I Really NEED A Latte….And I Am Only 2 Years Old!

A few years ago, almost 3, I found myself in downtown Denver. Our daughter, a successful young attorney met us for lunch in a restaurant that struck me as never seeing the sun through all the tall glass windows that were shaded by neighboring skyscrapers. Back home in central Iowa skyscrapers are few and far between. Anyway a neighbor from just a few miles from our house was in Denver, downtown no less, and we all agreed to meet for lunch.  Our daughters were best friends through school. We never met once for lunch in Iowa, but big city Denver had a magical draw, or something.  It was so pleasant.  Anyway at the time I had our one and only grandchild in tow.  She was thrilled to eat lunch at the bustling restaurant with her Mommy in the middle of the day.  She was more familiar with that place than me.  Anyway we sat down. I remember stepping over and through deisigner briefcases on the way to our table, me carrying a diaper bag.  We chit-chatted and caught up on news.  We were discussing the menu.  I’ll have this, I’ll have that. On and on the choices went.  Just saying them made my mouth water.  We debated the menu and our daughter subtly checked the time. Billable minutes passing her by but she never once seemed to mind the extra work long into the night that lunch would cost her.  Anyway, around the table we went giving our orders to a rushed server.  Our little grandchild perched on her knees in her smocked blouse and adorable straw hat demurely said when the server was in ear shot in utmost seriousness, “Ohhhh, I really need a latte.”  No one knew where to look as we bit our cheeks trying not to laugh. Her mom gently answered without a blink, “Oh, honey, let’s have lunch first.” And we did.

Lattes are one of my favorties self-indulgences. They can be pricey. Living out in the country there are no coffee shops to stop at on the way into work to grab a latte. You can make your own. It will taste just as good or better.  Add your own flavorings, or like me add none. All you need is a little tool to whip the milk into a froth: a frother. They are inexpensive. I paid less than $10.00 for mine.  The trick to getting good foam from your milk (fat free works too) is to slightly heat the milk to just under warm.  Put the milk in a tall, narrow, cylinder-shaped glass. Froth away. Voila! You have froth and can make your own latte!  Sadly, I have no recipe to duplicate the ambiance of having your latte served by a barista.