How to Make a Stove Top Latte or Cappacino--Use Skim Milk

On a previous post, I extolled the virtues of the MOKA pot or some call it the Bialetti (from one of its Italian manufacturers). A couple of points--use a finely ground coffee but not too fine. I only fill my basket half full but still use the full amount of water and it comes out very strong. I use cool filtered water -- some advocate heating the water first to speed the process and save their gasket--but on the gas stove, the process only takes about 3 - 4 minutes.

Now to make the "foam" or steamed milk, if you use skim or reduced fat milk as opposed to whole milk, the milk will froth up very easily in 2-3 minutes over medium gas heat. Just pour in a pan and beat with a wisk or frother over medium heat. Originally I thought the frothing was due to using DHA Omega-3 Organic milk, but a chef friend told me that it was because the milk was reduced fat and indeed if you compare whole milk with reduced fat, the reduced fat milk foams up more easily.

A NEW ECONOMIC INDICATOR: THE YARD SALE INDEX

Yard sales have long been a microcosm of free trade. Over the past two years, prices at yard sales have been in a steady decline. Three years ago, hardcover books went for $3.00; button-down shirts were $3.00; jeans were $5.00 and board games were $2.00: or Yard Sale Index (YSI) of 13. The Yard Sale Index is calculated by adding the average prices for the four sentinel yard sale items (hard-cover books, button down shirts, jeans and board games). As of 12/2008, hardcover books are 50 cents; button down shirts are $1.00; jeans are $2.00 and board games are 50 cents; or a Yard Sale Index (YSI) of 4.

Also of note, there are fewer early-bird customers at yard sales. More customers are arriving at the 9-10 o'clock time frame when bargaining may be more successful and sellers are worried about being stuck lugging their left-over items to Goodwill or back to their garage or storage.