Joybee, What's for Dinner? : How to Make Cold Brewed Tea

Monday, September 29, 2014

5 Cookout Essentials

My 5 most important food items to have at a good cookout.

Man Crates, gifts for men, contacted me to write a post about 5 things I think are essential to have at a cookout. Man crates is trying to make gift buying for men easy. There are all kinds of categories to please just about anyone. I think many women would like to receive a "man" crate too.

So I realize the typical time for cookouts is ending with summer but I live in Hawaii so we can cookout year round. Also I think you can cookout anytime you want you don't need special weather for it although I understand not wanting to be outside in the cold winter...but winter is not here yet so go outside and enjoy it while you can.

When it comes to cookouts I don't think you really need any special equipment but there are some food items that I think everyone likes to see at a cookout.

1. Beverages

Beer is always the first option for me and most people who consume alcohol but for those who don't I think Sweet Tea is a must. Growing up in the south we always had sweet tea (brewed in a glass pitcher in the sun) during the summer. It was always Lipton and had a lot of sugar in it. Now I choose healthier green tea and less sweetener like this:

How to Make Cold Brewed Tea: Green Tea: A simple tutorial for how to make cold brewed tea. No boiling water required and results in a smooth and tasty tea.

Cold Brewed Green Tea

2. Chips and Dip

Everyone loves chips whether tortilla or potato it's always great to have an easy snack while waiting for your burger to cook. I have many recipes for dips and salsas but this is my favorite:

Loaded Baked Potato Dip: A dip made with sour cream, green onions, cheese, and bacon bits. It's like a loaded baked potato on a chip. #footballsnack #gamedaysnack

Loaded Potato Dip

3. Hot Sauce

My husband loves spicy foods and if he could he would add his favorite hot sauce to everything. We always have Sriracha on hand but this is the family favorite (it's made by friends of ours from TX):

Ass Burn Sauce

4. Jalapenos

Still on the spicy theme my husband loves jalapenos. He always likes to add them to his burgers or even hot dogs. He'll really put them on just about everything. Whether raw, pickled, diced or sliced he loves them in all forms. Here is an easy recipe to make your own pickled jalapenos:

Pickled Peppers: If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? I don't know, but I do know that this is a tasty and festive looking gift for any pepper lover.

Pickled Jalapenos

5. Cookies

I don't know many people who don't have some kind of sweet tooth and when eating outside it's easier to have a quick hand held dessert like cookies. These are traditional but my husband's favorite:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Enjoy.

Linked to: Two Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Tickle my Tastebuds, Brag About It, Whimsy Wed, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Eat Create, Freedom Fri, Best of the weekend, See ya in the Gumbo, Merry Mon, Tasty Tue

Follow Joy Bee's board Joybee Whats for Dinner blog posts on Pinterest.

How to Make Cold Brewed Tea

Yum

This simple tutorial, for how to make cold brewed tea, requires no boiling water and results in a smooth and tasty tea.

How to Make Cold Brewed Tea: A simple tutorial for how to make cold brewed tea. No boiling water required and results in a smooth and tasty tea.

I got the idea for this after trying Life After Empty Nest's: Cold Brewed Iced Coffee. I like having cold tea on hand in my refrigerator. Usually it is green tea or jasmine green tea and I love it. Regular brewed tea isn't difficult, but with green tea I find it difficult to get the water the right temperature and timing how long it brews so that it doesn't get bitter. Some people don't mind the bitter but I do so this cold brew method is perfect for brewing tea so that it doesn't get bitter (it also works for coffee just use however much coffee grounds you like depending on your tastes). You only need 3 items to make this loose leaf tea (bags would work too, then you don't need the french press to strain out the leaves) a french press and water.

First you need to measure out your tea leaves. My french press is only 1 quart but I wanted to make 2 qts tea. My usual ratio is 1 tsp tea leaves per cup of water. So I put 8 tsp tea leaves in my press and filled with water (about 4 cups). I plunge this a few times (press down on the strainer and pull back up) to mix the leaves around. Or you could just stir it. Then let sit out at room temperature for 24 hours. The water will slowly change from clear to brownish/tea color.

After 24 hours push down on the plunger to strain out all of the tea leaves. If you don't have a french press you can do this in any pitcher or bottle and strain through coffee filters, cheese cloth or a thin towel.

Pour the tea into a 2 qt pitcher and add enough water to fill. You can sweeten to your taste or leave unsweetened. I dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in some warm water to sweeten 2 quarts of tea. Refrigerate and enjoy.