My dream home will have a big front porch.
With white pillars, a red front door, plants hanging from the ceiling, a couple of rocking chairs and of course a porch swing.
I dream of warm and breezy summer nights spent on this porch. Nights laughing and visiting with friends and family. Peaceful nights getting lost in a good book. Nights sipping a cool, refreshing drink. Nights staring off at a big Texas sunset and dreaming about tomorrow while embracing the day’s triumphs.
Even though I don’t have my “dream” home and porch, just yet, I still love unwinding from the day on my porch. Almost nightly you can find us, right as dusk turns to night, on our porch. Reflecting, visiting, reading, laughing and sipping ice cold drinks! It is seriously my favorite time of day!
A big mason jar filled with lemonade or iced tea is the quintessential drink of summer and patio sunsets. To celebrate, two of my favorite things, I whipped up a pitcher of Lemon Berry Iced Tea (inspired by this sangria)!
While most southern style sweet teas are loaded with sugar, I wanted to keep this flavored sweet tea, light and natural, only using the natural sweetness of the fruit plus a little stivia (click here to enter a Pure Via giveaway)* to sweeten the tea. The end result, a tea that is bursting with berry flavor, has a layer of fresh lemon tartness, and just touch of sweetness. I’d say it is the perfect summer, porch sipper!
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Lemon Berry Iced Tea
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Printable Version
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 3 minutes Yields: 5 cups
5 cups water
4-5 black tea bags
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
1/4-1/2 cup honey
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil.
Add tea bags and let steep for 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, discard tea bags and set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine remaining 1 cup water, berries and honey. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, breaking up/mashing the berries with a potato masher or wooden spoon as they cook. Remove from heat, and strain berry juice into pitcher with tea.
Let tea cool and serve over ice. Store in refrigerator for up to one week.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Georgia Peach Tea
Tropical Sangria
Cranberry Orange Tea
Lemon Berry Sangria
Frozen Pink Lemonade Smoothie