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| My pretty latté cup |
Since I don't get much alone or "me" time, I make up for it by doing little things that feel special - like using a pretty latté cup when I'm making my coffee. As crazy simple as it sounds, some days this really does something to help me relax and get me through the day.
Because my afternoon coffee break is so helpful to my sanity, it was the sugar in my coffee which was the LAST thing I gave up for my flour and sugar-free diet. Using honey or maple syrup sounded savage to me. Coffee is a beautiful gift from God and I wanted to give it the dignity it deserved.
Seriously, though, honey does have a bitter aftertaste by itself so I was very skeptical of its ability to sweeten my cup of joe. However, after trying both it and maple syrup I found that - while maple syrup is more subtle - I also seemed to need twice as much as the honey to attain my desired sweetness. In addition, the bitterness of the honey seemed to marry the robustness of the coffee and it was just one beautiful cup of bliss.
If you love a good Peets or Starbucks but find yourself out for a coffee less and less, this is a great solution. It's better than Starbucks and so much cheaper - you could have it daily.
My husband and I are both coffee snobs so we order Lavazza Italian coffee from Amazon, as normal store-bought coffee is too bitter for our tastes. Illy is also good but costs more than the Lavazza on Amazon.
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| I love this thing!! So much cheaper than an actual espresso machine and still produces incredible coffee. YUM! |
Honey Latté
1 shot espresso (or more if desired!)
1/2 cup milk
Honey to sweeten (I use one spoonful but some people use more or less)
Prepare espresso using a machine or percolator (pictured to left). Warm or steam milk and add to espresso with a spoonful of honey. Now sit, relax, and pretend your baby didn't just wake up!! ;)
Note to self: Grind coffee prior to putting kids down for nap!!
Ha- you guys are still coffee snobs. I remember when you had all those Starbucks packages, I suppose they are long gone by now. We have a Lavazza cafe here in Chicago and when my sister and BIL visited they really loved it.
ReplyDeleteI gave up tea for Lent and started enjoying coffee, I'll try it with honey. Is honey better for you than simple raw sugar? I thought they were pretty similar...Miss you Aims.
Oh I totally agree about the bitterness! I thought that's just what coffee tastes like! ugh! You'll have to make me a perfect cup sometime! I'd love to taste yours!
ReplyDeleteFaith, it depends on the honey. Raw honey is way better for you than cane sugar, but there is debate about non-raw honey vs. sugar.
ReplyDeleteKasia, you should come over some afternoon - I'll make you a cup! :)
Totally get you on that grinding the coffee before putting down the kids...my 6 month old daughter is terrified of the coffee grinder. So terrified, in fact, that my husband has to do it either when we are out of the house or in the farthest room from the kitchen with the door closed and her distracted.
ReplyDelete@Laurel, I know! While my little one is not that terrified, she jumps a mile and is SUCH a light sleeper that I can't even think about grinding coffee without waking her!! lol
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