Sparkling Passion Tea Lemonade {Starbucks Copycat}

I have a weakness for sparkling water.

The first time I tasted it, it was an unwelcome surprise on a hot day in Europe, when I had no idea bottled water came any other way than flat. I'm not sure when, precisely, my mind went from revulsion to obsession, but it surely did. Oh, yes, it surely did.

I don't drink much soda anymore, just sparkling water. I love the subtle bubbliness, and try to add it to anything I can think of.

Like this Passion Tea Lemonade, for instance. It was instant love when I tried this drink at Starbucks last summer. It's refreshing beyond belief just the way it is, but I love to make it with sparkling water to feed my obsessive need for bubbles.

I don't know how to go about describing this drink to you. It's floral and herbal, fruity and a little exotic, tangy and sweet and crisp. I'm able to find TAZO teas in my local grocery store, but if you can't find it, you can substitute plain hibiscus tea. It won't be quite as magical, but it will still be awesome.

Sparkling Passion Tea Lemonade

Ingredients:
1/2 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. water, divided
4 bags TAZO Passion tea
2 c. ice
1, 12 oz. can lemonade concentrate
2 quarts sparkling water or club soda (or tap water, if you don't care about effervescence), well chilled

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until all sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool completely. Then let chill in refrigerator until needed.
1n another saucepan, bring the remaining 2 c. of water to a boil. Remove from heat, and let tea bags steep in hot water for 3 minutes. Discard tea bags, and pour hot tea over ice. Stir in the lemonade concentrate. Let this mixture chill completely -- at least 2 hours, if not overnight.
If you are not using sparkling water, you can add tap water before chilling. If using sparkling water, wait to combine with tea mixture until ready to serve. When ready to serve combine tea mixture with chilled sparkling water or club soda, add sugar water mixture (called a simple syrup) to taste. Serve over ice, if desired.

Prawn Curry: Guest Post from Recipes from a Pantry

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today I'm teaming up with fellow blogger Bintu, who writes at Recipes from a Pantry. She has a lot of great recipes on her site that utilize staples from the pantry for fast, fresh meals -- be sure to drop by and see what she has to offer! Today she's sharing her recipe for Prawn Curry. Personally, I cannot wait to give it a try!

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Hi! I’m Bintu from Recipes From A Pantry and I’m delighted to be guest posting here today.

I love curries especially easy to cook ones that are ready in less than 30 minutes. Plus the fact
is that I loooooooove cinnamon, coconut milk and cardamom so combining these three in a
delicious dish is my idea of heaven.

This is one of my basic curry recipes and you can tweak to your heart's content. In fact I used
this base for a wild garlic and chickpea curry. So feel free to add in whatever is in your pantry or
in season for a fast, fresh curry. You can easily omit the chili if you don't want the heat.

So try this easy prawn curry recipe and don’t forget to leave a comment below to tell Kristyn
what you think.

Prawn Curry

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cardamom pods crushed
4 whole cloves
1 shard (stick) cinnamon
1 onion, finely chopped
2 (bell) peppers, chopped
2 tsp. minced ginger
1 mild red chili, deseeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. curry powder
400ml (1 3/4 c.) coconut milk
300g of cooked jumbo prawns
Salt
sugar or honey (optional)
Chopped coriander (cilantro) to serve

Directions:
Heat oil in a pot, add in the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and stir fry for about 30 secs until fragrant.
Add in the onions, peppers ginger, chilli and 2 tbsp of water and cook until the onions are soft and the
water dried off.
Then add in the curry powder and stir fry for about 30 secs.
Pour in the coconut milk, mix well, bring to the boil and let the curry simmer for a few minutes.
Then add in the cooked prawns gently and let the curry simmer for another few mins before adjusting
seasoning and any sugar if using.
Take the curry of the heat and serve topped with fresh coriander and rice.

Serves 4.