My Sweet Friends

Of all of the many blessings in my life, my sweet friends are one of the ones that I cherish the most!

Their advise, honesty and love have carried me through life's hard times time and time again and I can see a part of myself in each one of them.

As most of them are moms now, I was inspired to make a blend that is good for pregnant and nursing moms. It is called Sweet Friend Blend.

Like most of my tea blends, the idea and recipe for it came all at once--I was thinking of sitting on a porch swing in the Summer with my friend, B, solving the world's problems and our own... drinking iced tea. Sweet, red and zesty iced tea...

The result was a blend of raspberries (because they taste great and are full of vitamins) and lemongrass (because it is invigorating and cleansing with a great taste), ginger (because it is great for a nauseous stomach and it also uplifting and is a digestive and it has a million other health benefits) and hibiscus (In Mexico, I hear women use it after childbirth to lose weight. It also tastes great, sort of like a squeeze of lemon). The base of the tea is South African Rooibos and it's cousin, Honeybush. Rooibos and Honeybush are known in their native South Africa to be great for pregnant and nursing moms as well as for colicky babies.

Sweet Friend Blend is available at Whole Foods and a number of other great retailers and at partnerstea.com. Share it with your sweet friends!

Photo: My sweet friend, Mollie with a Sweet Friend Blend tea-tini.

Photo: My sweet friend, Mollie, Eliza's mother, drinking a Sweet Friend Blend Teatini. Sweet Friend Blend Teatini:

SWEET FRIEND BLEND TEA-TINI

For 9-10 4 oz. teatinis:

1. Brew 4 8 oz. cups of Sweet Friend Blend tea, as per directions on tin

2. Add 2 Tbs. sugar and 1-2 Tbs. lemon juice

2. Let tea come to room temperature

3. Add 4-6 ounces vodka, or to your preference

4. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh raspberries and a slice of lemon