Summertime sippin'

31 Days of Blog: Day 15. One of my great joys of summer is iced coffee. I look forward to it as soon as the weather starts to warm. A few years ago, I found this recipe in Better Homes and Garden magazine for spiced iced coffee. It's fabulous!

Really Hot Iced Coffee

1/3 c ground coffee
2 inches stick cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper
6 pods cardamom, crushed, or 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Raw sugar or granulated sugar (optional)
Ice cubes
1/2 c whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
1/2 t ground nutmeg (optional)

Measure coffee into the filter-lined basket of a 10-cup coffeemaker filled with 8 to 10 cups water. Add cinnamon, red pepper, and cardamom. Prepare coffee according to coffeemaker instructions. Chill for at least 1 hour. Stir in sugar, if desired. Pour into an ice-filled pitcher or tall, ice-filled glasses. Top with whipped cream or ice cream and sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired. Makes 10 servings.

(I've only served with the cream on special occasions (book group is the only one that comes to mind). I like my iced coffee very strong, unsweetened, with milk only, so that may be why I like this recipe so much.)

I've adapted the recipe over the years. I only use whole bean coffee, so I often throw in whatever whole spices I have on hand along with the beans. Today I used whole allspice, cloves, and coriander. Two cinnamon sticks and a bit of crushed red pepper is like having a red hot candy in your mouth with coffee. I like to use the spiced coffee to make ice cubes to add subtle flavor to the iced coffee while they melt. You could add your favorite liqueur for an after-dinner drink

However you brew it, enjoy this summertime treat.