for the dough to rise, slice tomato thin and set on paper towels to absorb a lot of the moisture.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to baking sheet. Dough will be sticky- put a little olive oil on your hands, then gently spread dough out a bit, until it's a rounded 12" oval. Drizzle remaining 2 TBSP olive oil on top of dough. Sprinkle about half the cheese, then arrange tomato slices on dough. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese on top of the flatbread is beginning to brown. Let cool and slice to serve. Top with thin slices of fresh basil if you'd like.
6. Enjoy!

Wedding Dresses For Older Brides Second Weddings

Wedding Dresses For Older Brides Second Weddings

Victoria Knight   

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Here is a list of our favorite wedding dress styles for older women: Choose from wedding dresses for older brides second weddings to perfectly illuminate the spirit of vogue. If you are finding it hard to find the right. 15 wedding dress ideas for older brides short maternity.

‘victoriana’ bridal jumpsuit, phase eight. 2017 formal reception modest wedding dresses with cap. ‘constantinople’ by eliza jane howell. 33 nontraditional wedding dresses because brides dont. Older brides have many options for their second time wedding dress. These examples show how fun it is to show off your personal style. Some are simple with clean lines while others feature extensive beadwork and textured details. The best second wedding dresses for 2022. If you went for a dramatic dress last time, you may want to wear a dress that wows in a different way for your second wedding.

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Easy Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks Recipe

Easy Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks Recipe

Victoria Knight   

Cheesy breadsticks are a delicious side to a meal and these soft and buttery breadsticks with cheese inside can be made in under an hour!

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 TBSP yeast
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 1/2- 3 cups flour
• 3 TBSP + 2 TBSP melted butter divided
• 1 tsp garlic salt optional but delicious
• 2-3 cups shredded cheese mozzarella, Parmesan and Monterey Jack are our faves!

Instructions

1. Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl and let sit for about 3-4 minutes, until yeast is bubbling up. Add in oil, salt, garlic, onion powder and flour. Start with 2 1/2 cups of flour, then add more until the dough cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. (I use a mixer for this part as it makes it just so much easier!)
2. Continue mixing for an additional 3-4 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for 15 minutes. In cold weather, I like to turn my oven on for about 3 or 4 minutes, then turn it off and let my dough rest in the oven.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
4. Spray counter top and rolling pin with non-stick cooking spray and roll dough out into a large rectangle about 1/4" thick. Brush with 3 TBSP melted butter and 1 tsp garlic salt, if desired. Sprinkle the top half of your dough rectangle with 2-3 cups shredded cheese. I use 2 cups of cheese, but if you adore those oozing cheese types of recipes, use 3 cups.
5. Take the bottom half of the rectangle and fold it up over the top half, so that it rests on top of the cheese. Press edges to seal.
6. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1"-2" strips of cheesy dough. Gently take each strip and twist a couple times. Some cheese will fall out- if you use 3 cups of cheese, I recommend 2" strips, instead of skinnier 1" ones. Line cookie sheet with twisted dough.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until dough is golden brown and some cheese is bubbling. Let cool. Dip in marinara sauce or ranch dressing for an added treat!

How to Reheat Breadsticks?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place your breadsticks in for about 10 minutes. Then check to see if the cheesy breadsticks are fully warmed. If not, add a few more minutes and check again. You can also place them in the microwave for 1-3 minutes, but keep an eye on them to make sure that they don’t overbake. Over cooked breadsticks in the microwave will turn chewy as they cool.