It's the Time of the Season for...Coffee

Yesterday's temperature was in the 90's. It was glorious. My mom picked up the kids for a few hours and Husband and I made some cold soba noodles in peanut sauce and fresh rolls, and we had ourselves quite the romantic picnic at a park (I'm not saying there was wine...but there may have been wine). We threw the frisbee around while the sun was setting. When we came home, the kids got home shortly afterwards and we played Carcassonne, then played in the backyard with our pretty lights on the deck. It was really a spectacular evening. We slept with our windows open last night, ceiling fans going, and woke up to a perfect temperature in the house. I went out to feed the chickens in a t-shirt and maxi skirt and didn't even freeze. Ahhh, summertime.

For those of you who know, summertime brings about a special kind of coffee at our house that we try to always have on hand. Why? Make it and you'll know why.

This recipe is from Bon Appetit and is simple and delicious! I'd even say perfect.

The ingredients are simple (it helps to have a scale): 9 cups of water to 1/2 lb. of ground coffee beans.

I apologize for anyone who has already read this recipe from other blogs I've posted on...I just had to share here on MCA. It's a warm-weather favorite!

Vessel + coffee

First measure out the coffee. Tip: using a less-fine grind will be better for straining. Grinding the beans yourself works well, but buying ground coffee is fine, too. :)

Add 9 cups of water.

Husband is such a great hand model. He should be a professional.

After the water is added to the coffee, stir it all up and leave it alone!

Put on the lid and set it on the counter overnight. In the morning you will wake up to a glorious, caffeinated surprise!

(WARNING: This next part gets tricky at first...we ended up having a big mess to clean up on our first try. The mixture of coffee grounds and water is very...sloshy.)

Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the contents of your container into it. This will strain out MOST of the grounds. Throw those grounds away (or put them on your plants or in your compost pile or make a hat...whatever you want to do, really) and pour the strained liquid into another container. Wash out the bowl you just used because you are going to use it again! Whee!

Don't stop here! Go to the next step! (Sorry, I know you're thirsty.)

Now you will put a coffee filter into the strainer. This part goes a little slower, but it is worth it if you want the smoothest brew, trust me. Slowly pour the once-strained liquid into the filter and let it drain. You will have to do this a bit at a time, as it will not all fit into the strainer at once. Your patience shall be rewarded.

Mmmmmmm

Throw out the filter and pour your fabulous new coffee into some sort of carafe. This one is supposed to be for orange juice, but now it is for coffee.

Hello, I'm Coffee Carafe. My OJ past is over; please don't bring it up.

Now for the part you've all been waiting for: IT'S DRINKING TIME! Here is what goes in my coffee:

Coffee, milk, and homemade vanilla syrup...in a stemless wine glass because I'm fancy like that.

We do 1/2 cup coffee and 1/2 cup milk (my husband uses almond milk), and a shot of syrup (we just eyeball this). 

And here it is, ladies and gentlemen, Iced Coffee. I drink mine sans ice cubes, but Husband prefers ice in his. Just a warning: this stuff is GOOD. You might go through it pretty fast. Don't say I didn't warn you! =)