Egg Nog & A Christmas Carol

And so it begins!

It's December and now we get to turn our time and attention to our Christmas Bucket List for this year.  It is a little smaller than our Fall Bucket List and still evolving as we think of more things to do but we'll get there.

You can follow our Christmas adventures this year on Instagram at #jamchristmas2012 (which is Jessica & Andrew Mitchell Christmas 2012 just much, much shorter).

1. Read "A Christmas Carol"
I wanted to find the perfect copy of this book for our family so while I was busy scouring bookstores, Andrew downloaded it for free on the iPad and finished it before I even started.  But we both really enjoyed reading it and I ended up finding a nice illustrated version with the complete text that will make for great fireside reading with our kiddos in the future.

2. Get nogged
 Andrew loves egg nog and I like it, too, so for our first FHE in December I made up some homemade egg nog.  This stuff is the bomb.  Promise.

GRANDMA’S EGG NOG

This recipe is adapted from Grandma Martin’s original recipe.  You cook it so that the egg nog is pasteurized and safe to drink.  The first time I made this, EVERYONE was skeptical.  But it was amazingly good and even the “non-noggers” liked it.

4 c. milk                                                                       5 whole cloves

2 ½ t. vanilla, divided                                                   1 t. ground cinnamon

12 egg yolks                                                                 1 ½ c. sugar

1 pint whipping cream                                                 1 pint half and half

Nutmeg

Combine milk, cloves, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes.  Beat egg yolks.  Slowly add sugar to eggs and beat until fluffy.  Slowly stir warm milk mixture into the eggs and return to saucepan.  Slowly heat up mixture and bring to medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick.  Do not allow mixture to boil.  Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about an hour.  Add vanilla and half and half.  Prepare the whipping cream as directed and fold into mixture.  Refrigerate overnight.  Stir before serving chilled with a dash of nutmeg.  So good!

I made this for the first time last year and I have to confess that the reason I figured out a way to pasteurize it was because I suspected my friend, Amy Silva, was pregnant and I didn't want to put her in an awkward situation where she had to pass on drinking the egg nog.  Turns out she doesn't even like egg nog in the first place so by making it "safe" for her, I put her in the awkward position of having to confess that she just doesn't drink egg nog.  Period.  Hilarious story.