[1] Que Pasa’s limited-edition Liberty Chips for July 4th (both photos © Que Pasa).

[2] Look for this bag.

[3] Want to make your own star-shaped chips? Here’s the recipe for both the chips and the salsa (photo © Wisconsin Dairy Farmers).

Almost everyone will be serving some kind of dip over July 4th weekend. Show your patriotism with these limited edition Liberty Chips from Que Pasa.

A festive mix of red, white and blue chips, they’re made from the highest quality organic, non-GMO ingredients.

These authentic chips are made in the traditional Mexican way: whole organic corn kernels ground between hand-cut volcanic rock.

They’re also certified kosher by OU.

You can find the chips at:

 
…and other fine retailers and e-tailers. Check the Que Pasa website for a store locator.

And if you can’t find them, here’s a hack:

Make your own mix of white corn tortilla chips, blue chips and red chips (individual colors available from Garden Of Eatin’, Que Pasa and others).

We actually serve a mix of colors year-round.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF JULY 4TH / INDEPENDENCE DAY
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TORTILLA CHIPS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF TORTILLAS
 
 
>THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TORTILLA CHIPS & CORN CHIPS

Just in time for July 4th menu planning, we received this recipe Chef Tom Fraker of Melissa’s Produce.

While the broad concept of “cheesecake” is not an American invention, the modern cream cheese cheesecake is. Cream cheese was invented in New York State in 1872.

So: this cheesecake is an all-American dessert.

(Here’s a more elaborate history of cheesecake).

We can’t think of anything we like better than cheesecake. And it even tastes great frozen! Don’t believe us? Make a Cheesecake Hot Fudge Sundae with a base of frozen cheesecake. Ice cream is optional.Beyo

Beyond July 4th, there are more than 30 cheesecake recipes below, including other holidays and savory cheesecakes.

> July 30th is National Cheesecake Day.
 
 
RECIPE: JULY 4TH CHEESECAKE

Prep time is 12-14 minutes, bake time is 65-75 minutes.
 
Ingredients

 
For The Garnish

[1] We’re celebrating July 4th with this red, white and blue cheesecake (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

[2] Get festive with sparklers (photo © Driscoll’s).

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Make the crust: In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons of sugar and the melted butter. Press the mixture into a tart or pie pan.

2. ADD the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract to the bowl of a standing mixer.

3. SPLIT the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape the pulp into the bowl. Blend until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing them to completely incorporate before adding the next egg.

4. POUR the mixture into the tart tin and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for 60-75 minutes, or until completely set.

5. REMOVE the cheesecake from the oven, let cool, and then chill for at least 4 hours.

6. GARNISH: Run a row of the blueberries around the outside edge and then fill the center with alternating rows of the strawberries and bananas.

 
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES

 
 
HOLIDAY & SPECIAL-OCCASION CHEESECAKES

 
 
SAVORY CHEESECAKES

These are wonderful as an appetizer/first course.

 
 
FROZEN CHEESECAKE

[1] It’s blue? Yes indeed: This herbal iced tea is made from a blue flower. It can be enjoyed straight or in a latte, as shown. Here’s the recipe (photo © Oh How Civilized).

[2] If you have blooming tea balls, you can make ice tea with them. Brew them as usual, and chill (photo © Joy Buy).

[3] Do you sweeten your iced tea? If you’re a maple syrup lover, consider substituting it for sugar, honey, etc. (photo © Runamok Maple Syrup).

[4] One of our favorite herbal iced teas is made with hibiscus flowers. Another is made with fresh sage leaves: Just pour boiling water over the leaves and let steep (photo © Republic Of Tea).

[5] Fruit-flavored teas are very popular and available in tea bags, like this strawberry iced tea from Shangri-La. They’re great iced, but you can also muddle fresh fruit and add it to regular iced tea (photo © Shangri-La Teas).

[6] After we had this peach-jalapeño iced tea created by Canard Catering, we created a version at home. As your tea steeps, add peach and jalapeño slices. Frozen peaches are fine (photo © Canard).

It’s the first full day of summer, and June is National Iced Tea Month (June 10th is National Iced Tea Day). Those two facts easily led us to today’s topic: iced tea.

It took a while for humankind to get to enjoy a chilled glass of tea.

In modern times, we have ice on demand from our refrigerator-freezers.

But in the millennia before the invention of the mechanical ice box, only the wealthy had a cool drink.

> The iced tea recipes are below.
 
 
HOW PEOPLE IN THE PAST HAD ICE IN THE SUMMER

 
Here’s the history of iced tea.
 
 
ICED TEA TIPS

We’ve had delicious bottled teas from companies that brew great tea—like Harney & Sons, Honest Tea, Inko’s, Republic Of Tea, and Tea’s Tea.

But personally, we’re conscientious about doing our part to spare the environment.

