Bookies the world over got the news from Charlaine Harris that we have all been longing for and dreading at the sametime. Dead Ever After was complete… with just some editing to do. I truly find this news exciting! I know many of us bookies are still not ready to say goodbye to Sookie or Eric. This is why we are Celebrating the SVM here at ESL through till its release in May 2013!
Now I am sure you have seen our “Raising the Dead” posts, in which we are looking back on each of the books and how they made us feel as we read them. Next up will be our thoughts on Club Dead, which should be coming to you in August 
. It has been great taking this stroll down memory lane, and it has sparked many a discussion between us with a quick “What did you think of this part?”.
To continue on our “Celebrate the SVM” theme, I was inspired by The Sookie Stackhouse Companion and the Julie/Julia movie directed by the late Nora Ephron. The movie was based on a project where Julie Powell started cooking her way through Julia Childs “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and blogging about it . For those who have not read the Sookie Stackhouse Companion, there is a section called “What is Cookin’ in Bon Temps” that contains 32 recipes. They range from Breakfast, Lunch, Supper, Sides, Desserts, and Drinks. So to help Celebrate the SVM… I will be cooking my way through the companion… and blogging about it!
This should be entertaining to all as we experience cooking southern style cuisine together. I am a transplant to the south so this will expand my palate. Add in the fact that my normal style of cooking is defrosting a frozen meal or cooking-by-dialing with the occasional throw-it-in-a-slow-cooker meal for variety. The hilarity factor will be amped up as I attempt to learn how to use my kitchen properly. Who is with me so far?
For my first foray into cooking with a recipe, I thought I should keep it simple and try the Sweet Tea. Now, this is considered a delicacy down here in the South… the “southern wine” if you will… and something that I can’t order in a restaurant due to my no caffeine restriction unless I want a migraine. Plus, it’s been a hot hot summer and a who wouldn’t enjoy some iced sweet tea?
The recipe in the book calls for for me to have 1 qt of water, 1 cup of sugar, 5 tea bags (yes, 5), and ice… for later. I was to fill a 2 quart pot half way with the water, bring it to a boil while mixing in the sugar till its melted… much like one of my chemistry experiments. My chem teacher from way back when would be soooo proud . Any way, after the sugar and water became sugar water, I removed the pot from the heat and started steeping the 5 tea bags. I probably would have been fine with 2-3 but I wanted to follow the recipe exactly to get the full effect. Which turned to a lovely dark shade of brown after a few minutes. Since it was to hot to drink even with ice, I poured the tea into a pitcher to do what I really wanted to be. Chill.
I admit I am not a patient person, plus I was thirsty. So I waited… and waited…till it cooled enough to pour over ice. After my first sip, I learned Sweat Tea really does live up to its name. Ironically, the sweet tea cured my sweet tooth for a bit . Next time I make it, I may just try to garnish with fresh mint… as recommended.
I call my first foray at recipe following a success! I boiled water without burning it! Now I’m not saying I’m ready for the Cordon Bleu, but I may be ready to take on trying out one of the Supper recipes! What do you think?
A CUP of sugar? LOL There’s about 3 candy bar’s worth of calories in there, but it sounds delicious. May have to try. Love your bio, agree completely.
LOL
Yes, it was a cup of sugar… hence my sweet tooth went on holiday.
As for my bio. Puss puss! he is soooo worth it
Your recipe for ice tea brings back such fond memories. My father’s family is from North Carolina and every summer as kids we would spend weeks with various aunts and uncles there. And All of my aunts made ice tea just the way you describe. Only it looked even darker in the glass than yours does…I’ll never forget my dad complaining about the tea my “northern” aunt (in Ohio) made. He said you could read the newspaper through the tea in the glass, it was that weak.
hmmm… so it should be darker? I will need to let it steep more then next time…
Of course, my patience had run a muck by that point.. LOL.
But I am glad this brought back fond memories for you
Humm .. that tea looks so good! Looking forward to your food blog.. Gonna be good.
thanks!
I live to entertain
Have fun cooking through the companion~ tip for chilling tea next time.
I make tea by using my coffeemaker~ just put the tea bags into the brew chamber.
After tea brews put the whole pot into the fridge and let it chill.
Before it cools stir in honey and lemon to sweeten it~ no need to use granulated sugar.
When it cools transfer tea to a pitcher~mine has a chamber for adding things like
Lemon or mint . enjoy over ice.
Try putting 1/4 tsp of baking soda to it after you take it off the heat. Careful it will bubble up!!!! This takes the dryness you get in the aftertaste out
For those who like decaf and do not want the extra calories of sugar, this is how we make it at my house (and I’m a southerner).
First of all, a quart is never enough, so we make it by the gallon. It’s cheaper and cuts down on soda consumption. I buy the WalMart brand (yes, we love our WalMart) or Lipton family size decaf tea bags.
Boil a quart of water with 5 family size tea bags in it then pour it into a gallon pitcher while still HOT. Add about 1.5 cups of Splenda and stir to dissolve completely. Add about two ice cube trays full of ice to help cool it (or 4-5 hands full of ice if you have a icemaker on your fridge like I do) then add cold water to fill the pitcher the rest of the way up. Stir it all up to mix it well.
It will still be somewhat warm, but when you add ice to your glass and pour it over, it’ll be fine.
Good luck on your SVM cooking blog. Southern cooking can be tricky for newbies. Lol.
why thank you, I think Ill be having a blast… and not blasting off
Can’t go without my iced tea. I don’t usually make a sugar syrup but add a sweetener substitute instead. Must watch my thighs! I usually add tons of ice to the concentrate before adding water, which gives you a serving of ice tea immediately.
FYI: I always add a lemon!
Yummy, this will be fun to follow! I have made several of the recipes in the Companion and it was fun, in fact I keep the book in the kitchen on my cookbook shelf! Happy Cooking!
thanks! You can keep me honest
Just tried the Cold Weather Chili in the back of the Companion. Not too impressed, it’s okay. I think I’m going to try the more complex recipes in the Bon Temps cookbook next.
O.o
I was planning to do the chili end of January when it got cooler here, and I’ll want a way to keep warm
The worst part is that I dropped the book into the pot on top of raw beef! Ba ha ha! I need two copies — one for reading, one for a cookbook, this one is too demolished to read. It tasted kind of bizarre to me, but who knows, you may like it.