Cool way to beat the summer heat

What else can say summer better than a chilled glass of iced tea? A fruity strawberry flavored iced tea, with tang of lemon and a touch of mint.

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Summer is here and the heat outside is cranking up. With a 100 F outside, it’s time to combat the sweltering heat of the summer sun with a refreshing glass of iced tea! What else can say summer better than a chilled glass of iced tea?

I think iced tea is a summer time classic and an icon of refreshment. Don't you think? The best thing about iced tea is you can prepare it in so many different flavors; strawberry, cranberry, rasberry, orange, lime, mint and more. It is so light 'n' refreshing and helps you stay cool and hydrated.

Here is a simple recipe for a fruity strawberry flavored iced tea, with tang of lemon and a touch of mint. This recipe makes a serving size of 2 glasses (like the one in the photo). You can change the quantities of the ingredients to match your taste.

Water	- 2 glasses
Tea bags	- 1-2 instant tea bags
Sugar	- usually 6-7 Tsp
Strawberries	- 2- 3 cups of frozen strawberries
Lemon juice	- 2-3 Tbsps
Mint leaves	- 4-5 leaves

Bring 2 glasses of water to boil. Remove from heat and dip the tea bags in hot water. Let it stand for 5-8 minutes. Then remove the tea bags and dispose it.

Depending on how strong you like your tea, use 1 or 2 tea bags. I usually make it strong considering the factor that the ice cubes will dilute the tea as they melt.

Add desired amount of sugar to the brewed tea.

Add lemon juice to the brewed tea. You can use freshly squeezed juice or lemon juice concentrate or lemonade.

Now, for the strawberry flavor, thaw the frozen strawberries. When they come to room temperature, mash them with the back of a ladle or give it a quick pulse in the blender to make a puree. Add the puree to the brewed tea and give it a nice stir.

You can use fresh strawberries as well. I prefer frozen ones as they are already cut and are easy to mash. If you don’t want to go through the process of preparing the puree, you can use strawberry syrup or any other fruit flavored syrup of your choice. You might need about 4-5 Tbsps.

Add a few mint leaves to spice up the flavor.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

When it’s time for a soothing glass of iced tea, remove the tea from the fridge, pour it into a glass using a strainer to filter out any particles of the puree. Pop a few ice cubes into the glass, sit back and relax sipping your iced tea!