Here’s a lovely tea gift from Williamson Tea: a metal tea canister beautifully designed with an elephant decked out in paisley. Inside: 40 premium Earl Grey teabags.

The tea is grown exclusively on Williamson’s Kaimosi tea farm in Kenya. The farm sits beside the Kakamega Forest, a subtropical rainforest.

This fresh, bright, and fragrant black tea blend is scented naturally with Earl Grey’s signature bergamot oranges.

Elephant tea caddies are a signature item of Williamson Tea, Kenyan tea farmers who grow some of the most sustainable, high–quality liquoring* teas in the world.

There are currently 16 different tea caddy designs (alas, currently shipping only to the U.K.).

But this pink caddy (photo #1), availablein the U.S. Mark T. Wendell Tea Co., is a great pick for Mother’s Day.

Make a tea lover happy with this beautiful paisley elephant tea caddy, containing 40 tea bags. After the initial tea bags are gone, the canister can be filled infinitely.

Get your Elephant Tea GIft Canister at MarkTWendell.com.

Since 1904, Mark T. Wendell Tea Co. has focused on luxury tea blends. They sell more than 100 tea blends, plus tea accessories and tea gifts.

Take a look at all of them while you’re on the website.
 
 
> EARL GREY TEA HISTORY

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*Tea liquor is the liquid created by steeping tea leaves in water—i.e., it’s the brewed tea. But to tea connoisseurs, it’s more than that. Similar to evaluating the color, density, and other visual aspects of wine, experts look at the brewed tea for its noticeable hues, texture/viscosity, and other features that distinguish a particular type of tea.

There is no alcohol in tea liquor. Rather, the name was conferred long ago to acknowledge that brewed tea is no longer a cup of water; chemically it has changed. It has developed depth, fragrance, color, taste, aftertaste, and other appeals to the senses.

The liquor begins at the moment the tea leaves begin to infuse the water and continues to develop until the tea is fully steeped.

[1] The elephant tea canister remains a permanent gift for tea or other storage. It’s nice enough to decorate other parts of the home, too (photo © Mark D. Wendell Tea Company).

[2] Earl Grey tea leaves. The elephant canister packs the loose tea into tea bags (photo © Fava Tea).

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[1] A coconut “Margarita” with a shredded coconut rim (both photos © Koloa Rum).

[2] Bottles of Kōloa Coconut Rum. The brand also makes Kauaʻi White, Gold, Dark, Reserve Cask Strength Single-Barrel Aged Hawaiian Rum, Cacao, Coffee, and Spice rums. All are wonderful for home or gifting.

There are many ways to tweak a Margarita (check out our 35 Margarita recipes). But given our druthers, we’d keep at least the tequila, fruit liqueur, and lime. But with this Coconut Margarita recipe, Kōloa Rum, a premium rum producer, has made a departure: no orange or other fruit liqueur.

So is it still a Margarita? Read our article, Margarita Vs. Not A Margarita.

We’d give this cocktail a different name; Coconut Dream, Coconut Cloud…fill in your choice of name here.

Call it whatever, but it’s definitely delicious, and a treat for coconut lovers.

For Cinco De Mayo, Mother’s Day, or another festive occasion, bring a bottle of Kōloa Coconut Rum (photo #2). Use it to make a Coconut Margarita (photo #1), Piña Colada, Coconut Rum Milk Punch, these six recipes from Kōloa, and other coconut rum cocktails.

> The history of rum.

> The history of the Margarita.

> More Cinco de Mayo recipes.
 
 
RECIPE: COCONUT MARGARITA
 
Ingredients Per Drink

Distilled, blended, and bottled in Kalaheo, Kauaʻi, Hawaii by Kōloa Rum Company, Kōloa Coconut Rum is 40% ABV/80 proof.

The rum is distilled from pure cane sugar, distilled in a vintage, steam-powered copper pot still, and cut with filtered water from the ancient Mount Waiʻaleʻale.

The nose features intense coconut aromatics with light hints of roasted coconut and Piña Colada undertones.

The initial flavor is of baby coconut flesh at the front of the palate, with a finish of lightly toasted coconut, and hints of fresh lime zest. If you have a super palate, you may detect the slightest bit of caramelized pineapple.
 
 

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Baskin-Robbins has introduced a brand-new Flavor of the Month, and a fun one at that: Breakfast in Bed.

It combines buttermilk pancake- and maple syrup-flavored ice creams, fluffy pancake pieces, and a blueberry compote swirl (photo #1). It’s a good excuse to have ice cream for breakfast.

Along with the launch of the new flavor, Baskin-Robbins has introduced an ice cream cake, the Tall Stack Cake, also for a limited time (photo #2).

The Tall Stack Cake has the look of real pancakes, topped with a caramel praline “syrup” and a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a dollop of “butter.”

You can order it with Breakfast In Bed ice cream, or customize it with your favorite Baskin-Robbins ice cream and cake flavors.

Are you ready to serve Mom ice cream for breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day?

This new ice cream flavor and the new ice cream cake will be a memorable addition to any Mother’s Day celebration.

Head to your nearest Baskin-Robbins or head to the website for online orders. Here’s a store locator.

Some locations also deliver via Doordash, Postmates, and Uber Eats.

It must be fun to be in Research + Development for Baskin-Robbins. While developing Breakfast In Bed, the R&D team taste-tested a variety of flavor pairings, including buttermilk pancake and blueberry ice creams swirled with maple syrup.

They then altered the concept, to include maple ice cream with a blueberry swirl—plus the fun of pancake pieces.

On the downside, imagine how many variations you have to taste before one gets the thumbs up.
 
 
> The history of ice cream.

> The different types of ice cream and frozen desserts.

