Sweetea Tip of the Day

I labored for years to find the perfect sweet tea brew. And I think I found it. Most females know you don't have to follow a recipe to the milliliter when cooking or baking, but those of us guys need to have things measured to the exact granule. So, here's the ratio that seems to work well for me. I'll be VERY specific with my recipe. Begin by bringing a medium saucepan full of water to a good hearty boil. Remove from heat, and add 3 LARGE Lipton tea bags (not the little guys, guys). Allow to steep for 5-7 minutes. In the meantime, add 1.5 cups of white granulated sugar to a 1-gallon pitcher. Squeeze the teabags individually to suckle the last of the tea flavor out of the bags. Pour the hot tea onto the sugar immediately. Stir the tea and sugar while its still hot and after the sugar is dissolved, fill the rest of the pitcher with cold tap water. (Or tap and ice if you're serving immediately.) If you like your tea a little stronger, add slightly less water, and if you like it weaker, oh well, too bad. This recipe has made many good brews for me recently. And it's important to get it to a science.

[For another sweet tea recipe check out Christine's illustrated step-by-step guide]