Reflections in Tea 3
Welcome back!
According to Wikipedia, Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States. The three-day weekend it falls on is called Labor Day Weekend. It is usually celebrated with parades, picnics, and backyard barbecues.
Since we are heading out for the weekend as well, this blog post will be a little shorter
Are you headed out to see family and friends? Or will you be hosting a barbecue in your own backyard? If the latter is true, you may be wondering how to keep your guests cool.
We think hosting with an Iced Tea Bar is a brilliant idea. Iced tea is less expensive to serve than soft drinks. Less sugar, and some teas are actually good for you. You can always add a chilled bottle of prosecco or champagne for an adult beverage option. A splash of the bubbly in your iced tea is a refreshing complement. What about the kids? Serve herbal “teas” and tisanes infused with fruit to the kiddos. Of course you should leave out the alcohol, but the kids might enjoy a splash of sparkling cider in theirs. Just a note; decaffeinated tea still contains small amounts of caffeine. It’s best to stick with herbals, no actual tea in those.
You can serve the teas in carafes, or if you have one or two beverage dispensers, that would be your best self-serve option. If you don’t have carafes or beverage dispensers available, then pour your brewed tea or tisane over ice into to mugs or glasses. Put the already poured and iced glasses on a serving tray with deep sides. Add ice all around the glasses. Top the ice with lemon/lime/orange wedges, and other fruits like strawberries or grapes. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Let your guests get creative with their beverages. Less work for you.
If you have the extra time the day before, brew our Marie Antoinette Tisane, let it cool, and pour into ice cube trays. You’ll have bright pink ice cubes that won’t water down drinks. One more option is to add chopped fruit or whole smaller berries to the trays before adding the “tea”. They’ll look pretty and taste great in drinks.
Here’s a great take-a-long salad recipe that can be made a day ahead.
Green Goddess Couscous Salad
Green Goddess Couscous Salad
2 cups uncooked couscous
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of light olive oil
6-8 pods sugar snap peas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pint container of grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small bell pepper, orange or red. Seeds removed, cut into thin 1-inch-long slices
1 cucumber peeled, seeds removed, and chopped.
¾ cup of your favorite Green Goddess Dressing
Season to taste
Serves 6-8 guests as a side dish
In a sauce pot bring 2 cups of water to a boil and then add salt, stir. Add couscous, and cook until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Drain the cooked couscous and rinse under cold water, drain excess water, then transfer to a large bowl.
Toss the cooked couscous with a light olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
To the bowl with couscous, add the snap peas, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cucumber, and the Green Goddess Dressing to your preference.
You can serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Best served at room temperature.
Garnish with mint leaves or chopped parsley.
Notes: You can certainly add more fresh veggies to this. I have added corn, purple onion, spring peas, and avocado. For meatless protein add feta cheese and chopped pecans or walnuts. Another great addition to this salad is cooked shrimp or crab meat.
Let them eat couscous!
Enjoy!
I hope you have a fabulous Labor Day weekend holiday.
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Until next time . . .
Merci
A bientot