T.G.I.F. is BACK!  And I am here with a special edition as we explore what it truly means to embody the Southern Lifestyle.  While there are 101 ways why being Southern is so fabulous, I am going to focus on one each week for the next several T.G.I.F. blogs.  There are so many ways to identify a southerner in a crowd, but there is one sure fire way to hit the nail on the head.  Just ask them if they take their tea sweetened…

There was never a day growing up when there was not a pitcher of Sweet Tea in my house.  Oh, and only white, refined sugar will do. And, yes.. if you  are pouring me a glass, I take mine with lemon.  Spiked?  Only after church on Sundays…

Spiked Sweet Tea

7 cups water
6 orange pekoe tea bags
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Bacardi 151 or other high-proof golden rum
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

1. Bring 4 cups of the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the tea bags. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and allow the tea bags to steep for
   5 minutes.
2. Remove and discard the tea bags. Add the sugar to the saucepan and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining 3 cups water and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher, and add the lemon juice and rum. Chill thoroughly before serving

Or, maybe you are hankering to try a kitchy new Sweet Tea recipe out with the new vegetarian dinner party you are having (we only live once, right?) 

“Not-So-Traditional” Sweet Tea Recipes

Strawberry vanilla bean rooibos iced tea
Rooibos is like nature’s gatorade (electrolytes!), so I love sipping on this when the heat rises.
6 tsp rooibos tea or 5-6 rooibos tea bags
4 strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 vanilla bean pod (I save the leftover pods when I bake with the seeds)
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup agave nectar (I like light agave here)

Iced green tea with lemongrass, mint and lime
So fresh, light caffeine and all the antioxidants/good stuff you love about green tea.
6 tsp green tea leaves or 5-6 tea bags
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut in half and bashed up with the back of your knife
2 sprigs of mint, leaves removed
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup raw honey

And, of course… there is always the old stand by – the one I have countless memories of asking my mama if I “could pour in the sugar and help her make it all sweet”… Traditional Southern Iced Tea that makes you just a wanna find a big ol’ wrap around porch and a rocking chair.

As-Southern-As-You-Get-Sweet-Tea (click this link to view more Sweet Tea recipes from Southern Living)

• 3 cups water
• 2 family-size tea bags
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 7 cups cold water

Preparation

1. 1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; add tea bags. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Cover and steep 10 minutes.
2. 2. Discard tea bags. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Pour into a 1-gal. container, and add 7 cups cold water. Serve over ice.

Do you have a Sweet Tea recipe that you would like to share?  Better yet, any recipe from the “Southern Family Vault?”  Leave a comment and let me know!