Eva's Kitchen - Eva Longoria Parker [60]
MAKES 8 CUPS; 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
8 bags black caffeinated tea
8 cups filtered water
¼ to ½ cup honey
¼ to ½ cup sugar
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Ice, for serving
1. Wash a clear, glass pitcher in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Place the tea bags in the pitcher and add the filtered water. Set in the full sun until the tea is nicely dark, 1 to 2 hours. Remove and discard the tea bags.
2. Add ¼ cup honey and ¼ cup sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Taste and continue to add honey and sugar until the tea reaches the desired sweetness.
3. Add the lemon slices to the tea and serve over ice. If not serving immediately, store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
FROM AUNT ELSA’S KITCHEN Just float the lemon slices in the tea; don’t squeeze the lemon juice into the full batch. The lemon juice alters the balance and acidity of the tea causing it to taste “off.” Of course, once the sweet tea is served, folks can squeeze the lemon into their own glasses if they’d like.
long island iced tea
Traditionally, Long Island Iced Tea is made with clear liquors and a splash of cola to give it an iced tea color. Instead, my version depends on a fabulous vodka that my friend Virginia from Alabama gave me: sweet-tea-infused vodka from a small distillery called Firefly.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Ice
2 tablespoons silver tequila
2 tablespoons sweet-tea-infused vodka
2 tablespoons light rum
2 tablespoons triple sec
2 tablespoons gin
Juice from 3 small lemons (6 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ to ¾ cup cranberry juice
2 lemon wedges
1. Fill a shaker with ice, and pour in the tequila, sweet-tea-infused vodka, rum, triple sec, gin, lemon juice, and sugar. Shake for about 20 seconds, until the shaker is freezing cold on the outside. Fill 2 pint glasses about three-quarters with ice, then pour the cocktail mixture over the ice.
2. Top off with enough cranberry juice to make the drink the color of iced tea. Garnish each glass with a lemon wedge and serve.
hot apple cider
This is a Christmas favorite at my house, perfect for everything from big holiday parties to a quiet winter night at home. Sometimes I put a batch of it on to simmer just because its delicious fragrance of warm spice and apple fills the house and makes me happy.
MAKES 8 CUPS; ABOUT 6 SERVINGS
½ gallon apple cider
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
1. In a Crock-Pot place the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. Heat over low heat until hot, about 30 minutes.
2. Serve hot in mugs; place a cinnamon stick in each mug as garnish.
resources
EATWILD
P.O. Box 7321
Tacoma, WA 98417
866-453-8489
www.eatwild.com
To find local farms with pasture-fed meat.
ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP
1436 U Street NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20009
202-667-6982
www.ewg.org
To find out which are the most and least pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables.
EVA’S HEROES
11107 Wurzbach Road, Suite 203
San Antonio, TX 78230
210-694-9090
www.evasheroes.org
A nonprofit organization dedicated to helping developmentally challenged children and young adults between 14 and 21 years of age integrate and flourish in society.
LOCALHARVEST
P.O. Box 1292
Santa Cruz, CA 95061
831-515-5602
www.localharvest.org
To locate local farmers’ markets and grocery stores where you can find sustainable and organic produce, poultry, meat, and eggs.
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM’S SEAFOOD WATCH PROGRAM
886 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA 93940
831-648-4888
www.seafoodwatch.org
For a regularly updated list of which fish and shellfish are “best choices” and “good alternatives,” and which you should avoid.
acknowledgments
When I was approached by Jennifer Gates to do a cookbook, I was immediately inspired and excited. Then reality sunk in that I had never written down most of my recipes. They were all in my head, with a