Hey Dirt Roaders! It’s Monday! Yeah…I can hear your shouts of jubilee. Okay maybe not. I felt like a slug when I got out of bed this morning. (Should one admit that?) The rest of my family did too. One of my big clues was when I went into my son’s room to boost him along and found him back in bed “sawing logs.” Crazy little man. You are here to talk tea though…not our sluggish morning routine…right? Okay…so today’s mmmMonday! is all about tea for just two? I think not.
I know that we usually do a food post on mmmMonday! but today as I was browsing though photos…I thought “We never talk about tea.” Tea is a staple where I live. When you sit down to a good ol’ home-cooked meal…it’s usually flanked by a glass of sweet iced tea. When we have friends or family over…there are usually two pitchers of tea freshly made and waiting. (Are you thirsty yet?) I actually have a glass sitting right here beside me now.
A couple of years ago when I started trying to be a little more picky about calories…I had to sweeten my own brew with something other that regular sugar. I know that we aren’t hip on artificial sweeteners…so I will leave that part out. 😉 Just know that it took me a bit to get used to it with something other than the real deal!
So how do I make my sweet tea? I thought that you would never ask.
Kelli’s Sweet Tea
1 gallon sized tea bag (I LOVE…lovity…love those!)
2 cups of sugar
water
Directions:
You can make this in the microwave…but I love making it on the stove. I like to smell it “cooking.” I just fill a big sauce pan with water and pop the tea bag in there. Turn your burner on medium and let it simmer until it starts to come to a boil. (A lady once told me that her mother said that “Boiled tea is spoiled tea.” I do let mine come to a slight boil. Sorry.) When it’s done then pour it in your pitcher with your sugar. I then add water to fill the pitcher. I also run more water over the tea bags in the sauce pan to get all of that tea out of there…and dump it in the pitcher. (A trick that I learned from the MIL.) Stir it up and pour it over ice. Can. You. Say. Heaven?
Well Dirt Roaders…that’s it. Very simple. I’m sure that you all have your own way of making tea…and I would LOVE to hear about it. If you stop out here, along the dirt road though…you are probably going to be offered a glass of mine. Have a wonderful day! Don’t just make enough tea for two…make a whole pitcher! 😉
Along the Dirt Road 
I recently had a friend tell me that she adds a pinch of baking soda to her sweet tea… I immediately thought eww… but then I tried her tea. It was AMAZING! I now add a pinch of baking soda to every batch of sweet tea. If you… hem… over cook your tea just a smidge it will take away the bitterness! 🙂
Sarah! That is great to know! Just a pinch huh? I need to try that! k.
I’m gonna have to try the baking soda trick! Interesting! My method is to boil water, remove from heat, steep the tea bags for 5 minutes and then I do what you do. I also have my “tea pan” that I always boil my tea water in and someone said to always make sure the brown ring around your pan is gone because I will cause the bitter flavor also…tips tips…fun fun…now I will go make some tea! Btw, has anyone ever made it with other healthy artificial sweeteners and it been good? Like southern sweet tea good?
M. That is good to know about the brown ring. I can be a tad…okay…a lot lazy about that. Never again. 😉 You know…I really do like Stevia. I think that everything besides sugar….wont’ be the same. It took me a while to like it with artificial. I need to switch to Stevia…totally. Why don’t they put it in Diet Dr. Pepper? WEE WAH! 😉 k.