Homemade Iced Coffee

One of my favorite treats this time of year is a tall, condensation dripping, iced coffee. Running uptown to get one every time the craving hits is not very convenient, however. A couple years ago I experimented with different recipes, trying to make my own. Most of them included various ingredients and included the process of chilling the coffee...something I really don't possess the patience for. So I tried my own method, and stumbled on success!

I brew my coffee at 2 to 3 times the regular strength. So, the way I make it is 2 bottles of water (a little over 6 cups) to 6 heaping tablespoons of ground coffee. (Whenever I say tablespoons, I mean the honest-to-goodness measuring tablespoons, not the large spoons you eat supper with.) While the coffee is brewing, fill a large cup (at least 20 oz.) with ice. Pour 2 Tbsp. (or to your sweetness preference) sweetened condensed milk over the ice. When the coffee is done brewing pour it steaming hot over the ice and sweetened condensed milk. Stir well, making sure to get the bottom because that's where all the sweetened condensed milk will settle.

The first time I thought that maybe it would be gross and lukewarm, but it's cooled right away...and rivals any store-bought iced coffee I've ever had!