Sunday, August 21, 2011

THIS MAKES ME HAPPY: FRAGRANT FROTH

Most days I'm having a cup of hot tea and some steel cut oats by 5:30, so I can get straight to my writing once hubby is awake (my computer sits about 3 ft. from his pillow), and be off getting some exercise by 10 or 10:30.  On Sundays, however, I like to slow things down a bit.

I''m still usually up by 5:30 or 6:00 (just can't help it!), but I've found that if I sip a mug of something fragrant and frothy as I watch the sun come up, such as a good chai latte, I can stave off my hunger until Hubby is awake, and we can enjoy breakfast together.

After two different pricey electric frothing devices crapped out on me, I decided to simplify, and went with the Chocolatiere. (Santa brought it to me, so I'm not sure where it came from, except, you know, somewhere in the North Pole)  The insert resembles the inside of a French Press coffeemaker, and all I have to do is remove the lid mechanism, pour some skim milk in the cannister (skim makes better froth), zap it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, stir in a bit of the chai mix, reinsert the lid, pump the handle up and down a dozen or so times, and their you have it.  Nirvana! 


Just be careful about inhaling too deeply, or you might end up with a frothy-tipped nose! (not that that's ever happened to me, or anything)  It works equally well with hot chocolate, or with plain milk, if you want some froth to add to your morning cup of joe.  I'm very happy with this for now, but if it ever breaks,  I plan to simplify even further, and get me one of these -- a Molinillo! 
gourmetsleuth.com
This is the traditional tool for making a frothy cup of Mexican hot chocolate.  You simply insert the carved end into your cup, then twirl the spindle back and forth between your palms a few times.  It's simple, it's cheap, it will never break, and it forces one to sloooow down.  Best of all, it takes up no counterspace whatsoever.  Muy Bueno!  This makes me very happy.

What about you?  What simple pleasure have you slowed down to enjoy this week?

6 comments:

Teri H said...

=) I enjoy frothy coffee EVERY morning!

Linda Hoye said...

Yes! My hubby uses a milk frother every morning to make the most heavenly cup of coffee for me! We used to use skim milk too but now we use vanilla soy milk. Yum!

Marguerite said...

Fresh mint iced tea! I had forgotten how wonderful it is! Whipped up a homemade pizza last night. This one had no grain in the "crust". Instead it has finely chopped cauliflower, eggs and mozzarella cheese as a base. Fabulous taste. Just add toppings of your choice. Went to see The Help this afternoon. Wonderful, Viola Davis is an Oscar winner IMO.

Hill Country Hippie said...

There's a restaurant here that puts mint in their tea, and every time I drink it, I fly straight back to my grandmother's house. The funny thing is that I didn't actually like her tea as a kid, but now I love it like that!

Nellie said...

years back we grew mint in our flower beds; grew like weeds! Reading todays post makes me think we should try this again!

Hill Country Hippie said...

Nellie, I recommend growing it in a pot, not your flowerbed. When I used to work for that landscaper, there was one garden I hated taking care of above all others -- the one who had planted mint in one flowerbed, and it had taken over her entire yard! I'd spend hours pulling it all out one month, come back the next month and be right back where I started!