Southern Sweet Tea

The first time I ever tried iced tea I was seven years old. My whole family had made our way up from Kansas City (driving miserably) all the way to Minnesota for a family reunion in the sweltering heat of mid-July. I've never understood how a place that gets as cold as Minnesota does in the winter can be so devastatingly hot in the summer as well. It just doesn't seem fair to me.

Anyway, I was seven, playing in the blazing sun with some distant cousins, and decided to forage through the picnic area for something refreshing to drink. I saw a gigantic carafe full of what my seven year old brain decided was orange soda, which I loved. I poured myself a tall glass and took a long gulp only to be utterly disgusted by unsweetened tea. That was when I decided I didn't like iced tea.

Almost twenty years later, it took me living in the South through an even more blazing summer to give Sweet Tea a try. I haven't looked back since.

Here is a great recipe, from a friend, for the most delicious Southern Sweet Tea you'll ever taste.

Jane's Sweet Tea

Ingredients

10 regular sized tea bags
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 cups water

Directions

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, add tea bags. Boil 1 minute, and remove from heat. Cover and steep 10 minutes.

Remove tea bags, squeezing gently. Add sugar, stir until dissolved.

Pour into 1 gallon pitcher and add water to make 1 gallon.

And that, my friends is all there is too it.

On another note, as promised, here is my Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Ganache experience.

I like to set up my ingredients before I start.

Butter and sugar...the groundwork for any good bakestravaganza.

Peanut butter, don't worry, at this point Jim is asleep.

Blending in the peanut butter.

Side note, my future in-laws (Jen, Bob, Eileen) not only have provided me with delicious authentic maple syrup (pictured here), but also delicious authentic vanilla, used only on the most special of occasions (thanks guys!).

This is where the batter starts getting really delicious.

Blend it up.

Add the flour.

CHOCOLATE.

And press it into the pan.

Baked until golden brown.

MORE CHOCOLATE.

Iced and chilled.

Blondies!

I like to try to make peanut butter stuff while Jim is asleep so maybe he'll subconsciously get over his hatred of peanut butter. A girl can dream, right?