So we reserve these bottled iced tea treats for on-the-road options—i.e. when we’re out of the house and out of liquid refreshment.

But just about anything we can buy in a bottle can be brewed at home, saving not just the environment but lots of moolah.

Make iced tea in the microwave. We’ve devised a way to quickly brew iced tea in the microwave.

 
Another tip: Freeze the bottle. If you’ll be outside in the heat, freeze a bottle of iced tea.

 
 
ICED TEA RECIPES FOR ANY TEA TYPE

And now: Here are some of our favorite iced tea recipes and tips for brewing and serving.

The photos were selected to illustrate additional ways you can prepare iced tea.

Note that most iced tea recipes can be made with any tea: black, green, herbal, or white.

 
 
BLACK ICED TEA RECIPES

 
 
GREEN ICED TEA RECIPES

 
 
HERBAL ICED TEA RECIPES

 
 
TEA TRIVIA

 
 
THE TEA EXPERIENCE

June is National Turkey Month; the third Sunday is National Turkey Day—this year, June 20th.

This year it coincides with Father’s Day; and tonight, with the official beginning of summer (the exact time of the summer solstice this year is 11:32 p.m. Eastern Time).

We’ve been saving this Turkey Nachos recipe from Chef Ingrid Hoffmann for today: nachos made with ground turkey. (By the way, National Nachos Day is November 6th—another reason to make it.)

We’re showing Chef Ingrid’s complete from-scratch recipe, which increases the “better” factor with ground lean turkey, whole wheat nachos and low fat versions of the cheese and sour cream. (Truth to tell, we used the conventional versions.)

 
But if you’re making pico de gallo from scratch, make a double or triple batch. It will keep for more than a week and it’s delicious on everything.

Speaking of pico de gallo, here are:
 
 
USES FOR PICO DE GALLO BEYOND TEX/MEX

 
 
RECIPE: TURKEY NACHOS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

For The Pico De Gallo

 
For The Filling

 
For The Tortilla Chips

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pico de gallo. Combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, lime juice and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

2. MAKE the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and the chili power, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano and salt. Cook, stirring often, breaking up the turkey with the side of a spoon, until the turkey begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

[1] Replacing beef and pork with ground turkey (photo © Chef Ingrid Hoffmann);

[2] Pico de gallo, meaning “rooster’s beak.” The fresh (uncooked) salsa got its name because it once was eaten between the thumb and finger, in a way that resembled a pecking rooster (photo © Taste Of Home).

[3] Cilantro and fresh lime juice, great seasonings for many things, are used here in the pico de gallo (photo © Lindsay Moe | Unsplash).

[4] Ground turkey, popularly used for meatballs and burgers (photo © D’Artagnan).

[5] The tortilla chips are made from whole wheat tortillas (photo © Web Restaurant Store).

4. SPREAD the tortilla wedges on the baking sheets and spray with the nonstick spray. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.

5. SPRAY a large, shallow baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread half of the tortilla wedges in the baking dish, and top with half of the cheese, half of the turkey mixture, half of the beans, and half of the olives. Top with remaining tortilla wedges, and repeat with the remaining cheese, turkey mixture, beans and olives. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

6. REMOVE from oven and sprinkle with half of the pico de gallo and the avocado. Spoon a large dollop of the sour cream on top of the nachos. Sprinkle with the scallions. Serve immediately, with the remaining pico de gallo on the side.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF NACHOS

> THE HISTORY OF SALSA

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SALSA

[1] Pouring Huo Shan Huang Ya, a rare yellow tea (photos #1, #2, #3, #4 © In Pursuit Of Tea).

[2] While the leaves of Huo Shan Huang Ya are green in color, they have a yellow hue. And, they brew a yellow liquor**.

[3] This chocolate brown, straight-sided chawan (tea bowl) features a wide white stripe. The slightly asymmetrical lip is a nod to the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, or beauty in imperfection. It’s available at In Pursuit Of Tea.

[4] This limited edition chawan has a luminous black and rusty-red glaze and a deep, flat base that makes whisking matcha a breeze. It’s available at In Pursuit Of Tea.

Gilded Chawan[/caption]
[5] This chawan has a beautiful gilded interior. It’s available from Tea Dealers (photo © Tea Dealers).

[7] Some chawans are works of art, like this stone piece with a free-form rim and cutaway foot. It’s an exclusive from Tea Dealers (photo © Tea Dealers).

Yellow tea is a rare and wonderful thing, say the experts at In Pursuit Of Tea, an artisan tea seller. It’s been a tradition in China’s Anhui Province for more than 1,000 years.

And it’s so rare that we—big tea lover—had never even heard of it.

Today, we share our new-found knowledge with you.
 
 
WHAT IS YELLOW TEA?

Yellow tea gets its name from the yellow hue of its [green] leaves, after the fermentation and oxidation processes. And, it’s the color of the liquor** brewed from them.

