Last weekend I hosted a little Sunday supper at our house.  My brother Wes and his fiance Lexi came along with my sister Colleen and her husband and son.  We all live within a mile of each other, and whenever we get together we always say we should do it more often. Lexi put it well when she said “we should do it as often as we can.” I liked that no-pressure sentiment.  Sunday supper doesn’t have to be every Sunday, but it should be every Sunday that we can.

My girls are obsessed with Lexi. She is pretty!…she wears cute clothes!…she smells good!…she is always smiling and bubbly and cheerful!  Even all the little boys in our family have a crush on her, including wee Bo who is only 10 months old.  We can’t wait for her to officially join our family next year.

My sisters and I affectionately refer to Wes and Lexi as “Wexi”.  They are a fun-loving couple who really enjoy life.  When I told them I was making a southern-style dinner (friend chicken, cole slaw) Wexi prepared hush puppies and a southern-style sweet tea that mixed perfectly with the Tito’s Handmade Vodka we had on our liquor cart.  Considering that the spicy fried chicken I made from this month’s Bon Appetit magazine was WAY.TOO.SPICY, a cool drink was just what we all thirsted for!

Wexi’s Spiked Southern Sweet Tea

1 pinch baking soda

2 cups boiling water

6 tea bags (Wexi recommends Teatulia black tea found at Whole Foods)

3/4 cup white sugar

6 cups cold water

Vodka (my current favorite is Tito’s Handmade Vodka)

Put the baking soda in a large glass pitcher.  Pour in boiling water and drop in tea bags.  Steep for 15 minutes.

Remove tea bags. Pour in sugar and stir until it dissolves.  Pour in cold water and stir well.

Fill a 16 oz glass with ice.  Pour in a shot of vodka and top with the sweet tea. Stir and enjoy!