so i'm beginning to think that this nesting thing is real. for most of this pregnancy i've kept baby stuff at a distance. call me superstitious or whatever, but having baby things around, or calling our babe by his name has sufficiently freaked me out. but all of a sudden it became real the other day. not when frank put together his crib, or when he built his changing table, but a deep visceral, radiating energy flowed over me in a blanket of tears the other morning (yes, more tears. always tears!).
among other things, we organized the crap out of our tiny home, bought a super neat organization unit for our 1 closet (this thing has made the happiest ever!), purchased some baskets for the bookcase that will be our little guy's dresser, and went through more kitchen cabinets paring down the many bowls i've collected that took up the better part of our kitchen. and! i'm beginning to think that this nesting thing hasn't only effected me. frank took it upon himself to clean out the fridge AND pare down some of his collection of odds and ends: tools, random USB wires - all that fun stuff ;) he even gave up a cabinet to make more room, big things are happening at love residence, guys ;)
but tears and organization aside the past couple of days the weather has been nothing short of perfect! we turned off the AC, open windows and the door to our backyard. there are cool, dry breezes, and nothing could feel better right now. it's the perfect weather to chill outside and #DRINKTHESUMMER!
the beautiful sherrie from with food + love got a lot of us blog folk together to celebrate late summer by drinking it all up! the recipe i'm sharing today is twist on a regular hibiscus tea iced latte that frequents my kitchen, but with some shiso (or perilla) that's been growing in my garden all summer long. i wanted to steep it in there for an herbal note, cutting some of the tang. the tea is cold-brewed which means it takes a bit longer (8-12 hours overnight, to be exact), but is so worth it to me. the flavors are a bit more smooth and full-flavored than when brewed with hot water and then refrigerated. i love its creamy quality when the milk is added, it's almost like a tea version of a traditional creamsicle. and speaking of creamsicles, i've also made these into ice cream floats! just plop a scoop of vanilla ice cream over top and you're good to go! ;)
happy late summer, i hope you're all staying cool! xo
check out all the other #DRINKTHESUMMER recipes:
boozy:
- With Food + Love | Basil Fig Vodka Smash
- A Little Saffron | Beach Bum's Rum
- A Thought For Food | Tarragon Tequlia Swizzle
- Downshiftology | Limoncello Prosecco with Blueberries and Thyme
- Heart of a Baker | Green Tea Mint Cooler
- Hungry Girl por Vida | Whisky Peach Alexander
- The Green Life | Spiced Plum, Fig & Kombucha Cocktail
- Hummingbird High | Watermelon and Mint Agua Fresca
- Floating Kitchen | Peach Sun Tea and Bourbon Cocktail
- Beard and Bonnet | Melon Mojito
- EGD | Backyard Peach Sweet Tea
- Appeasing a Food Geek | Basil and Black Pepper Gin Sour
- Vegetarian Ventures | Garden Tonic Punch
- Nosh and Nourish | Mango Margaritas with Chile Lime Salted Rims
- Domesticate ME! | Watermelon-Basil Mezcal Margarita
- The Foodie Nurse | Husk Cherry Margarita
- my name is yeh | Choose Your Own Adventure Bloody Marys
- Sevengrams | Cucumber, Gin and Chartreuse Cocktail
- Wicked Spatula | Coconut Gin and Tonic
- Eat Boutique | Sbagliatos and Homemade Sweet Vermouth
- Nutritionist in the Kitch | Healthy Muddled Blackberry Pina Coladas
- Chocolate + Marrow | Pequito Verdecito
- The Solstice Table | Jalapeno Watermelon Cooler
- HonestlyYUM | Watermelon, Fresh Herbs, & Sotol Cocktail
- Seasonal Cravings | Strawberry Lime Gin Rickey
- Salted Plains | Frozen Honeydew Daiquiris
- The Broken Bread | Honeydew-Ginger Apricot Mojitos
- Fix Feast Flair | Ginger-Berry Splash Cocktail
- Turntable Kitchen | Summer Cooler Cocktails, Two Ways
- Foolproof Living | Blueberry, Dark Cherry and Calvados Cocktail
- Dessert for Two | Salty Melon Slush
non-boozy:
- Heartbeet Kitchen | Salty Watermelon Shrub Elixir
- TENDING the TABLE | Raspberry and Fig Hibiscus Cooler
- Snixy Kitchen | Lavender Earl Gray Blackberry Ice Cream Floats
- The Bojon Gourmet | Vanilla Rooibos Peach Ice Cream Floats
- Gratitude and Greens | Hong Kong Style Crushed Watermelon Ice
- My Heart Beets | Spiced Pistachio Shake
- rooting the sun | Strawberry Fennel Soda
- The Modern Proper | Vanilla Bean Plum Shrub
- Feed Me Phoebe | Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Coolers
- Gourmande in the Kitchen | Stone Fruit Thyme Shrub Soda
- happy hearted kitchen | Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Fennel, Orange + Cardamom
- I am a Food Blog | Cherry Vanilla Sodas
- Tasty Yummies | Fig Vanilla Bean Almond Milk
- Let's talk evergreen | Iced Earl Grey Yuanyang With a Hint of Rose
- Kale & Caramel | Emerald Beaut Green Spritzer
- Earthy Feast | Watermelon Hibiscus Agua Fresca
- Now, Forager | Sparkling Plumcot and Purple Basil Shrubs
- The Pig & Quill | Brown Sugar Blueberry Pie Shakes
- Well and Full | Peach Bubble Tea
- Sweetish Co | The Best Frozen Hot Chocolate
- holly & flora | Spiced Pineapple Shrub Sparklers with Black Tea + Coconut
- Let's Talk Evergreen| Earl Grey Yuanyang With A Hint of Rose
cold-brewed shiso & hibiscus tea iced latte
if shiso is not available to you, you can leave it out all together. it's not the easiest herb to substitute, but if you're wanting to add an herbal note i would suggest using 1/2 cup thai basil and 1/2 cup mint in its place. i steeped the tea with a cinnamon just because i love the taste of it with the hibiscus, but you can leave that out for a less spiced flavor.
| makes roughly 4 servings |
- 3 hibiscus tea bags
- 1 cup shiso leaves
- 4 cups filtered water
- 2 tablespoons agave, honey, or cane sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- ice
- 2-4 ounces unsweetened almond milk
method
- place the tea bags, shiso, and cinnamon stick (if using) in a large lidded jar. pour in the water and place the lid on securely. let the tea brew overnight for at least 8 hours, or up to 12 hours.
- strain the tea of the bags, shiso, and cinnamon stick. add 3 tablespoons of the sweetener of choice, taste and add more sweetener if desired.
- serve in an 8-ounce glass over ice with milk.
enjoy!