All Natural Pineapple Iced Tea #TEArifficPairs

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It all started with a can. My new pregnancy craving has been canned pineapple and for good reason. Pineapples are all over the place this spring and I haven’t been able to partake in their deliciousness. Why? Because fresh pineapples make my mouth itch. I know! Life is so cruel sometimes. Canned pineapple has always been a delight for me, and I knew it would be a great featured guest in my first batch of Lipton Cold Brewed Iced Tea. To celebrate this new creation, I wanted to plan a special picnic date with my husband. We haven’t had much time together lately, and I knew that some nice brewed iced tea and specially made tea sandwiches would make this a sweet experience for us both. It provided instant #TEArifficPairs.

I found Lipton cold brewed iced tea right in the coffee and tea aisle at Walmart. I also found everything else needed for the picnic within the aisle of the store, including a brand new pitcher. Huzzah! The actual brewing was very easy. Pour 8 cups of cool water over the super large iced tea bags and let it brew for at least 5 minutes. I decided to up the ante a bit with my new pineapple iced tea creation. I placed the pineapple rings on a cookie sheet and froze them solid. They ended up being the “ice” in our pitcher and drinks.

After brewing the 64 ounces of tea, I added in the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple. That’s it. The all natural juice provided a sweet taste to the tea without having to add actual sugar. Oh, and it was easy. I like easy.

I decided to serve the iced tea with some inventive and pregnancy-craving approved tea sandwiches. For a savory treat, I created Italian beef tea sandwiches. Made simply with ground beef, Italian seasoning, light sour cream, parmesan cheese and shredded Italian cheese blend. The strawberry tea sandwiches were even easier. Sliced strawberries were tossed in vanilla extract and each slider roll was coated in a dollop of softened cream cheese.

Our picnic was truly sweet. If we weren’t right in our side yard, you would think we were getting all romantic-like in a more famous patch of lush grass, like Central Park. Not only did we have a magical time, but we got 3 new picnic recipes out of the experience. Oh, and my mouth didn’t itch after the fact.

All Natural Pineapple Iced Tea

2 bags Lipton Cold Brewed Iced Tea
One 20oz can of pineapple slices in pineapple juice

Instructions:
Place pineapple rings on a cookie sheet, and freeze for at least half an hour.
Take 2 bags lipton cold brewed iced tea, place in your pitcher, and cover with 8 cups of cool water. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and add in pineapple juice from the can. Place pitcher in fridge and let cool.
Once the pineapple rings are frozen, remove, pour a glass of freshly brewed iced tea and top with a frozen pineapple ring.

Italian Beef Tea Sandwiches

1/2 pound ground beef, fully cooked and cooled
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/8 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
A few pinches of ground black pepper
6 slider rolls

Instructions:
Brown half a pound of ground beef in a large pan, place in a bowl, and let it fully cool.
In a medium bowl, combine, sour cream, cheeses, Italian seasoning and black pepper.
Once the ground beef is fully cooled, add to the creamed mixture and stir together. Let sit for half an hour to let the flavors marry. Place on slider rolls and top with mixed greens. Serve and enjoy.

Strawberry Tea Sandwiches

Half a pint fresh strawberries, sliced
4 Ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 slider rolls

Instructions:
Slice strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Toss with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and set aside.
Mix together 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of water. The consistency should be thick enough to drizzle over the top of the sandwiches. Set the mixture aside.
Slice slider rolls and spread cream cheese on the top and bottom of the inside of the rolls. Add some of the strawberry mixture to each roll bottom, and cover with the top.
Once finished, drizzle the powdered sugar mixture over all of the sandwiches.
Serve and enjoy.