Busy doing nothing: August 2009

I've gotta admit that I do... ;-)

ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19)
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun.
Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse.
Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest
quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be
physical and athletic. 

TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 - May 20) Charming but aggressive. Can
come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers.. Warm-hearted. Strong,
has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their ways. Not
looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable.
Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard -
passionate. Express themselves emotionally... Prone to ferocious
temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous. 

GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20) Smart and witty. Outgoing, very
chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express them selves.
Argumentative and outspoken. Like change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous
and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent. Beautiful
physically and mentally. 

CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22)
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty /handsome.
Excellent partners for life. Protective.. Inventive and imaginative.
Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person... Needs love from others. Easily
hurt, but sympathetic. 

LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like
boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help others. Social
and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative
energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is  important to
Leos. Attractive. 

VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22)
Dominant in relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word.
Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos.. Eager.
Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful.. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh.
Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic. 

LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique
appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social.. Hates to be alone. Peaceful,
generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily.
Procrastinators. Very gullible. 

SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21! )
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hard working. 
Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. 
Determined.. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be 
self-centered at times. Passionate and emotional. 

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome)..
Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling.. Social and outgoing.
Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be
around.. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes
hypocritical.. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes.
Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter (Dec 22 ! - Jan 19) Patient and wise. Practical
and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a
bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they
think and can be Unfriendly at times. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get
what they want. 

AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Optimistic and honest. Sweet
personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and
loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but
original and unique. Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric
personality. 

PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Generous, kind, and thoughtful.
Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive.
Don't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind.
Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.

No brag/ just fact. I drink about a half gallon a day of the stuff during the summer...

Ingredients:
Hot water
8 tea bags
1/2 gallon-sized pitcher full of ice
Sweetener (optional)

Here is a look into my tea cabinet....

And that's only the first 'layer'...

Yes, I'm a big fan of Celestial Seasonings teas. And Thai Tea ~ but that's another lesson.

I usually use half caffeinated and half de-caffeinated to make my tea. That way I *can* drink it all day without getting too jittery... unless, of course, I need a little extra 'pick me up' -or- it's evening and I'll be going to bed soon... in which case I'll make full strength caff -or- de-caff.

Today I'm going to go with half regular green tea and half blueberry tea. You already saw what a beautiful color the finished product is...

It bears mentioning that the Celestial Seasonings "fruit teas" variety pack is *perfect* for making wonderful flavored teas as well ~ the box contains 5 packs of 4 tea bags each ~ just right for a different flavor every time you make a pitcher. I'm constantly trying new combinations, and while I've been more into green teas lately, plain old "Lipton" style also goes well with just about any flavored tea, too. Black tea w/ lemon tea; or black tea and mint... the possibilities are endless. I also keep both caff and de-caff green *and* black teas on hand because I don't always want flavored tea... sometimes just 'plain old' tea is the best!

I use my coffee maker to make the hot water. If you boil your water on the stove top, let it set for a minute before pouring it over the tea bags ~ straight out of the pot boiling water is too hot for the more delicate teas.

I use a standard-sized tea pot to steep the tea.

Be sure to put the lid on while steeping.

If I'm making half black/ orange pekoe tea, I set the timer to 3 minutes. Much longer and the tea will get bitter. Green tea can steep all day without getting bitter, but 3-4 minutes is sufficient.

While the tea is steeping, get your pitcher filled with ice ready.
If I had to choose a favorite kitchen gadget, it would be, hands down, the ice maker in the fridge. But even before I joined the ranks of the privileged with ice ready on demand, I was making iced tea using... any big plastic cup. I'd fill it with water and set it in the freezer. When frozen, just run a little warm water over the outside of it and voila! you've got a pitcher-sized cylinder of ice... just enough to cool a pot of hot tea without using all the ice cubes in the house!

Any "big gulp" sized cup will