Similar to green tea, the buds of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, are handpicked in early spring. Only the tips of the finest tea leaves are used for yellow tea.

Different tea masters vary the process, but here is the technique used to create Huo Shan Huang Ya, the tea in the photos that you can actually buy right now:

The plucked leaves are dry heated (panned) to almost halt the oxidation*—but not completely.

They are then carefully wrapped in cloth or thick paper, and finished over smoldering charcoal for a few days, curing in the sauna-like heat.

This unique, multi-day process transforms the tea into something special: a tea reminiscent of a Chinese green tea, but with more complexity and smoothness than their green tea cousins.

A rounded finish lingers, with a sweet hint of charcoal.

Because of the multiple-day wrapping and steaming process, making yellow tea is much more time-consuming and delicate. It takes expertise to achieve just the right level of fermentation and oxidation.

But there are very few tea masters in China who have this mastery, another factor that makes yellow tea the rarest and most expensive. A lot of expertise has been lost over time. Here’s more about it.

In most cases, yellow tea is consumed by locals or used as a tribute tea‡‡‡.

Thee rare yellow tea, with its craftsmanship and fine flavor, quickly became a favorite tribute tea. [source].

All of this makes yellow tea the rarest and most expensive variety.
 

THE HISTORY OF YELLOW TEA

Yellow tea is the “youngest” of the teas types. It first appeared in the 14th or 15th century, during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912).

While all tea is made from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, the terroir‡‡ that grows the best plants to make yellow tea are the mountains of the Hunan, Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces of China.

What makes yellow tea so rare and pricey?

First, a limited growing area. Second, the unique harvesting and drying processes, described above, which contribute to the tea’s yellow color.

Due to the wrapping of the leaves and a multiple-day steaming process, making yellow tea is more time-consuming and delicate.

In most cases, yellow tea is made for the appreciation of locals or used as a tribute tea, given to dignitaries. They have never had a broad market presence.

In fact, for centuries, it was actually illegal to sell yellow tea abroad; so it never gained much awareness [source].
 
 
AVAILABLE FOR A BRIEF TIME

Because this tea is so rare, grab it while you can. The lot available at In Pursuit Of Tea is Huo Shan Huang Ya. “Huo Mountain Yellow Sprout.”

It’s a remarkable lot, says In Pursuit. “Harvested in late April, it boasts aromas of grilled artichoke and roast peanuts with a verdant undertone of fresh green beans.

“As for the taste, think of ripe honeydew sprinkled with white pepper, all packed into beautifully fluffy buds, festooned with a fine coat of fuzzy trichomes—a true sign of leaf quality.”

“We’re calling it the tea of the summer: bright and unusual to match the reopening of 2021, and alluring enough to encourage new experiences.

“Steep a generous pinch loose in a chawan or wide bowl, and sip on a porch while watching the birds.

“Try an ambient brew with room temperature water for an hour to appreciate a different side of this multifaceted tea.

“Or drink it iced all summer long, to quench your thirst for something refreshing and beautiful.”

We say: Make hay while the sun shines, and get some Huo Shan Hyuang Ya that’s the color of sunshine.

Head to In Pursuit of Tea.

You can afford the two-ounce package, $46.25. It’s a lot, but it’s a very special experience.

You can usually get about 10–15 cups of tea (a 6 fluid ounces tea cup—not a 12-ounce mug) from an ounce of loose leaf tea, depending on how strong you like your tea. Thus, two ounces of loose leaf should provide up to 30 cups of tea [source].

When you take a sip, remember that you’re drinking a tea enjoyed only by the emperor of China, for most of its existence.
 
 
> AN OVERVIEW OF TEA

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEA

> THE HISTORY OF TEA

*Black tea is fully oxidized, green tea is partially oxidized, white tea is not oxidized.

†Unlike traditional hot brews (a few minutes at temperatures above 149°F) or cold brews (many hours at temperatures between 33°C and 41°F),ambient brewing uses still or sparkling water for less than an hour, at cool ambient temperatures between 50°F and 59°C, and served within those temperatures [source].

‡A chawan is a matcha bowls, designed for whisking matcha powder in the traditional style of Japanese tea preparation. They are used for for everyday consumption; although like fine dinnerware, some are special-occasion bowls. The wide shape enables proper foaming. Chawans are considered “practical works of art,” used and collected by tea aficionados around the world. If you own one, you can enjoy any kind of tea from it.

**Liquor is the industry term for brewed tea. Check out more tea terms in our Tea Glossary.

‡‡Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affect a crop’s qualities. It includes climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics give a fruit, vegetable, cheese, olive oil, tea, coffee, etc., its unique character.

‡‡‡A tribute tea, or gong cha, was the finest of the crop that was given to the emperor “in tribute.” The custom lasted until the 1700s. The emperor enjoyed the tea for his own consumption or to host dinners or other special events for visiting dignitaries.