Sunday, June 17, 2007

Summertime Foods (Part 2): Iced Tea

Sunny days and cool drinks are a natural combination. I admit, I'm a bit afraid of making sun tea as I've heard many horror stores about bacteria. Ew. Not one to give up easily, I quickly hunted down and tweaked an iced tea recipe that can be safely made indoors. I used loose tea, since that's what I had on hand (a delicious black tea with dried lemon--on sale!--from Tea Source in St. Paul). Note: I prefer iced tea really strong, and slightly sweetened...so feel free to adjust this recipe to your own liking. A combination of green & peppermint teas works well, too.

4 tea bags, or 3 tablespoons loose-leaf tea in a muslin bag or filter (your choice of tea)
2 cups fresh cold water
1/4 cup sugar
Additional fresh cold water
lemon slices & ice cubes (optional)

Place tea bags and sugar in pitcher or jug. Bring the two cups of water to a rapid boil, and pour into the pitcher. Let this steep for 20-30 minutes (the first time I made this, I think I forgot about it and it steeped for about an hour... whoops). This makes the “concentrate”, and can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Remove the tea bags, and add enough fresh cold water to make about 2 quarts. Cover & refrigerate before serving. Serve with lemon slices and ice cubes. This makes about 8 servings of iced tea.

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