Cinnamon Pastry Iced Coffee

So you've no doubt noticed that things have been a little different around here lately. A dog video in the last post and iphone photos to be expected in the cocoa baked oatmeal in a mug post before that. Work is keeping me busy, my chronic fatigue syndrome is beating me up and I'm desperately missing my best friend and hurting for her precious family. 

Thanks for being patient.

And what a week we've had as a country. What a month we've had. What a time we've had the last few months ...

Lots of prayer going up for a lot of people in the country and in the world these days.

So, I've needed quick, simple and easy in my life lately and I'm assuming I'm not the only one. Another iphone photo for you - that doesn't even really show this iced coffee very well. I'm sorry. (By the way, the goldfish tumbler is my oldest daughter's. I always borrow her goldfish Tervis tumbler or my youngest's Hello Kitty Tervis tumbler for my iced coffee because they are the perfect size. Both were gifts from the grandparents from Bed, Bath & Beyond.)

A word on this iced coffee variety: We got a Keurig for Christmas, which made me very excited. But a little background, first. When I was a reporter, I had a serious coffee habit. Working 60-hour-plus weeks and deadlines until the middle of the night kind of does that to you. A big part of my paycheck went to the coffee shop, as I could only stomach the office coffee in the late hours. I got to where I was easily drinking 8-10 cups a day, and not just to keep me awake. I love coffee. My husband wasn't a coffee drinker at the same time I was.

When I got pregnant, I had to quit coffee cold turkey and it was hard. I had horrible withdrawal and was very sick. I swore I'd never get that way with coffee again, and for years wouldn't touch a drop. The last few years I've allowed myself a cup or two a month, and even though I wanted to immediately have another cup, I would fight the urge. After I gave up coffee, my husband started enjoying it. We had a Senseo maker (I don't think they even make those anymore?) at the time, and it was perfect for him being the only one drinking it. About the time I started feeling like I might be able to handle a cup every day without going overboard, the pods became too expensive and it was back to the drip machine. The only problem is he enjoys his coffee weaker than I like mine, so I decided to continue not drinking it rather than have a weak cup. The Keurig solved this, of course - and gave us lots of options.

One of the options when you order K-cups from Keurig.com (I have found it's worth it to register your maker and get the two free boxes, become a club member and get 10% off your order and in addition, wait to order when I can find additional coupon codes) is you can order small sample boxes. The Timothy's Cinnamon Pastry cups had good reviews, so I thought I'd give them a try in a sample box. 

(*Please note that I researched this flavor before trying it, to verify gluten-free status. I read this concerning gluten in K-cups on Keurig's site, and this on Green Mountain Coffee's site (Timothy's is in the Green Mountain family). I tried contacting Timothy's directly, but basically received the same answer from the Canadian branch. I also came across several others who can't have gluten who drink this flavor without trouble. So I felt it was okay to give it a try, and both my husband and myself have been able to drink it without problems.)

Is the flavor as good as the reviewers said? Bleh. (But you might not think so - the reviews from others are very good.) 

Here's the thing about me: I like my coffee black, no sugar, no creamer. The bolder, the stronger and darker, the better. The problem with this coffee flavor is it's one of those that tastes like it needs to be sweet with cream, and that's not my style for hot coffee. Iced coffee, however, I like sweet and creamy. I thought I'd give it a try, and it's actually pretty good. So, here's my solution if you have a Keurig brewer and want to make cinnamon pastry iced coffee:

1 Timothy's Cinnamon Pastry k-cup(*See note above)

1 cup ice

8 Tablespoons unflavored coconut milk (not canned, but the refrigerated kind)

4 teaspoons organic pure cane sugar (or sweeten to taste with natural sweetener of choice)

Place ice, coconut milk and sugar in 16 oz. tumbler or glass of choice and place in brewer.

Place k-cup in brewer and brew at 6 oz. size option.

Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Enjoy!

(And yes ... iced coffee is usually a very occasional second cup of coffee in a day, later in the morning or afternoon, and only if I really need a pick-me-up. I stop at two now, and I limit that to a few times a week. It's all about moderation!)