Tip Tuesday: Quick & Easy Iced Coffee

I'm sure this is already some bloggy thing I don't know about so I won't pretend like Tip Tuesday is my idea.  But I will try my hardest to keep it up every Tuesday!  

Some Tuesdays I may be flat lazy but I will at least link to other cool things I find in bloggy land.

I really extra special love iced coffee.  My great pal just hooked me up with a Starbucks gift card which is one of the best presents a tired mama can get because I can't justify making Starbucks a normal part of my life right now, financially.  

Some days I don't even have the time to get out of my PJs, much less drive to the closest Starbucks (which is too far away, thankyouverymuch) to use my gift card.

So I have started making my own iced coffee.  I played around with several variations, but usually it was just:

1.  Brew really strong coffee

2.  Add ice to a cup

3.  Add hot coffee to the ice unless I was smart enough to think about it beforehand and have cooled down coffee which happens exactly never.

4.  Top off with sugar and half & half

5. Be sad with the watered-down results

The following method isn't original to me.  It's courtesy of my brilliant sis-in-law, whom I had the pleasure of spending a week with last week at a cabin in Minnesota where we somehow got to discussing coffee.  I don't think she's a big coffee drinker (Christina?), but when I mentioned getting frustrated with my watered-down coffee, she was like, "Why don't you make coffee ice cubes?

Wow.  Coffee ice cubes.  How did I not think of that?  How have I never heard of that until now?  I'm sure many other people use this method, but since it's never come across my radar I thought it was share-worthy.  

This is the lazy girl's guide to iced coffee.  If you want an awesome but a little more involved recipe, you can't beat P-Dubs here.  But if you are short on time like I always am and don't think ahead enough to accomplish her version, here you are:

Brew coffee.  Make it really strong.  I took this picture as though you would have any idea what this even means.  All it does is prove that I'm a lazy coffee pot cleaner.  But whatever, pretend with me.  That's a lot of coffee to 4 cups of water.  Maybe 2.5 times the amount of grounds I'd typically use for 4 cups and as it is, I make my coffee strong on a daily basis.  

 

Pour some coffee in ice cube trays.  Freeze.  

I know.  I'm blowing your mind, right?

When those are done, pop a few into a glass.  Two or three if your coffee is room temperature, more if you forget this step like I always do and have scalding hot coffee.

Add your coffee.

 

I fill my glass about this full but that's just me.  If you like a really strong coffee flavor, fill it fuller.  If you like a creamier, richer iced coffee, add less.  

Add your half & half.  

Also, WE HAVE TRADER JOE'S NOW!  I wanted to break out in an all-caps celebration really quickly because this has been something I've dreamt about forever and a day.

 

Then add sugar.  Or Truvia in my case because I'm working with some baby fat still.  

As much or little as you want.  I definitely never claimed this was rocket science.  

Stir.  Take a drink.  Enjoy.  When your cubes melt, your coffee will just get yummier!

For a mocha-like treat, add a little chocolate syrup.  Mmmmmmm.

Ah, see?  I knew I wasn't the resident blog smartie who developed Tip Tuesday.  Enter Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday.  LOVE that blog!