Southern-style Iced Tea Recipe

This recipe assumes a 2-quart tea pitcher, though my wife and I usually
make a gallon at a time.  For a gallon pitcher, just double the quantities
(except the steeping time).

Requires:

  - 2 large, quart-sized tea bags (Luzianne Orange Pekoe is our favorite)
  - 1/3 cup sugar
  - water and lots of ice cubes
  - optional: lemon or lime

Directions:

Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Remove the pan from heat (to prevent burning of the tea) and place
2 quart-sized tea bags into the pan.  Steep for 5 min.

Take out the tea bags and then pour the tea in the pan into a pitcher.

Pour sugar into the hot water in the pitcher. Stir thoroughly.

Fill the tea pitcher about 2/3 full with cold water, and then  add
ice cubes until the pitcher is full.  This will make the tea cold enough
to drink immediately.

A slice of lemon or lime may be squeezed or dropped into the glass of
tea later for taste.  We don't recommend adding the lemon or lime to
the pitcher because it can get stale.

Total preparation time is about 10 minutes.