Oy, pass the 'nog!

This fantastically foamy libation surely puts the 'nog in eggnog.

The one problem is, is that it isn't ready to drink until at least 4-7 days (minimum of 96 hours, 5,760 minutes, and 345,600 seconds) later.  That's right... 4982379423 days.  Yes, this is an eternity of waiting; however, the results are entirely worth the patience!
My recommendation?  Make a batch of this, then, go away and put it out of your mind for the rest of the week.  When you come home—miracle of miracles—the eggnog is at long last drinkable!


The video below contains a few fun facts you may or may not know about eggnog.

Now, on to the recipe!

(Above: My handy taste-testers... Considering you're going to wait a considerable space of time to enjoy this drink, you ought to make sure it tastes A-OK from the start, eh?  Just take care of consuming too much, due to salmonella poisoning.  Unfortunately true story.*)

George Washington's Eggnog:

(adapted from a recipe from Mount Vernon)
Yields: 6 quarts

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brandy
• 1 cup rye whiskey (I didn't have "rye", so I used a different sort)
• 1 cup dark Jamaica rum
• 1/2 cup cream sherry
• 8 extra large eggs, OR 10 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 quart milk
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg (add more for that extra nutmeggy taste!)
•  1 cinnamon stick (feel free to split one in half, or add 2-3)
  

Directions:

1. Mix liquors first in a separate container.
2. Separate yolks and whites into two large mixing bowls.
3. Blanchir egg yolks (beat adding in sugar until the mixture turns a light yellow).
4. Add liquor slowly to egg yolk mixture, continuing to beat (mixture will turn brown) until well incorporated. 5. Add milk and cream simultaneously, slowly beating the mixture.  Set aside. 

6. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into the alcohol mixture.
7. Add nutmeg and cinnamon stick, and stir well to incorporate.  Cover mixture in an airtight container. 

8. Allow eggnog to cure undisturbed for several X (4-7) days in the coldest art of the refrigerator, or outside in a very cold (below 40 degrees) place.  The mixture will separate as it cures.  This is OK.  Just be sure to re-incorporate mixture before serving cold.

* Just as a precaution, make sure you label your freshly-concocted eggnog jug whilst it's in the incubation period.  Whilst this is somewhat unlikely, you really don't want to end up pouring a glass out of the wrong container and seriously regretting said action (this stated from a major raw-cookie-dough-eating fan).  "This is a kindness!"

Ready to pour into glasses?  Feel free to garnish the tops with a sprinkling of spices.

Cheers, and Happy New Year 2012!

Fröhlichen Muttertag

Mother of mine...

I love my mum so very much.  She is—in two words—truly incredible.  When we lived across the country from each other last year, hers was the soul that came to mind the oftenest and whom I missed the most.

(This is a recent photo of the two of us – it was a bright afternoon, hence the sunnies!)

"Are we not like two volumes of one book?"

– Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

 She is always there; providing loving support, encouragement, and advice from having traveled life's path before me (godly wisdom beyond my years).  I am so thankful for her and all that she does!

"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."

– Proverbs 31:10

    

These are from Sunday's party with friends and family, in celebration of our extraordinary mothers.  The dads grilled meat outside, whilst the rest of us busied ourselves prepping inside, and successfully keeping our mums OUT of the kitchen.  They deserve the day off, don't you think?

  

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." 

– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

  

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

– Washington Irving

  

  

 Can I mention how delightful this wine was?  Sofia Coppola Rosé (I think it was vintage 2010).  It tasted like roses and strawberries and all of the sweet summery fruits you can
think of.  I don't usually fancy Rosé, but this was maravilloso. 

  

    
"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. "

– Jewish Proverb

  

  

"Never marry a man who hates his mother, because he'll end up hating you." – Jill Bennett

  

Have I mentioned how much I love these two?  They're my younger (though far taller than me, so would that make them "Little-Big"?) brothers.

And this one is for you, Mum... Thanks for putting up with all of our wonkiness!

"Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children."

– Sam Levenson

¡Te amo, Mamia!

Easter Two Thousand Eleven

Hallelujah, He is RISEN!!!

"Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right..."
– Phillips Brooks, "An Easter Carol"
 

 Let's start with dessert then, shall we?

