I am to lattes that other people are to soda. Yes, I adore them and look forward to that sweet and creamy caffeine fix every day.

I usually start my coffee routine in the early afternoon. Why? Because as a stay-at-home mom the hours between 1 and 3 are what I consider the shit hours. Everyone is getting tired, the day is plateauing and it's all on you {the mom} to hold it together.

So that's the time of day that I look forward to and that I reserve my treat for. To save money, I make mine at home. I used to have a fancy-schmancy espresso machine but after five years it was time to retire it and try something new. 

I once watched Bobby Flay skillfully make a latte on his stovetop without a fancy frother and since then, I've been on a quest to make a delicious latte that's cheap, delicious, but also minimal because I really don't need another single-use gadget to crowd my cupboard space!

Finally I found this on Amazon.  I bought the 3 cup.

I was a little intimidated at first but the process is ingeniously simple.

Fill water to the little pressure valve. 

Add in your espresso-fine ground coffee. I've just realized that I use coffee grounds for this, not espresso. I'm sure that espresso would be even better but I get great results with drip grounds! Be careful that there aren't any stray grounds around the rim to ensure a good seal.

Screw on the top and put the lid down. 

Use the smallest burner on your stovetop. Set the flame to the perimeter of the cup so that it doesn't melt the handle. 

Let it go for about five minutes. Once you start to hear the soft "slosh" sound then you know you're close. Turn off the heat once the coffee/espresso is to the bottom of the spout. 

Second AWESOME tip!

Pour about 1-1.5 cups milk into a pint-size glass mason jar. Add in sugar. I usually do 1.5-2 tsp, depending on my level of anxiety that day. Microwave for 90 seconds. Then screw the lid on and shake for 30 seconds. 

Done! Perfectly frothy milk {with no special tools or equipment!}

Next, I pour my espresso/coffee into my big green thermos, then slowly pour the milk in, finishing with a scoop of the froth. Sip! ah…