Even though it wasn't a part of my childhood (and, indeed, my parents taught me to drink my coffee black when I started drinking coffee), I have great affection for the comfort of a big bowl of cafe au lait, usually on a Sunday morning with the New York Times spread invitingly out in front of me.

A few months ago, M and I bought a stovetop milk steamer expressly for the purpose of using actual steamed (instead of boiled or heated) milk in our weekly cafes, and a few weeks ago, we went on a search for actual cafe au lait bowls. However, as is our wont, instead of purchasing actual cafe au lait bowls, we used our "search" as an excuse to buy a set of bowls from a company called Iittala that we'd been coveting for a long time. They're from the "Origo" line, and while they're truly multi-purpose pieces, they're shaped perfectly for a bowl of cafe au lait.

Of course, they had to be special ordered, and I've been waiting for them to arrive at the store for a while now. I just got a call yesterday telling me the bowls had come in, and I can't wait to run up there and retrieve them.

My obsession with dishes knows no bounds.