So we are not a prospect for Sweet Leaf Tea, a brand we’ve tasted on numerous occasions. In organic and all-natural, original and flavored variations (lemon-lime, mint & honey, peach, raspberry, etc.), it is Southern-style sweet tea. Made with excellent tea, it’s a hit with many, but too sweet for us.

So we were excited when the brand introduced two flavors of Diet Sweet Leaf Tea, The Original and Citrus.

They’re absolutely delicious, and some kind of magic incantation must have been cast over the sucralose to make the drinks taste so natural.

Diet “The Original” Sweet Leaf Black Tea

If you doubt our word that a zero-calorie sweet tea can taste as good as this, company owners Clayton Christopher and David Smith recount the true story of how they ran out of Original Sweet Tea at an Austin City Limits Music Festival. They served Diet The Original for a few hours and no one noticed.

As with The Original, Diet Citrus is made with filtered water, plus organic green tea, natural flavors, citric acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

While Diet The Original has very fine tea flavor, Diet Citrus has layers and layers of flavor: not just citrus but peach and pineapple, as well.

We’ll be ordering them in bulk. Fortunately, both flavors are made in 64-ounce plastic jugs along with 16 ounce glass single-serves. Buy them by the jugful.

The line is certified kosher by OU.

Here’s a store locator. You can also buy Sweet Leaf on Amazon.com.

Find more of our favorite iced tea brands, plus recipes.

Ravioli cooked on the grill. Photo courtesy
PastaPrima.com.

We got such good response to our recent Pasta Primavera recipe that we’re sharing another take on it—grilled ravioli with grilled vegetables.

Pasta Prima, a specialist in handcrafted ravioli, developed this recipe using its Pasta Prima Frozen Spinach and Mozzarella Ravioli. You can try other ravioli flavors, as well. Consider a ravioli “mixed grill.”

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 4 minutes. Yields: 4 servings.

GRILLED RAVIOLI PRIMAVERA RECIPE

Ingredients

Marinade

 
Preparation

1. MARINATE. Slice the vegetables into half inch pieces, large enough to fit on a skewer. Put the vegetables into a sealed plastic bag with the marinade ingredients, shake, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.

2. THAW. While the vegetables are marinating, thaw the ravioli and soak the skewers so they will not burn. For quick thawing of frozen ravioli, soak in tepid water for about half an hour, or defrost in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Soak skewers for several hours.

3. PREHEAT. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Let the marinade drain off the vegetables in a colander, to prevent flare-ups.

4. GRILL. Slide vegetables onto skewers. Place ravioli on the grill. Cook vegetables apart from the ravioli on the other side of the grill. Both will take about 2 ½-3 minutes to cook. Keep the grill lid open.

5. SERVE. Top with the optional garnish(es).
Find more of our favorite pasta recipes.

So freeze it into ice pops.

Favorite herbal teas make tasty pops. Just brew them to twice the concentration—two tea bags or two teaspoons of loose tea per cup.

Add your sweeter and freeze. You can also add a half teaspoon of spirit (gin, tequila, vodka), liqueur, or a splash of wine.

In the photo, chef Michael O’Boyle of Chicken Fried Steak.com has made ice pops with hibiscus tea, using round ice cube molds instead of conventional ice pop molds.

Make some and cool off!

Find more of our favorite recipes for sorbet and other frozen desserts.

With the color of a rosé wine, Courvoisier Rosé is a blend of Cognac—made from distilled grapes—and red wine grapes, pressed as they are for wine.

The color and flavor of Courvoisier Rosé are equally exquisite: a rosy-hued spirit with notes of blackberry, black currant, cherry, honey, peach and vanilla. It gives the impression of a fine liqueur rather than Cognac (liqueurs are distilled alcohol flavored with cream, flowers, fruit, herbs, nuts and spices, with added sugar).

Traditional Cognac is 40% alcohol alcohol by volume (80 proof), while Courvoisier Rose is only 18% (36 proof); the full flavor belies the lower alcohol.

Easy drinking Courvoisier Rosé is an innovation in the Cognac category, and can be enjoyed on every occasion, year-round. Try it with dessert!

A 750ml bottle has a suggested retail price of $24.99. Different and delicious in a handsome bottle, it’s a great gift item.

*The juice of both red and white wine grapes is white (or light) in color. The color of red wine comes from extensive contact the juice has with the pressed wine skins. Rosé wines, also called blush wines, are made from red wine grapes that are only allowed minimal skin contact—just enough to achieve the rosy color. The skins are then discarded, rather than left in contact throughout fermentation, as they are with red wine production.

ROSÉ SPARKLER

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Shake Courvoisier Rosé and liqueur together; strain into a chilled Champagne flute.

2. Top with Champagne. Add 3 blueberries or 1-2 raspberries to the flute or on a cocktail pick, or perch a notched strawberry on the rim.
 
 
Find more of our favorite cocktail recipes.

The handsome bottle begs to be given a gift. Photo courtesy Courvoisier.

A new look at Pasta Primavera, with shaved vegetable strips (photo and concept © chef Michael O’Boyle, Chicken Fried Gourmet.

Here’s a refreshing idea from Chef Michael O’Boyle of ChickenFriedGourmet.com: a different perspective on the classic dish, Pasta Primavera.

Instead of cutting the vegetables into coins, matchsticks or other shapes, use your vegetable peeler to create long strips, mirroring the shape of fettuccine.

Not only is it visually appealing, but the way the vegetables mesh with the fettuccine makes it easier to eat your veggies.

Pick three veggies in contrasting colors: carrots, green-skinned zucchini, red bell peppers, violet-colored red cabbage and yellow-skinned summer squash. (When peeled, most of the zucchini and yellow squash will have only white flesh.)

The vegetables should be shaved into 3/8″ strips, or as close as possible to the width of the fettuccine.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions.

2. When the fettuccine is almost finished cooking, quickly steam the vegetables (you can do it in the microwave—check after 15 seconds).

3. In a large bowl, toss the pasta, vegetables and herbs with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve; or allow diners to add their own cheese at the table, as you prefer.