As we noted last week, MaryAnna’s all-natural bottled sweet tea tastes like fresh-brewed. The teas are made with filtered water, premium tea and cane sugar.

The Summer Sweet Tea has just the right amount of lemon juice to brighten the flavor without making it “lemony.” The Berry Sweet Tea is flavored with raspberry; the effect is one of fresh, infused berries.

Both flavors will be hits with your family and guests. Grown-ups can also enjoy MaryAnna’s Sweet Tea as a mixer, with gin, tequila or vodka.

Cool off this summer with MaryAnna’s sweet
tea. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

• THE PRIZE: One winner will receive a mixed case of MaryAnna’s Sweet Tea, which includes six bottles of each of the two flavors. Approximate retail value: $24.95.
• To Enter This Gourmet Giveaway: Go to the box at the bottom of our Gourmet Tea Section and enter your email address for the prize drawing.
• To learn more about MaryAnna’s Teas, visit MaryAnnasTea.com.
• Here’s a review of five more of our favorite bottled teas.

[1] It’s easy to turn ripe bananas into banana s’mores (photo © Aldi)

[2] Mini chocolate chips (photo © King Arthur Flour).

For a cookout, our favorite dessert is a watermelon carved into a basket, filled with fresh fruit salad.

But that takes time and good carving skills. So here’s another way to wow family and friends: banana s’mores.

The banana takes the place of the graham crackers, and you melt the chocolate and marshmallows on the grill.
 
 
GRILLED BANANA S’MORES

Ingredients Per Serving

 
Preparation

1. SPLIT a ripe banana down the middle. Fill the center with mini marshmallows plus chocolate and/or peanut butter morsels.

2. WRAP the banana in foil, punching a hole in the top for steam to escape.

3. GRILL for five or more minutes until the marshmallows and chocolate melt. Remove and serve—with a spoon, with the optional ice cream.

4. A scoop of vanilla, chocolate or banana ice cream atop the banana s’mores also hits the spot.

If you love s’mores as much as we do, check out these s’mores recipes—all with the traditional graham crackers.

In-between all that eating, you really need some refreshment!

Some people drink water; we head for the thirst-slaking tea. The iced black Peach & Passion tea from Ahmad Tea of London was a delicious relief; we downed three cups! You can find the tea on Amazon.com.

And Rishi’s Citron Green “tropical” green tea offered soothing notes of lemongrass, lemon myrtle, fresh orange blossom, tangerine and jasmine flowers. A complex and exciting combination of flavors, it was voted “Best Green Iced Tea” at the 2006 World Tea Expo.

The tea is organic and Fair Trade Certified, and is available at Rishi-Tea.com.

Find more of our favorite teas in our Gourmet Tea section.

Rishi’s Citron Green and Ahmad’s Peach
& Passion are two standout iced teas.
Photo courtesy Rishi Tea.