Mom's Iced Tea

Anyone who has ever attended a Quaile Family BBQ knows Mom's iced tea. Everyone loves it! Even people who "don't usually drink iced tea" love it. On the really hot days, sometimes we'll declare it a "two pot day". It refreshes and it quenches. The thing that always amazed everyone is that Mom never measured the sugar and it would turn out perfectly every time. Whenever I invite friends over for movie night, there's always someone who will ask "Did you make iced tea?" Forget about what food I'm cooking or what movie we're watching. All they want is the iced tea. I'm sure everyone in my family has his or her own version of it. This is mine. You MUST try it!

7 quarts water
10 tea bags
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large lemons

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Turn heat off. Place tea bags in pot. Let stand until the tea steeps and comes to room temperature. Remove tea bags and discard. Add sugar and stir until it's dissolved. Roll lemons on the counter to release the juices. Slice lemons in half and squeeze all juice into pot. Float squeezed lemons in pot. Give it a good stir and serve in tall glasses with lots of ice.

Tips:
Before you put the tea bags into the pot, twist all the tags together and then loop them over the handle of the pot. Then you won't have any trouble fishing them out of the pot.
Use a lemon reamer to get the most juice out of your lemons and be sure to remove them from the pot after an hour or two. If you leave them floating in the pot for too long, the lemon peel will make the tea bitter.