THE RECIPES HAVE BEGUN!...

When I was trying to decide which of my favorite recipes I would post first, I couldn't decide. Well, I was talking with a friend and she suggested I post my recipe for sweet tea. It's a simple recipe but a well loved one.

It doesn't take anything more than a simple coffee maker, some cheapy tea bags, some sugar, a worn in pitcher and some ice.

This is my coffeemaker. It's nothing fancy. I think I paid $20 for it at Target. I guess it's not the simplest you can get because it does have a timer (a God-send).

I use very cheap tea bags. I buy them in a big box of 100 for about a dollar at Dollar General. My only stipulation is that they're orange pekoe and black tea.

I use 3 "doubles" or 6 bags

Just pop them in the coffee maker where you would normally put the coffee.

Fill your carafe with water and pour it into your coffee maker. Yes, it's that simple.

This is my trusty tea pitcher. I've had it for years. I bleach the stains from it quite often but tea does stain.

Tea pitcher meets sugar storage container. What a lovely couple they make.

I put 2 of these scoops of sugar in the pitcher. It wouldn't be "sweet" tea without it. This is a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I used to have a 1 cup scoop but it's been lost over the years. No doubt it's been taken by Bubba for some unknown task.

Meet my tea spoon. It's not a teaspoon, it's a tea spoon. I've had it longer than I've had my husband. We go way back. We're old homies.

Now we wait. We wait while the tea does it's thing. I can almost smell it brewin'. It's not brewing. It's brewin'. You see, I'm a down-home-country folk. That's just how it is.

Ater the tea is done, pour it into your pitcher with the sugar. Be careful, it's hot (This is my McDonalds disclosure because I don't want someone to sue me because they burned themselves making my sweet tea.) Stir the sugar into the tea. It dissolves better in the hot tea. After the tea and sugar have become one, fill the rest of the pitcher up with cold water. Now we're almost there. You're almost done making an awesome pitcher of sweet tea.

Now get out your favorite glass and fill it completely up with ice. You need lots because this tea is hot. This is my favorite glass. It's my "Ogre Glass". Pour the tea into your glass and get ready to enjoy a nice refreshing glass of sweet tea.

But no glass of sweet tea is complete unless you have someone to share it with. Invite a friend over or call on your favorite gooey little boy. He's always happy to have a glass of tea with Mommeee.