Vanilla Iced Tea

For a refreshing twist on an old favorite, why not try adding a splash of vanilla extract to your next pot of iced tea? You will find vanilla iced tea refreshing, and your guests will be delighted.

In a tea kettle or large sauce pan, bring two quarts of water just to boiling. Pour the water into a heat proof pitcher over three (or four if you like stronger iced tea) tea bags. Let the tea bags steep for five minutes. Remove the tea bags and add ¾ cup granulated sugar. (Of course you can omit the sugar if you don't like sweet tea. Or, you can substitute your favorite artificial sweetener.) Stir well. Place the pitcher of tea in the refrigerator and chill completely. When ready to serve, add two teaspoons of vanilla to the iced tea and stir well. Serve vanilla iced tea in a tall iced tea glass over ice.

Once you've made your vanilla iced tea, you can experiment with other flavors of iced tea. The sky is the limit. Check out the bottled flavorings and extracts at you local grocery store or market, and experiment making various flavors of iced tea. Almond, peppermint, spearmint, and orange extracts make great choices for refreshing iced tea.