One of my residents recently turned me on to hibiscus tea.  It’s not really a tea, per se, since it’s made from dried hibiscus flowers, but it is perfect for lazy Sundays.

It’s so good that even Chucklebutt enjoys drinking it.  He stays far away from regular tea and is convinced that by the time I’m 60 I will have a plethora of kidney stones.  I tell him it will be well worth it and to pass the lemon and sugar.  😀

Regular grocery stores don’t sell the stuff, but it you have a Latino market nearby, you will be able to find it there.  They call it jamaica — pronounced ja-MIKE-uh, not like the country.

That’s what it looks like in the above left teacup.  It’s super easy to make.  Simply fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil.  Once the water starts to boil, turn off the stove and dump a handful of flowers into the water.  Let steep for approximately 10 minutes.  Unlike regular tea, you don’t want to leave the flowers in too long.

Before the mixture cools, I strain out the flowers and sweeten it with honey.  My most recent batch, I got a little carried away with the honey so when I make a glass, I add about 1/3 a cup of cold water to the mixture and stir.

A special thank you to my sweet friend Jan for the super cute pitcher.  She sent it to me a about year ago and I love using it. I love the style and the weight and of course the color — PINK!

You can’t really tell from this photo, but on the stem of our crystal ware is lily of the valley.  These were Chuck’s mother’s and I adore them.  Her sterling and china are also lily of the valley.  I never got a chance to meet her – she passed away before I met Chuck – but I always feel a little closer to her when I use her dinner ware.  Her crystal is perfect for a glass of hibiscus tea!
I hope that everyone had a nice weekend.  Ours was pretty uneventful, but it was nice just hanging out and doing mundane things.  We’re watching the new sci-fi series on TNT — Falling Skies. It’s the pilot, so the verdict is still out.

Thank you baby for the pics!