The Skinny on the Sweet

I like my blog to be as practical as it is, well, not practical. To that end, I'll write about books or music or movies - and now I'm adding recipes. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked because it's a funny story, really.

I was chatting with one of my sisters-in-law this week (yes, the plural is on sisters...not law. Many sisters. Just one law. Free grammar rule) about matters of childbearing. At one point, I commented that two words I'd just uttered would never have been strung together in my sentences of forgotten youth for, as surely as day meets night, my late teens and early 20s would've upchucked at the sound of such foul, dude. So, I wondered aloud to her, what happened? How did my life get here...using &*(^ and *($#)%* side by side?

Then I thought, "Isn't that a good thing?" Why do we try to hang on to what we once were in lieu of basking in the here and now of what we are? I worked hard to become a wife, a mother, a professor, a writer, a servant, and so on. Yet, it seems that, when we're young, we pursue aging with this restless verve...only to find we pass some invisible point of strain and turn back to manically go where we just left. Ugh. To borrow from Ecclesiastes, what reckless folly!

So, I thought, what's my life like? Well, it's school supply shopping and potty training. It's deadlines and dental appointments. It's haircuts and laundry, coffee and friends, dinners and dates. It's rewarding. And fulfilling. And I like it! Now, if I just didn't need to cook anything...but, alas, no life I know is quite that sweet. Speaking of sweet....this one's for you, Jill - sorry I haven't gotten it to you sooner.

Here's a can't-miss, tried-and-true recipe for sweet tea. If you've been to my house, you've had it. And if you haven't? Well, for heaven's sake, give me a call: we've got to get you on the calendar!

Southern Sweet Tea

3 c. boiling water
2/3-3/4 c sugar (to taste preference)
2 family size tea bags of Luzianne tea (yes, it HAS to be Luzianne)
5 c. ice cold water

Boil the water: make sure it's cold from the tap or frig BEFORE you boil it. When it's roiling, pour 3 cups over the two tea bags. Let steep until the water's turned quite dark but DON'T let the water cool. Meanwhile, pour sugar into a pitcher. Drain the tea bags into the water and discard. Pour still warm tea water over the sugar in pitcher. Let rest for a minute and then stir briskly until all sugar is dissolved. Immediately pour 5 c. ice cold water into the pitcher and stir vigorously to mix.