Mother's Day Tea Basket With Flavored Sugars

One of the nicest things we can do for our moms is pamper them. Here is a nice way to pamper that tea lover in your life. The best part is it won't cost you very much, but will be very appreciated. This is a thrifty gift and, best of all, is in the theme of reuse, recycle, repurpose.

• 1 basket or very large coffee cup
• miscellaneous tea bags (I suggest Celestial Seasonings teas)
• flavored or colored sugar
• 2 small plastic bags
• 1 trashy romance Novel
• 1 pretty tea cup and saucer
• 1 pretty teaspoon
• silk roses
• baby's breath
• Ribbon or a bow

There are two ways you can do this. One is a basket and the other is to fill one of those large coffee cups with the things you want to put in. Teacups can be found at your local thrift store as well as silver or pretty teaspoons.

You are going to put the sugar and tea bags in the plastic bags but you might even find a pretty jar to put it in at your local thrift store. In a pinch, a small jar recycled from bullion or baby food could be recycled with a small bit of lace put around the top. On thrifty fun, there is an article about reusing old tins. The directions would be the same for painting the lid of the jar before you hot glue on the lace.

If your mom is not into trashy romance novels, check out the used bookstore, garage sales or church sales for a more appropriate book.

First fill your basket with shredded paper from your shredder. Now nestle your items in. Tuck in the silk flowers and babies breath. Add a bow or ribbons to the handle.

Flavored Sugars

Colored Sugar

• 1 drop of food coloring in her favorite color
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Stir the food coloring into the sugar until shade desired.

Lemon Sugar

• 3 lemons
• 2 cups sugar

Zest the lemons using a citrus zester. Roughly chop lemon zest. In a food processor, add 1 cup of the sugar and all the lemon zest. Pulse for a few minutes until the zest has been finely ground. Add the rest of the sugar and toss until well mixed. Store in a sealed, airtight container and use as needed. Refrigerate until used.

Tip for the citrus sugars: Grate the peel from all the lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruits (whatever citrus fruit you use) as you eat them. Make into sugar immediately and store it for future use.

Lavender and Vanilla Sugar

This one is a make ahead recipe

• 4 cups sugar
• 2 herb bags each filled with 2 Tbsp. fresh lavender flowers (These can be bought at your local health food store)
• 1 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pour sugar into an airtight container. Chop vanilla bean into a few pieces and stir into sugar or thoroughly mix in the vanilla extract. Place one herb bag towards the bottom of sugar and the other towards the top. Seal and store in airtight container. Begin to use after a few weeks.

Rose Petal Sugar

Please make sure these are roses from your own garden or have been certified at the flower shop to be pesticide free.

• 1 cup sugar
  Advertisement

  
  
• 2 cups rose petals

Put rose petals in chopper, Food processor or blend and chop until fine. Add sugar and pulse one or two seconds until well mixed. Store in airtight container