[1] May’s flavor of the month: Breakfast In Bed ice cream with flavors of buttermilk pancake, maple syrup, pancake pieces and a blueberry compote swirl (both photos © Baskin-Robbins).

[2] You can have a Breakfast In Bed ice cream cake, or pick your favorite flavors.

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[1] Strawberry White Chocolate Popcorn. The recipe is below (photo © recipe © Popcorn Board).

[2] Freeze-dried strawberry halves. We got them on Amazon (photo © Natierra Nature).

[3] Guittard white chocolate chips (photo © Webstaurant Store).

[4] You can pop the corn from scratch, or buy a large bag of already-popped-corn (photo © Charles Deluvio | Unsplash).

[5] The easiest sweet popcorn recipe: a plain bowl of popcorn and ramekins of mix-ins so everyone can help themselves (photo © Family Fresh Meals).

May is National Strawberry Month, and next Sunday is Mother’s Day. If you’ll be seeing friends and family, here’s a yummy Strawberries & Cream Popcorn recipe, the cream being white chocolate (photo #1). You can bring it as a treat when you visit, or to enjoy as a sweet snack at home.

Of all the sweet snacks you can pick, popcorn is a whole grain food.

Freeze-dried strawberries give this yummy popcorn loads of flavor, and the white chocolate provides the perfect creamy pairing.

While you need to buy freeze-dried strawberries, you can use the extra for baking, cottage cheese, frosting, ice cream, shakes, smoothies, etc.

> The history of strawberries.

> The history of white chocolate.

> The history of popcorn.

> What makes popcorn kernels pop.

> How to remove the burnt popcorn smell.

> Popcorn trivia.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRIES & CREAM WHITE CHOCOLATE POPCORN

Depending on how you like to have strawberries, you can use anything from freeze-dried strawberry halves, to smaller cubes, to strawberry powder*. All are easily found online.

Thanks to The Popcorn Board for the recipe.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PULSE the freeze-dried strawberries in a small food processor or spice grinder, until finely ground.

2. PLACE the popcorn in a large bowl. Drizzle the melted chocolate over top; toss until well coated. Sprinkle evenly with the ground freeze-dried strawberries; toss until well coated.

3. SCRAPE onto a large parchment-lined baking sheet, spreading into an even layer. Let stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes or until the chocolate is set and hardened. To serve, break into pieces.
 
 
MORE POPCORN RECIPES

 
 
SEASONAL POPCORN RECIPES

*Instead of using larger pieces, you can mix the strawberry powder into the melted white chocolate to make strawberry chocolate.

The 148th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place on May 7, 2022—always the first Saturday in May, always at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is open to 20 horses, who qualified for the race by earning points on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby.

The official drink of the Kentucky Derby is the Mint Julep. The clubhouse at Churchill Downs began mixing bourbon-based mint juleps around 1875. The Mint Julep became the racetrack’s signature drink in 1938, when the venue started to serve the drink in Kentucky Derby souvenir glasses.

In 1999, Woodford Reserve became the “official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby”—although we do have a Maker’s Mark recipe below, which makes enough for a crowd.

Today, the Kentucky Derby serves more than 80,000 juleps over the two-day event. (The capacity of the track is 50,000 (x 2 days = 100,000 people to drink, so some revelers are not drinking their fair share!).

Mint Julep recipes are not just for the Kentucky Derby, but anytime you want a minty Bourbon cocktail with lots of shaved ice.

> Check out the recipes below.

> The history of the Mint Julep and what’s a julep?

> Grow your own mint.

> Have a retro cocktail party.

> Food Fun: Use your julep cups for food.
 
 
RECIPE: MAKER’S MARK MINT JULEP

 
Ingredients For 14-16 Juleps

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the mint extract. Remove about 40 small mint leaves, wash, and place them in a small mixing bowl. Cover with 3 ounces of Maker’s Mark and allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes.

Then, gather the leaves in a clean, soap-free piece of cotton cloth and vigorously wring the mint bundle over the bowl of whisky. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times. Then set aside.

2. PREPARE the simple syrup. Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and one cup of water in a pot. Heat to dissolve the sugar, stirring constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.

3. PREPARE the mint julep mixture. Pour 3½ cups of Maker’s Mark into a large glass pitcher. Pour the remaining whisky from the liter bottle into another container and save it for another purpose. Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the Maker’s Mark.

4. BEGIN to add the mint extract to the julep mixture a tablespoon at a time. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell it after each tablespoon is added.

You may have to leave the room a time or two to clear your nose (a food taster’s trick is to inhale coffee beans or fresh-ground coffee to clear the nose).

The tendency is to use too much mint. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste, generally about 3 tablespoons. When you think the balance is right…

5. POUR the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to marry the flavors.

6. TO SERVE: Fill each glass (ideally a silver Mint Julep cup) half full with shaved ice. Insert a sprig of mint and then pack in more ice to about an inch over the top of the cup.

Then insert a straw that has been cut to one inch above the top of the cup, so that the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the Mint Julep. When frost forms on the cup…

7. POUR the refrigerated Julep mixture over the ice, add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice, and serve.
 
 
MORE MINT JULEP RECIPES

[1] A classic Mint Julep recipe is served in a silver, copper, or pewter julep cup (photos #1 and #3 © Woodford Reserve).

[2] No julep cups? No worry: Use any highball/Collins/tall glass (photo © Sid Wainer | Facebook).

[3] Add your own touch, with edible flowers.

[4] Or add an edible fruit garnish for munching, like these pear slices. Blackberries or cucumber slices are nice options (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

[5] Mound the shaved ice high before pouring in the julep mixture (photo © Arch Rock Fish | San Diego [permanently closed]).

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