The beautiful summer weather has arrived to Manitoba, and along with it comes my craving for iced coffee. I did a lot of drive-thru runs last summer until I found a variation of this recipe from The Pioneer Woman. It’s cheap, easy to make and yields a large amount of concentrate. What I love the most about it is I can mix it to my taste, getting the amount of coffee flavor and sweetness I like. Drinks like these can be high in calories, and by using 1% milk and a small amount of sweetener I can reduce the calories greatly.

1 lb. coffee grinds
32 Cups cold water

In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds. Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.

To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add a splash of milk or cream, and sweetener of choice. I use 1% milk and a small amount of flavored cream for sweetness. If you’re not watching calories feel free to add cream, sugar or sweetened condensed milk.