Elegant Sugar Cubes For Tea Time Recipes

Steps:

• Mix the confectioners sugar and water.
• Add 1 or 2 drops of food coloring to tint the frosting the color you desire. You can use red for roses, blue for forget-me-nots, green for leaves - or whatever colors or designs you want!).
• Scoop some of the icing into a decorating bag, fitted with the tip of your choice.
• Make tiny flowers and leaves on your sugar cubes, or create your own designs.

Steps:

• For the Ice Ring:.
• In a small pan/tea pot heat 1 quart water to a boil. Add 4 black tea bags. Let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Refrigerate until very cold.
• Fill mini cake molds with a small amount of chilled water. Layer in cracked cinnamon sticks, and feathered lemon peels spaced equally around the bottom of each mold. Let freeze for 1 hour or until frozen to hold inclusions in place. Fill with chilled tea to top of molds. Freeze overnight.
• For the Simple Syrup:.
• In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil and reduce to simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Will keep refrigerated for one month.
• For the Punch:.
• Stir together punch ingredients in a punch bowl. Unmold ice ring by quickly dipping into warm water and inverting Float ice ring in punch.
• Ladle into tea cup. Garnish with channel peeler manicured orange wedges and serve.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to box directions.
• In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, ½ teaspoon salt and some black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft about 5-6 minute Add garlic and cook until onions begin to caramelize, another 5-6 minute.
• Add the shrimp to the pan, plus a pinch of salt and black pepper. Sauté the shrimp until it is seared on both sides, about 2 minutes, then move it to the bowl with the pancetta.
• Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes, until beginning to soften. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add wine and the BOU cube to the pan. Whisk well until the cube has dissolved, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring liquid to a boil, let it reduce until almost fully evaporated, about 1-2 minutes.
• Add the peas, coconut milk and red pepper flakes to the pan and stir well. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Allow the liquid to thicken a bit, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the pasta to the pan, followed by shrimp and pancetta plus juices from the bowl, then the tarragon and lemon zest. Toss well, then stir over low heat for about 3-5 minutes until shrimp has cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

Steps:

• In a glass measuring cup, place the sugar and a half teaspoon of water (don't use more water or you will dissolve the sugar). You can add drop or two of any shade food coloring you wish. Stir together until thoroughly combined. The sugar should feel and look like wet sand.
• Press your sugar into little silicon ice cube molds. Be sure to press really firmly so your sugar will hold tight together. Once you've pressed the sugar firmly down into the mold, turn the mold over and the hearts will fall right out onto a plate. They turn out of the molds very easily. If one breaks when you turn it out, just press it back into the mold and then turn it back out again.
• I placed the plate directly into the freezer, uncovered. I left it there for 2-3 hours and the cubes hardened up nicely. Once they hardened up and were no longer so fragile, I tucked them into a baggies and returned them to the refrigerator. You can store them in either the refrigerator or the freezer. They hold together well once they harden up in the freezer.
• Right after you take them out of the freezer, that's a good time to clean up the edges of the heart. The little sugar crumbs around the edges break off and will leave a nicer looking edge.
• Notes: I always buy these molds at Dollar Tree or Michael's. They usually have them in fun shapes depending on the season and time of year. 1/4 cup of sugar makes about 8 sugar hearts. If you wish to make more, just double or triple the recipe.