My relationship with coffee is a complicated one. I LOVE it and resent it at the same time.
Not much needs to be said about loving coffee. It is simply irresistible. Think about the aroma, the taste, the comfort it brings. Give me anything with a hint of coffee and I'm sold: a dark foamy stout, chocolate covered espresso beans, a slice of coffee cake with crumb topping (which doesn't even contain coffee -- love by association?). Anything, anything at all!
I am bitter towards it for two reasons. One, I was addicted! Spoiled by my college, where coffee can be found literally anytime anywhere, I was consuming 2-4 *mugs* per day (and that was me asserting self-control). One Thanksgiving break a friend and I decided to tour New York City, and took an early train in from Greenwich, CT, without coffee. Oh, the splitting headache hit me, hard. Good thing Starbucks were around almost every corner in the city. Nothing a venti pumpkin latte couldn't solve. That was when I realized that coffee could be addictive. After another friend showed me this funny music video "le cafe" about drinking too much coffee, I decided that every Christmas would be my detox period. So far it has been working. There have always been so many other things to eat and drink that coffee was never missed. Reason number two was a bit more personal. It has something to do with how I met D. It was a cute story but I am not ready to relive it here yet. But the take home message is: coffee is delicious, but be careful with it.
Among all types of coffee, I am partial towards cappuccino. I do drink coffee black or with a splash of milk, and I love a good espresso or a noisette. Somehow cappuccino just hits the spot for me: the lightness of the foam, the smoothness of the steamed milk, and of course, the intense aroma from the espresso always come together and bring so much comfort. Sipping it is like getting a hug.
It is not the easiest thing to make, given that most of us do not have a fancy espresso machine at home. (Although thinking back about how much money I have spent at coffee shops, it wouldn't be such a bad investment.) Plus, I enjoy the atmosphere at coffee shops, and don't mind supporting local business.
The extreme cold weather though has made the walk to coffee shops hard to endure, and the snow just finally pushed it to the edge. Hence, the homemade version -- much more convenient and affordable. Thanks to IKEA for the cheap milk frother and Amazon for delivery it. I call it cheater cappuccino since it's made with drip coffee not espresso, and I skipped the steamed milk. Now it became much simpler!
You just need to pour some milk into the cup. Mason jar makes it easier to see. I filled it to about 1/8 -- that means about 1/4 cup.
Microwave it for about 45 seconds. When the microwave is working, quickly make a pot of coffee. The milk will come out steaming hot. Please ignore the ironic "Ice Cold Drink" on the jar.
Now turn on your frother and watch the magic happen. The Ikea milk frother looked (and was) very cheap, and I wasn't sure if it would work, but the foam turned out beautifully (and the volume quadrupled).
Nice and foamy, huh? Now pour in the coffee and enjoy!
1-Minute Homemade Cheater Cappuccino
serves 1
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup hot coffee
- Microwave the milk until steaming hot, for about 45 seconds.
- Make some hot coffee if you don't have it.
- Froth the milk for about 15 seconds, until nice and foamy.
- Pour the coffee into the milk foam, and enjoy!
Nutrition:
About 37 calories and 2 grams protein if you use whole milk. For added nutrition, foam 1/8 cup milk only and add 1/2 cup or so steamed milk.
Cost:
About 75 cents/serving. (Wow!)
Here's a video tutorial I made to show you how to make it in under 1 minute. Enjoy!
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