March

Our March meeting was fun experience. In this meeting we were able to discuss many important topics. One of these subjects was self-esteem. Speaking about this subject was Dalena where she led a good discussion on this touchy subject. We agreed as a group that having a good self esteem is essential. After this we had a very fun Icebreaker. Our icebreaker for this meeting was speed dating. This activity was very fun and all of the ladies had a joyous time doing it. Some of the questions that we asked each other were, "If you could travel abroad anywhere where would it be?" and "Who was your first crush?" In this icebreaker we were able to learn many new things about other in Tea & Etiquette and as well meet new people. After this Mrs. Jordan our advisor gave us a presentation of the origin of Tea. We learned where tea originally came from and its importance.

Next we had a culture event. Since our group is made up of different ethnities we brought three different drinks that represented our culture. Julie and Molly brought a traditional Mexican drink. They brought jamaica which is made of roselle plant often called hibiscus. This drink is often served in celebrations such as birthdays and holidays.

Recipe

4 cups water1/2 cup dried jamaica flowers1/2 cup sugar (I used natural cane sugar this time around)Another 3 cups of cold waterMore sugar to taste

1 lime, thinly sliced

If you prefer, you can sweeten with any natural sweetener of your choice including honey in place of granulated sugar).

First off, pick out a pot that won't stain. Hibiscus has the potential to stain just about anything it comes in contact with including your countertop, cookware, wooden spoons, favorite jeans, etc. So keep this in mind.

Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove water from heat and add the dried flowers and sugar. Place a lid over the pot and steep for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice along the way to break down the sugar granules.

Pour the infusion through a strainer into a pitcher or jug (this is usually where something gets stained). You are going to want to add about 3 more cups of cold water to the pitcher. Taste and adjust based on your personal preference. You can add a bit more sugar if you think you need it, or more water if you feel like the jamaica is too overpowering. This is usually just about right for my taste. I don't like the sugar to overpower the refreshing natural tartness of the jamaica flower.

Cool completely and serve with plenty of ice in glasses garnished with a slice of lime.

Serves 8.

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000172.html

Another drink that was made was Horchata which is another traditional Mexican drink. This drink is made from raw rice, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Horchata is one of the most famous mexican drinks and is served year around. The ladies also enjoyed drinking Tai Tea. This drink was also very delicious. All of the ladies learned about new cultures by drinking these drinks. Lastly Mrs. Jordan treated us to some British tea.

As our craft we made cute bookmarks. This was fun because we were able to experiment with different types shades of colors. Our final product came out adorable.

Overall this meeting was enjoyable and knowledgeable. We were able to come together as one even though we all come from different walks of life.

Yum!