Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Sometimes I Run Out of Milk

My daughter asked for a glass of milk this morning, and I sadly poured the last of the milk into her cup, wondering what I would put in my coffee this morning. I have several "out of milk" options that I use when this situation arises, but I am out of both hot chocolate mix and ice cream. Then I remembered the box of powdered milk that I picked up on a whim the other day. I pretty much only ever use it for coffee, and I keep forgetting that it's there, but the last time I used it for my coffee, I made an accidentally awesome discovery: It makes BEAUTIFUL cappuccinos! I'm no food photographer, but I snapped some pics with my cell phone this time, because the internet demands photographic evidence of everything.

Step One:

Make some coffee. You'll need about a cup. Save a dish and brew it directly into a mason jar.

Step Two:

Add 1/3 cup powdered milk to your coffee in a quart-sized mason jar.

Step Three:

Put a lid on the mason jar and shake it up for about a minute. You'll want to use a canning lid, not a storage lid, or it will leak. Hold the jar with a towel or pot holders so you don't burn your hands.

Step Four:

Transfer to a mug, and enjoy! Or, just drink it straight out of the mason jar, if you want to save another dish.

Note: I also make mason jar lattes in a similar fashion with real milk, instead of powdered. Just put about 1/2 cup milk in the jar, heat it in the microwave, shake it, then pour it over 1/2 cup of extra-strong coffee. It doesn't foam up quite as much as the powdered milk, but it's still impressive for not using any specialized, coffee-shop machines. No pics of that, though, since I have no milk today.