Blueberry-Lavender Sparkling Lemonade

On the fourth of July, I gathered a bunch for festive, 'fizzy' drinks. This was the favorite, by far! I'm not done yet--so be on the lookout for some more flavor combinations soon.

You'll Need:
Sparking Mineral Water {like Pellegrino}
Lavender Syrup {I love Monin brand syrups!}
Lemons {some sliced, some juiced--or ready to squeeze directly into the glass}
Blueberries
Ice

To Make:
Pour a bit of lavender syrup into the bottom of your glass. I used no more than a couple of teaspoons.
Place a couple of lemon wedges or slices in the glass.
Place a few blueberries into the glass, smooshing a few as you put them in.
Add lemon juice--and inch or so in the glass.
Add ice.
Add mineral water to fill the glass.

Feel free to play with the amount of lemon juice, syrup, etc... we've all got different tastes!


Shared on... Lifeologia

Vanilla Chai Freeze {gluten free, soy free, dairy free}

I know it's been discussed before, but I am a bit obsessed with chai tea. It's what I drink each morning, and it also has a way of making an appearance in my baked goods. {like the weeknight chocolate cake, and chai-spiced scones}

This morning, however, it's hot. Our house is warmer than usual on this early-summer day, and I'm running around checking items off my chore list before the weekend. My usual warm cup of chai just wasn't going to cut it! So I whipped this up instead.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Almond Milk
2 Cups Chai Tea Concentrate {made ahead, so it's cold}
4 Cups Ice Cubes
1-2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Combine the ingredients in your blender, and then mix, whipping the ingredients into a frothy treat.

Sparkling Lavender Lemon Tea

Good morning friends! I'm excited to bring you a guest post today from Alisa, of Alisa's Garden. Alisa's creative spirit is such an inspiration to me, so it's a treat to be able to share one of her yummy recipes with you.

The beautiful images in this post were provided by Mary Banducci Photography for Alisa's Garden. 

Alisa Writes...

Hello Dandelion readers! My name is Alisa and I am guest posting here today. I shared Christina's Lavender Lemon Cupcakes on my blog on Monday. You can see the post here. I thought I would compliment her recipe with a sparkling beverage. I chose to make sparkling lavender lemon tea. It's slightly herbal, refreshing, and relaxing with the mix of bright lemon and aromatic lavender. These two recipes would be the perfect combination for a tea party, baby shower, or bridal shower....or even a Mother's Day brunch!

Ingredients

4 lemons

1 TBS Lavender Buds (dried or fresh)

1/2 cup Agave Nectar

1 cup of Steeped Lemon Balm Tea Leaves (dried lemon balm) *optional, green tea would be a great substitute

5-6 cups Sparkling Water or Pellegrino

1 drop of Lavender Essential Oil *optional, this creates a much stronger lavender flavor

Directions

Heat 1 cup of water to brew the lemon balm leaves or green tea.

Zest the lemons then juice them.

In a medium sauce pan heat the lemon juice, zest, crushed lavender buds, and agave over low heat to bring out the lemon & lavender essential oils. Once it starts to simmer remove it from the heat and let it cool.

In a large pitcher or pretty bottles, mix the lemon lavender mixture with the sparkling water and the tea. 

Serve in a tall glass with a sprig of lavender as a stir stick and a slice of lemon. Enjoy!

Thank you, Alisa, for the delicious recipe! Thanks also for the stunning photography, Mary!

...and pssst! if you're planning an event, might I suggest Alisa's vintage rental company, The Attic??

Chai Tea Concentrate

In the midst of all of the changes to my diet last fall, I discovered that coffee was making me feel pretty darned yucky every morning. I don't know if it was the acidity, or what, but it wasn't a happy situation. I really, really missed a nice warm cup of... something... though, and made a switch to chai tea. So for nearly a year, I have been buying Oregon Chai concentrate. Fabulous product, but not exactly a bargain purchase.

When I cam across a make-your-own-chai link on Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try.

And it was yummy!!

Some tweaks and substitutions have made the recipe mine, and have changed the flavor of the concentrate to be a bit more mild and slightly less... punchy. I don't need too much punch in the morning. Just a little.

You'll Need:
9 Cups of Water
2 Cinnamon Sticks
14 Cardamom Pods
4 Star Anise Pods
20 Cloves
1 tsp. {fresh} Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. {fresh} Lemon Zest or Orange Zest
20 Black Tea Bags

1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Honey {I think agave nectar would work nicely here, if you're Vegan}
2 Tbsp. Vanilla

To Make:
Boil water in a large pot
Add spices and lemon zest as the water begins to heat
When the water reaches a full boil, turn it off and drop in the tea bags
Let the mixture steep for 15 minutes or so

To a pitcher, large jar or other container, add brown sugar, honey and vanilla
Strain the tea mixture into the pitcher
Stir to melt and mix in the brown sugar, honey and vanilla
Store concentrate in the fridge

To Serve:
Mix equal parts concentrate and the milk of your choice
I usually drink my chai warm, but it's also delish served over ice!