Making home-made ice tea is really easy, and tastes better than the store-bought iced tea. When making your own, you are in control of the flavor and sugar. This ice tea is the perfect thirst-quencher for the scorching summer heat, and it’s healthy for you, too! Tea contains loads of antioxidants, especially black and green tea. Tea has been proven to block DNA damage associated with tobacco and other toxic chemicals. Tests performed on rats have found that rats who drank tea had less cancer. With all this in mind, it’s time to get cracking on making your very own iced tea!

Here’s what you’ll need: Tea of your choice, sugar (or honey or any other sweetener of your choice), sliced lemons, oranges, or limes, and mint leaves for serving.

Boil water and add 2-3 tea bags to steep. Add in your sweetener while the water is still hot and stir until it has dissolved. Taste to determine whether more sweetener is needed. Add in slices of lemon, orange, or lime if you like. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, remove tea bags, and pop it in the fridge to chill. When serving, add a genrous amount of ice cubes and mint leaves if desired.

That’s it! Easy to make, and super healthy, it’s hard to only drink one glass!

Photos: Yelp, Drizzle and Dip, Jugalbandi.

Lemonade is our go-to drink for summertime. It’s refreshing and extremely good for you, too! There’s no need to buy store bought lemonade loaded with sugar and preservatives. You can make your own homemade lemonade using freshly squeezed lemons right in your own kitchen! Here’s one of our favorite classic recipes to make this cooling drink yourself:

The Best Lemonade

This will definitely be the best lemonade you have ever tasted!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup of water.
2. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Allow it to cool until it is at room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
4. Squeeze lemons for juice and remove seeds, but leave the pulp.
5. In a pitcher, stir together the chilled syrup, lemon juice, and the remaining 7 cups of water.

Photos: Seevanessacraft, Static Parade

Patio furniture not looking up to par? Get it in tip-top shape for all your summer parties with these tips!

1. Vinegar

Break out your trusty bottle of white vinegar and use it to dampen a microfibre cloth. Rub the cloth over the rust. If the rust doesn’t come off easily, make sure the cloth is soaked in vinegar and leave the cloth over the spot until it soaks off.

2. Baking Soda

Mix the baking soda with a little bit of water to form a paste. Spread it over rusty areas, let it set, then scrub off.

3. Lime and Salt

Sprinkle salt over rusty spots and soak it in lime juice. Let it sit for a few hours and scrub the rust away. You can use the rind from the lime to scrub off the rust as it won’t damage the metal. If you don’t have any limes, lemon works just as well.

4. Potato and Dish Soap

Cut a potato in half and dip the cut end in dish soap. Place the potato over the rust and let it sit for a couple hours. If you like, you can use baking soda and water instead of dish soap.

Photos: About, Stevens Auction Company.