Coffee'd

Let's start out with a recipe and an adventurous tale of wonder and merriment:

The "Better than Starbucks" Pumpkin Latte
The name was given by Logan, so I can't argue. The original recipe, courtesy of allrecipes. I deviate significantly from it though.

Serves Two

You Will Need

• 2 cups hot milk
• 2 - 3/4 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 tea spoons vanilla (estimated)
• 1/2 tea spoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups coffee (brewed with 2 tablespoons coffee grounds)
• pinch ground cinnamon

Optional Topping:

• aerosol whipped cream (to taste)
• pinch ground cinnamon
• pinch pumpkin pie spice mix

Step One:
Heat two cups milk in saucepan using medium heat. Froth a bit using a fork.

Step Two:
Add pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar to a pitcher. Add hot milk. Stir vigorously.

Step Three:

When stirred and frothed to desired consistency, pour into coffee cups till cups are 2/3 full. Add hot coffee to fill the rest of the cup. Stir to mix well.

Step Four (optional):
Add aerosol whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice to garnish.

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Now for the adventure bit.

My boyfriend's 20th birthday was this Saturday, so I decided it would be a great idea to make a Pumpkin Spice Latte from home, since its his favorite Starbucks treat. There were only two recipes on allrecipes, so I went with the one with higher ratings. Besides, it seemed simple enough. One instruction? Ha, I got this!

Look, all the ingredients and everything.

So, I heat the milk on the stove. No problems there. I made sure it didn't boil because I wasn't quite sure what happened to milk if it boiled. Ooh, look, it's starting to look frothy! That's a good sign. I feel like a barista.

I continue to follow the instructions. I put the hot milk, vanilla, sugar, and pumpkin spice in the blender. I turn on the blender...

....um....

... I was coffee'd.

Then there was this:

"Hey Alex, what are you doing?"

I rushed him out of the kitchen area before he saw the carnage of his "surprise" birthday drink. I then clean up the counter, microwave, dishwasher, blender, fridge and all the various casualties of the milk atom bomb.

I then take a deep breath and plunge on. I then I pour it into a big coffee cup 2/3 full and top it off with coffee. A sip and stir later, its still a bland vanilla latte. I get the vanilla extract and pour a bit in, (which I estimate to be about a teaspoon and a half) and add a pinch or two of ground cinnamon. I stir and sample. It is considerably better and not being a connoisseur of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be tasting.

I then add the whipped cream and top it with a couple pinches of the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Then, just for kicks, I add a couple of strawberries and whipped cream to the plate.

Not half bad, I'd say.

I then took it to Logan, who was playing his DS. After a quick sip, he looks at me with bug eyes and says "What." which means I did really well on a cooking adventure.

Then I whipped up a quick coffee cake mix-- I know, I cheated, but that's what he wanted for his birthday cake-- and serve that next:

He was one sugar-happy guy that day. Then that evening at my best friend's wedding reception, we had an extremely special cake.

It was unfortunate you couldn't actually eat the Green Ranger.

-A


"Go, go Power Rangers!
Go, go Power Rangers!
Go, go Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

Go, go Power Rangers!
Go, go Power Rangers! Go, go Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!"
                                     - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers