Homemade Vanilla Latte

This morning I awoke with the full intention of completing the planting in the garden before heading off to school.  However, it was wet.....really wet.  That plan bit the dust.   I instead decided to start the week with my new favorite treat, a homemade vanilla latte.


I recently scored a great deal on a stovetop espresso maker and have been experimenting with various ways to make my own coffee house creations.  This method seems to surpass the others., and actually is less work, too!

Ingredients:

• Espresso Powder
• Milk
• Vanilla
• Sugar, if desired

Supplies:

• Stove-top Espresso Maker
• Glass Jar

Directions:

Fill bottom of espresso maker with water being careful not to fill past the valve.

Fill cup (funnel) with espresso powder.  Do not pat down. Put espresso maker back together.

Heat over medium heat, with lid open.  The coffee will begin to fill the pot,

as the stream slows turn off heat.

In the meanwhile, pour desired amount of milk into a glass jar and shake until milk has nearly doubled in volume.  Heat for about 1 minute in microwave.



Before Shaking

After Shaking

If using sugar, put in bottom of mug and mix with a dash of vanilla.  (Sometimes I'll use a tiny dash of flavored coffee creamer, too.  Be light-handed though...a little goes a long way!) Pour coffee in first, then mix with milk.  I prefer mine to be just under a half and half mixture of coffee and milk (heavy on the coffee).  Hubby prefers his with just a touch of milk and very heavy on the coffee.  We both use sugar (or sweetener) to cut the bitterness of the espresso.

Spoon the foam on top, sit back, and enjoy your homemade latte!