Lemonade Iced Tea + Kindle Fire Giveaway

Welcome to the 5th annual Authors in Bloom blog hop! I can't believe this is my 3rd year participating in the hop and to celebrate, I'm also offering a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner, plus some pretty awesome swag. =)

I'm also excited to feature my latest release, SOMETHING OLD, book 1 in my small town bridal series. Set in a fictional town in Virginia, this contemporary romance is about a jilted lover and a woman looking for a second chance. (Check out the trailer below!)

In honor of my new series, and the small southern town of Cedar Bend, I wanted to offer a recipe of my favorite springtime refreshment: lemonade iced tea. Also known in the south as half-and-half or an Arnold Palmer, this is actually my favorite year-round beverage but who's keeping track... ;) Hope you enjoy the trailer and the tea!

xoxo,
Lena ♥

SOMETHING OLD

**Enter the Amazon Giveaway**

iBooks ● Google ● Kindle ● Nook ● Kobo ● ARe

Southern Style Lemonade Iced Tea

Ingredients

3 cups water

6 single tea bags (or 2 family-size bags)

1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1 cup sugar (or honey)

4 cups cold water

12-oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

Sliced lemons wedges*

Preparation

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan. Remove from heat, add tea bags and stir in fresh mints. Cover and steep 10 minutes.

2. Discard tea bags and mint. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour tea into a 3-qt. container, and stir in 4 cups cold water and lemonade concentrate. Serve over ice. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired. 

Tips to brewing the best tea:

• Don’t place tea bags in boiling water. This can singe tea or cause bag to burst. Once the water reaches a low boil, place tea bags inside, cover, and let steep.
• Don’t over steep the tea. 10 minutes should do it. More than 15 may cause the tea to be bitter.
• Don’t just add lemons, ice, and throw in the fridge. This can make tea cloudy and sour. Instead, cover tea and let sit until it reaches room temperature then mix in lemonade mixture.

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