Ku Day Tay’s tea salon in Milpitas, California.
If you’re in the San Francisco area, it’s open
7 days. Schedule a tea tasting, or just pop in for tea and a snack.

You could try to create the stunning environment at home with some decorating tricks (we have the red walls, but no six-foot sculpted buddha) and soothing music, and have your own getaway tea and meditation room year-round. But to focus a moment on summer, why not end the season by throwing a memorable iced tea party—all the better if you have a lovely garden to serve it in? Explore local tea shops and online emporia like Adagio.com and Serendipitea.com for flavored teas, or steep your own. See our suggestions for an iced tea party, inspired by Ku Day Ta’s iced tea menu.

You can buy it easily: Tabasco makes a spicy ketchup, mainstream ketchup makers like Heinz make Jalapeño Ketchup, and there are a number of specialty brands. If you don’t have room on the refrigerator door for one more bottle, it’s easy to make spicy ketchup by adding hot sauce to your regular ketchup.

A more gourmet approach is to add fresh or canned chopped chiles (like jalapeños) to regular ketchup. They provide a nice texture as well as a more complex flavor. You can snip in some fresh herbs for color.

We serve spicy ketchup in ramekins or add it as a plate garnish. It’s great on a burger or fries.

• See our review of the different flavors of Tabasco Hot Pepper Sauces.
• Check out our favorite gourmet condiments.

Jalapeño Ketchup photo courtesy Heinz.

Coffee as punch? Is any liquid served in a punch bowl “punch?” Not exactly, but we’re taking some license here. A brief history of punch:

Punch is a general term that covers a wide assortment of mixed drinks, with or without alcohol. While they generally contain fruit or fruit juice, that isn’t essential. Punch, which seems quintessentially British, actually was discovered in India by the British sailors of the East India Company, and brought to England in the early 17th century; from there it spread to other countries. The word “punch” is adapted from the Hindi panch. In India, panch, earlier called paantsch, was made from five different ingredients: sugar, lemon, water, tea or spices and an alcoholic spirit. The word for “five” in Sanskrit is panchan; derivations of the word exist in the different Indian dialects.

Coffee On The Cubes is one of Colleen’s favorite beverages, a way to serve a festive coffee recipe that keeps it cool for hot days. Move over, iced moccachino: This recipe is super-rich from the cream, but it is unsweetened; guests add their own sugar to taste. See the recipe.

Keep cool this August with this super-rich iced coffee recipe.

• See more of our iced coffee recipes.
• Read reviews of our favorite coffees.
• Making your own coffee drinks at home is a great way to economize. Check out these tips on how to save and still enjoy delicious coffee.

• Read our review of Rice to Riches Rice Pudding.
• Need a sugar-free rice pudding fix? Read our review of Kozy Shack. It’s not the same as Rice To Riches, but it works!

With 15 different cake and filling
combinations to choose from, it’s impossible
not to love these whoopie pies.

The ubiquitous whoopie pie has been transformed into something exciting by WannaHavaCookie. In 15 delicious flavor combinations, there’s another benefit: smaller size. You can enjoy a few bites of whoopie pie more often, without the guilt. They’re also great for gifts and party favors.

• Check out the full review to see all of WannaHavaCookie’s wonderful whoopie pie flavor combinations.
• See more of our favorite cookies.
• Learn to make your own whoopie pies at home with this vanilla cardamom whoopie pie recipe.