| by
Meg London
One of
the most fun parts of writing a cozy mystery series is doing
the research. Since my Sweet Nothings Lingerie Series
takes place in Tennessee, I had the privilege of steeping
myself in all things southern.
First food—sweet tea, Tennessee tea,
chess pie, fried chicken, collard greens cooked with bacon.
I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. I had heard
of chess pie but had no idea what went into it. Turns out
a LOT of sugar! It does sound delicious though. And the name?
There is a lot of folklore surrounding the name but the story
I liked best was about the housewife who baked her husband
a pie. When he asked what kind it was, she responded, in her
Southern accent, “it’s chess pie!”
It turns out that Tennessee tea has liquor
in it—preferably some good Tennessee whiskey—and
sweet tea has a lot of…guess what? That’s right—sugar!
No wonder Southerns are so sweet!
Aunt Arabella, who owns the Sweet Nothings
Lingerie shop, has a secret ingredient that goes into her
fried chicken. (Hint: you can find out what it is by reading
the series!)
Following is a recipe that I use to make Sweet
Tea.
Sweet Nothings Sweet Tea
Add a pinch of baking soda to your pitcher.
Pour in two cups of boiling water and add six tea bags. Allow
to steep for at least 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and discard,
stir in ¾ cup of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add
six cups of cold water and refrigerate until chilled.
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