Super-Delish Thursday: coffee break

I am a morning coffee drinker. Rarely do I partake in the after-lunch coffee tradition (exceptions: shopping excursions with mother, or if I should be so lucky, an afternoon spent amongst the cobbled streets of a Spanish town like Cordoba or Granada virtually require an afternoon cafe con leche). However, in my normal life, I usually do not drink coffee in the afternoon. Today was an exception, though, because I never had any this morning due to the constant threat of barfing that is accompanying our offer-counter-offer house buying shenanigans this week. So I decide that I deserved an afternoon caffeine jolt today, et voila: Super Delish Coffee Break.

For Christmas, mother Santa gifted me with a Nespresso Aeroccino automatic milk frother. I have been lamenting my lack of home latte making abilities, since I love coffee with milk, or more accurately, milk with coffee*. This gadget totally saves the day! It turns regular old coffee into a special treat that will hopefully keep my latte spending in check. The trick to making this truly decadent is the flavored syrup, and YES, I use whole milk. It is better than half & half, which is what I used to put into my coffee. I haven't tried it with soy yet; maybe next week.


First, brew coffee regularly. Pour into mug leaving a good amount of room for the frothy delight that is forthcoming. Then, pour a little milk (2 tablespoons? maybe a smidge more? until the thingymajigger is covered) and a dash of flavored syrup in the frother. Today I used vanilla, but gingerbread is also amazing. Put the lid on, hit the button, and watch it whirrrrrr. It takes about 20 seconds, tops, so don't start it until your coffee is already ready. Already.

Then, channel your inner barista and artfully pour the MILK into the mug (holding back the foam with a spoon if necessary):


Top with spoonfuls of foam:


And for the fun of it, I added cinnamon to mine.


Bottom's up! This should get me through the afternoon. Now if only I could train my dog to make this for me, life would be ideal.

*When I was a wee study abroad student in Spain, I became addicted to a style of coffee in Andalucia called a manchada, which literally means "stained". It is a small cup of hot milk with a splash of espresso in it.