I'll drink to that!

Summertime, the perfect time for iced beverages. Milkshakes, root beer floats, lemonade, iced coffee ... Pick your poison! The only trouble is, what if you're like me and don't like coffee? Sure, there's iced tea. But what if you want something a little more, well, special, than a bottle of Snapple?

Giada De Laurentiis to the rescue! She made this recipe last summer on her show, "Giada at Home," and I thought it was for me. And the first time I made it I knew I was right. It tasted just like a vanilla chai from Dunkin' Donuts, only cold. I had found my summer treat!

I halved the recipe, making it just for myself to enjoy on my ride to work or on a Saturday morning as I walked through the farmer's market. Over the course of the summer, though, I found them to be too sweet, so I adapted the recipe (below), to suit my taste. If you're interested in the original recipe, you can find it here.

Thai Iced Tea

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups water
  
• 3 whole anise pods
  
• 4 black tea bags
  
• 6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, over medium high heat, bring the water and star anise pods to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Discard the star anise pods and the tea bags and whisk in the condensed milk. Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve.