No Machine Cappuccino

I haven't had a day off in ages and it feels nice to finally be able to just sit back, relax and do nothing. I usually have my baking theory course Tuesday nights but the teacher is away on vacation. I really have not had a moment to enjoy the fall weather. The leaves are changing colours and falling, I love the crunchy noises on the ground they make when you walk on them. I am in denial land in terms of the summer being gone but I am trying to appreciate the beauty of the fall.

I recently came back from Las Vegas, over the last few years I have been bit by the travel bug. I normally stay within North America, people are always shocked to find out that I have never been to Europe. Flights from Canada overseas are at least $800 so if I want to go on a trip there, I am going to have to start saving. This has inspired me to put a bit of money away each week and within a year I'll have enough to go on a backpacking trip around Europe. I am also playing with the idea of using the money to move to Australia for a year. I am not 100% sure how the money will be used but I have a year to save and decide. The thought of moving abroad excites and scares me beyond all means. It's been a dream of mine for a very long time. I feel like I need to experience life outside of Ontario.

Now saving money means spending less money, so I need to be a bit thrifty with my spending. I am officially saying good bye to my daily (sometimes twice a day) Starbucks run. SIGH.
I recently just started liking soy lattes and cappuccinos, usually I drink my coffee black. These fancy drinks (even with my Starbucks gold card) costs me about $5 per drink. That's pretty expensive for someone trying to save, so I started brewing my own coffee at home. I don't have a cappuccino maker and was starting to grow tired of black coffee with almond milk.
These days if you can think something, you can probably make it at home yourself. This is true for no machine cappuccino ! A simple google search led me to many links on how to make your own cappuccino without the expensive machine. I pulled ideas from a few recipes and came up with my own No Machine Vanilla Almond Milk Cappuccino. This can be made with any kind of milk, I just happened to have unsweetened almond milk in my fridge, you can't get that at Starbucks!

Recipe
Coffee (instant, drip, espresso ... whatever you have in your cupboard should work)
Milk (I used unsweetened almond milk but again use whatever you like)
Flavour (optional, I had vanilla syrup)
Spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate etc)

1. Brew the coffee. I had drip coffee on hand so I made that and added 1 more tablespoon of coffee to make it stronger tasting, like espresso.

2. Take the milk and heat it on the stove until bubbling on the sides of the pan or heat it on high in the microwave for 50-60 seconds.

3. Put heated milk into a leak free container (I used Tupperware).

4. Add optional syrups and seal the container tightly.

5. Shake the container for about 1 minutes or until frothy.

6. Fill your favourite coffee mug half full or three quarters (depending on if you like lattes or cappuccinos) with the milk. Save a bit of the foam.

7. Pour in coffee.

8. Spoon the saved foam onto the top of the coffee and sprinkle with your spice of choice.

Simple, yummy, homemade and cheap ;)

xo