Moroccan Watermelon Cooler

Temperatures are skyrocketing this summer. The Northwestern heatwave has us all trying to beat the heat in every way possible. This refreshing, thirst-quenching summer beverage has instantly become our new favorite. Our Moroccan Mint is a combination of peppermint and Gunpowder green tea — and tastes incredible as the base in this cooler. Hydrating watermelon, fresh cucumber, and tart lemon complement the tea perfectly. Add a splash (or two) of vodka and you've got a delicious, rejuvenating drink. Cheers to keeping cool!

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Tea Picnic

This post is for those of us who like the crusts cut off. The extra effort and attention that goes into making these beautiful tea sandwiches shows in every detail — the sweet shapes, the colorful combinations and, as always, the thoughtful flavor pairings. Make a platter for friends or a plate for yourself and enjoy a lazy summer picnic while the weather is fine. Since we're taking this picnic over the top, we've suggested some tea pairings as well. You can check out easy methods for cold brewing here!A bold curried egg salad is seasoned with our French inspired Vadouvan Curry, served on whole wheat bread and a cherry tomato topper. The flavor is deep and rich in this toasted blend with cumin, cardamom, mustard seeds, black pepper and fenugreek seeds. With a squeeze of lemon juice and watercress, these sandwiches go great with a malty Indian black tea like our Keemun black tea. For a cooling crunch with spectacular flavor, we seasoned the cucumber sandwich with our Orange Tarragon. This blend has chives, shallots, garlic and black pepper, adding many layers of flavor to the cream cheese spread complimenting the cucumbers. These cucumber sandwiches are anything but boring! Pair them with a cup of Rwandan Green Tea which is a vegetal green tea that will cut through the rich cream cheese and compliment the cooling cucumber. Because no picnic is complete without dessert, we made a sweet finish, open-faced mascarpone sandwiches. The creamy mascarpone gets its speckles from Madagascar vanilla beans that not only smell amazing, but go great with berries and a sprinkle of lemon zest. To finish off our tea picnic we paired a bold cup of Earl Grey with this sandwich. This classic tea is scented with bergamot, a perfect combo with the vanilla bean and sweet blackberries.

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Grandma's Lemon Wedges

You can never have too many lemon bar recipes, but this one is the only one that you need. This was my Grandma's recipe, and the stains on the recipe card are a testament to how often it's been made. Most lemon bars are made too sweet to cut the tartness of the lemon, but the addition of the glaze in this recipe balances out the sweet and tart lemon flavor perfectly. Sometimes I add poppy seeds to the shortbread crust or sprinkle sumac on top just for fun. These can be made in a square pan and cut into bars, but look pretty cut in wedges too. Make these and I'm sure that they will disappear as quickly as they always did in our home.

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Parilla Piñarita

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Citrus and pineapple combine to quench your thirst in this classic cocktail. Charred pineapple adds extra flavor by fire with a smoky garnish. As if all that wasn't enough, we rimmed the glass with our Limón-Chile seasoning. Inspired by the classic Tajin spice, this irresistible seasoning adds a powerful spark of lime and chili to each sip. Make the Parilla Piñarita your summer grilling go-to, it's easy to shake one up when you fire the grill.

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Limón-Chile Spiced Fruit

Our Limón-Chile seasoning deserved to be celebrated in its simplest form. With fruit! This seasoning goes great with summer flavors so taking advantage of fruit at its peak was a no brainer. This platter is full of color, flavors and texture. If you look closely at our Limón-Chile you’ll see the gradients of different shades of red peppers. It’s tart and salty making it a perfect compliment for sweet and juicy produce. We’re a long way from the streets of Mexico where you see venders pushing around fruit carts and showering the fruit with chiles and lime, but this platter is sure to add some spice to your fiesta.

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Lavender Blueberry Handpies

Turnovers, or hand pies, are great for a picnic dessert or breakfast pastry. These delicious pocket pies, stuffed with fruity filling, offer creative bakers a great opportunity to showcase striking flavor combinations. For these we chose blueberry and lavender. Because there is no cutting or pre-cooking involved, blueberries are our go-to fruit for making hand pies. Here, we simply tossed them in brown sugar and lavender to make a jammy floral filling. For a bit of decadence, there's cream cheese and lemon to make the rest of the flavors pop. The soft floral notes of lavender are the perfect complement to blueberries and are a wonderful flavor for spring, but it is easy to over-do. Try a little bit of the filling during prep and gauge how strong the lavender flavor is and adjust to taste.

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Pasilla Oaxaca Black Bean Dip

We know it's wrong to have a favorite child, but Pasilla Oaxaca reigns as our favorite chile. Don't tell the others. They are great in their own ways, but Pasilla Oaxaca has it all. Piquant and smoky, without being too much of either, these chiles can be used in soups and stews, sauces and more. If you've never used them, this dip is a fantastic introduction. Pasilla Oaxaca chiles are dried smoked chilaca peppers. They have more heat than their ancho pepper siblings, but less than chipotle, they are smoky and have a great depth of flavor. Just pop one of these in while the beans are cooking, then blend it all up for this creamy dip. Tasty hot or cold, this dip is delicious.

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Chinese Five Spice Fudge Pops

Make these fun and flavorful fudge-pops for any occasion, they are a festive treat! Chinese Five Spice is sweet with fennel and star anise and sassy with cloves and Sichuan pepper. Cinnamon is the fifth ingredient and when you bring it all together with dark chocolate it's a match made in heaven. The base comes together easily on the stovetop and we used small paper cups for the molds. You can decorate with toasted sesame seeds and gold luster dust like we did, but there are so many options! Try chopped peanuts, sprinkles or toasted coconut. Tiny but mighty in flavor, these creamy pops will satisfy your sweet tooth and are fun to make.

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Bulgogi Caramel Corn

Celebrate in style! This treat is a great way to add festive flavor to the Lunar New Year party or your next movie night. Heat meets sweet in our Bulgogi Spice, and paired with the salty crunch of caramel corn, the result is sensational. Making caramel corn at home is a fun kitchen activity for young and old and once you see how easy it is you can make it any time and season it with all your favorite flavors. Make a little extra and bag some up for a friend.

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