Iced Coffee

Just in time for fall:  :)  Where was this recipe when we were in the process of breaking the record for the most 100-degree days in one summer (70, to be exact)? 

My Daddy loved iced coffee and so do I.  Nothing beats it for a hot summer day after you've mowed the grass.  Well, yes, some people vote for beer but then you don't get anything else done that day.  For a few years my vote went to Grape Nehi after mowing but I don't think they sell that anymore so iced coffee will do. It's cold, sweet and a great pick me up.  And I just happen to love the flavor.  Try this link to Ree Drummond's cold brewed iced coffee.  Like all good chemistry lessons via recipes this one is a keeper. 

I've been reading the Pioneer Woman for two or three years now-- before she even had this new TV show.  Her blog has been bookmarked on my laptop. 

I haven't made it with sweetened condensed milk yet mostly because I don't want to have to deal with the rest of the can after I've used a couple of teaspoons.  I mean, how long will it keep?  What if I forget it's in the fridge and it gets all icky and moldy and picks up smells from the onions or something?  So I just use whole milk and a simple syrup to sweeten it.

The Simple Syrup recipe is timeless and nobody/everybody can take credit for it.

Simple Syrup:
1 cup water boiling
1 cup sugar
pour the sugar into the boiling water and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour into a glass jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator.  You can used it just like sugar (1 teasp = 1 teasp) and you won't have to worry about sugar crystals at the bottom of the glass.

A simple syrup is good for lemonade, too.  Just combine the freshly squeezed lemon with the syrup and add water.