Foodie Friday: Southern Sweet Tea

I truly believe one of the reasons my husband married me is because of my sweet tea. I think he drank an entire pitcher of it the first time I made him dinner. And I'm often asked to bring a gallon of tea as part of my contribution toward a potluck dinner. In the age of bottled and instant teas, I'd like to show you how to make a real Southern treat.

First, pull out a large measuring cup or mug and fill it about 3/4 full with water. Then add three tea bags. I prefer to use two regular teabags and one bag of Constant Comment tea, but you can also use one family sized bag as I did when I prepared this batch. The Constant Comment tea, though, has a slight orange flavor that lends just a little more sweetness to the taste. Throw that into the microwave for about two minutes. Then, let it steep until the water turns nice and dark. You can also fill a teapot with water and bring it to a boil with tea bags in it.

The key to a good sweet tea is when you add your sugar. Add the sugar to cold tea and you're left with a grainy mess. Add the sugar while the tea is hot and you'll end up with a lovely tea syrup. For a pitcher of tea, I like to use 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar depending on how sweet people like their tea. I add the sugar straight to the teapot or measuring cup of hot tea and stir it well. If you're diabetic or just don't want to drink this much sugar, I've found that Splenda works very well instead of sugar - just use the same quantities as sugar!

Pull out your pitcher and fill it with ice cubes. Add a couple ice cubes to the hot tea if you're using a glass or ceramic pitcher - this is IMPORTANT because you don't want to crack your pitcher by adding hot tea to cold glass. Pouring the strong tea over the ice cubes helps get the tea to the right strength because the ice will melt enough to weaken your tea mixture to just the right taste.

You can garnish your tea glasses with lemon or mint if you'd like. Then, pour and enjoy your sweet tea!