sweet mint tea

My friend Ashley from back home, a good friend since we were in 3rd grade, just posted this sweet tea recipe at her blog and it's a good one, I wanted to put it here.

Sweet Tea always reminds me of visiting my grandmother in Texas and I LOVE it! I'm a loyal Southern girl! Now that I think about it, my other grandmother in Louisiana typically served Coke in frozen metal cups. That was fun, too!

So, here's my Sweet Tea recipe made with a hint of mint....

Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil in a pan.
Fully submerge 2 Luzianne Family Tea Bags and 2 Plantation Mint (single serving) tea bags.
Cover and steep for 5 minutes.
Squeeze excess out of tea bags and remove.
Pour in 1/4 cup of sugar. (My grandmother probably used a full cup of sugar. Use whatever sweetener you prefer: Stevia, Splenda, or Sweet n Low.)
Pour into container and add enough cold water to make it total 2 quarts.
You can float fresh mint leaves on top if you are having guests or just for fun!

I try to keep tea in the fridge and was making some this morning, so I thought you might like the recipe.

Chocolate-Sour Cream Cake aka "the chocogasm"

This is the most amazing chocolate cake in the history of the world and anyone who eats it will never forget it as long as they live.

2 eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup shortening or butter
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup milk
1 recipe Fudgy Frosting (see below)

Heat oven to 350 & grease/flour two 9-inch pans. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. In another bowl beat shortening and sugar till combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla till combined. Beat in melted chocolate and sour cream. Alternately add flour and milk; beat on low after each addition just until combined. Spread batter in prepared pans and bake 25 minutes or until tops spring back with lightly touched. Cool in pans (I stick them in the fridge or freezer to get them to cool faster because you cannot frost a warm cake! Crumb disaster).

Fudgy Frosting

In large pan over low heat melt and stir one 12-oz package of semisweet chocolate chips and ½ cup butter. Cool 10 minutes and then stir in 1 cup sour cream. Stir in 4 ½ cups (1 lb) powdered sugar till smooth.