Building The Love Shack

Last summer I posted this recipe for Iced Tea. I have been getting emails requesting that I put it up again. And so here is the Blog Re-posted.

 

For many years, I have been hearing from our friends, that my house was the best restaurant in town.

Over the years I have promised to write a cook book.  I created a file, and every now and again, I add a new recipe to the file.

As the chief cook and bottle washer, at the cottage for the crew, I do a lot of cooking. I’m always try to add a new flavor, to our weekend adventure.

I have never shared my secrete stash of recipes with anyone, saving them for the day that I would finally put that cook book together.

With a change of heart related to a much enjoyed blog, I decided it was time to share a few of them.

This Ice Tea Recipe recipe would be nice at the cottage, or on the deck.

 

Making Ice tea, doesn’t sound like its rocket science, but to make a good Ice Tea, there are tricks to making it.

The first trick to making a good Ice Tea, is picking your tea.

When you chose your tea, make sure it hasn’t sat in the cupboard for too long, or it will be stale.

For this recipe I have chosen  to use  Island Mango and Peach White Tea.  It is inexpensive, and made by Lipton.  They also make a Blueberry Pomegranate White Tea that works well for making Ice Tea.

For other occasions, I also like to use a Long Island Tea or Niagara Ice Wine Tea, made by the Victoria Tea and Coffee Company. PS., they are not my sponsors, just my preference.

You can use any of your favorite teas for this recipe, the end result will be a nice Ice Tea that you and your guest will enjoy.

 

 

                                             Island Mango and Peach Ice Tea

 

64 ounces glasses of boiling water

1/4 cup cane sugar

4 tea bags of your favorite flavored tea

strawberries  and lemons to garnish

Be sure to bring you water to a full boil, tea steeps best, when the water is fully boiled. I prefer a glass pitcher when making Ice Tea.

 

Pour the 64 ounces of boiling water into the glass pitcher and add 4 tea bags.

To get full flavor of your tea, let it steep for 1 hour. Then remove tea bags from tea.

 

 

If you prefer you tea lighter, you can remove the tea bags sooner, but with fruit flavored teas, you will decrease some of the flavor, by removing the bags to soon.

Once tea bags are removed, pour 1/2 of a cup of tea into a measuring cup or swallow pan and add 1/4 cup of cane sugar.

This can go into the microwave for around 1 minute, or if heating in a pan until it reaches a light boil. This is the trick to having your tea evenly sweetened, and not having sugar siting on the bottom of your pitcher, making the bottom of the tea sweeter.

White sugar can be substituted for cane sugar, but again will make your tea sweeter.

If you are using a sugar substitute, you are best to slowly add your packages and taste test to your own preference.

Once your sugar is fully dissolved, add the mixture of tea and sugar, back to your pitcher of tea. Allow it to sit on counter until tea has come to room temperature. Once the tea has reached room temperature, chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

For those who prefer a sugarless tea, skip the sugar step and put it in the refrigerator once the tea is done steeping, and has come to room temperature.

Once the tea has chilled, pour over ice, and garnish with a strawberry and a slice of lemon.

 

 

Traveling tip: If you would like to per-make your tea and take it to the cottage, store in a lid tight container for travel. Put the container on ice, but don’t add ice until you are serving, as it dilutes the tea.