an early christmas present to you!

the past few nights, i have been using an espresso maker that i bought last week.  so far, i have made a caramel latte, an espresso truffle (basically hot chocolate with espresso), and tonight, well. tonight.  i found my favorite.  i made what two story in athens calls a "cubano con leche"  or what starbucks calls a "cinnamon dolce latte."  every time i drink some, it's like buddy the elf busts through the door with zoe deschannel singing christmas music.  seriously.

here's how i made it.
 (these are per serving/mug... so if you want to make enough of the milk mixture for all of the espresso go ahead and double the recipe)
about one cup of milk (i used skimmed/double toned; if you double the recipe it'll be just under 1/2 liter)
three pieces of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 of the espresso made by a "two-cup" stovetop espresso maker

combine the first three ingredients in a pot. any ole pot will do. stir/whisk the mixture just to get the flavors combining.  let it simmer.  really let it go.  it should end up with a nice little bit of film you can take of the top (kind of like chai from a chai walla).
while the milk mixture is making magic in a pot, go ahead and start your espresso (i used starbucks decaf espresso blend. tasty!).  when the coffee is finished the milk should be too!
pour the espresso into your favorite mug, then pour in the milk through a tea strainer to keep the cinnamon bits out.  and here's what you should get...

on a side note... here are the christmas lights i bought... notice the tree and the text (it also says made in china)