Let them eat cake.  Gluten-free Double Chocolate Trifle with fresh blackberries (I'll post a proper before-it-was-dished-up photo in an upcoming post), and Aunt Tom's Italian Cream Cake (pity about the name, though; Aunt Tom?  Reeeally? Scrumptious as this cake is, the unanimous vote is that the responsible party needs to have their head(s) checked...).

Fleurs.  My friends keep a lovely garden, don't you think?  I am always in awe of green thumbs.  It was a beautiful, albeit windy day!

"'Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees
Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy."
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Spanish Student
 

 Entrées.  Lots of colours and textures!

 Cheese.  I really ought to write an ode to it someday (professing my lifelong-love for its creamy, supreme goodness), especially after trying a new variety with chives in called Double Gloucester Cheese.  Trust me when I say that it was positively divine.

 Grilled vegetables.  Nearly everything tastes better grilled.  (Well, there are a number of things I can think of that you wouldn't want near a grill, but you know what I mean, right?)

"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness."

– Floyd W. Tomkins

Appreciating the little details.  This has to be one of the prettiest wine labels I have ever seen (besides the fact that it's very Trinitarian).  It should be saved and scrapbooked or framed!  (Gracias a los Españoles por este full-bodied blend; it went well with our meal, though the Bogle Zin was my personal fave of the day.)

"We live and die; Christ died and lived!" 

 – John Stott

Brothers.  I love these two to pieces.  I admire their ever-evolving/improving sense of style.  I love that they can make me laugh without even saying a word (they are masters of hysterical expressions and dance moves).

Wimbledon is on the left, Pembleton on the right (brilliant nicknames, yes?  These titles hail from many years ago... Ask me, and I'll tell you!).

Friends.  This one came out super cute, albeit a tad blurry.  Yours truly on the left, with my adopted little sister, Christina, on the right.  Sweet Nina has surpassed me in height (she has the ideal model body: tall, leggy --which reminds me, I need to photograph her for her future portfolio!), so it's a wonder that I somehow look taller in this photo... It must be the rocking retro beehive helping me out?!

Our party's hostess keeps a lovely garden, don't you think?  I am continually in awe of my friend's prodigious "green thumb", and her impressive memory of flora and fauna (both, of which, she inherited from her German parents, who take their gardening as seriously as the Brits do!  Oh, and I just like including the fact that they are Deutsche, because I am half-Deutsch myself).

Such a clear view out over the Bay.  It was a beautiful, albeit windy Sabbath!

Well-spoken words from Miss Brontë:

"There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou - Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed."

– Emily Brontë

The Resurrection Joy

Source: Flickr (user mariakallin)

If you've been following my blog for a while now, then you know that I'm a plan-aheader (and apparent new word-creator!) and that I enjoy a good celebration.  With Easter well on it's way, here are some culinary and party inspiration:

♦

♦ Elana's Pantry Gluten-Free Easter menu

(The GF Cake Pops are calling!)

 

♦ Epicurious' Easter/Passover meal ideas
(Jacques Torres's Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs sound incredible right now...)

 

♦ Martha Stewart - Everything Easter

(I can just picture baskets full of Crepe Paper Carrots around the house.  So cute!)

♦ The Kitchn - Easter recipes & projects

♦

What are your Easter traditions?  Do you still dye eggs (The Kitchn's naturally-dyed eggs came out beautifully!)?  That's one nostalgic activity I just haven't given up.  Is there a particular food that is present on your table every year?  When my family and I are together, my dad usually grills a scrumptiously tender lamb (recipe courtesy of Epicurious).  I look forward to it every year (despite the infamous year where complete disaster struck -- of course, you can bet that I will tell that tale soon)!

Photos and recipes of Resurrection Day festivities forthcoming.

Source: Flickr (user kathy_zygo)

"Let the Resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness."  

– Floyd W. Tomkins

May the road rise up to meet you

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

This is the night when it is okay to eat unnaturally green-coloured foods.  Any other day, and my brain says this messes too much with the psychology of natural colour (which brings back cringe-worthy memories of my brother's sprint of mischievous teenage experimentation in the kitchen -- ask me about the BLUE milk and PURPLE pancakes sometime!).

Yesterday included:

♣ Nannying for a lovely Irish family ("Coincidence?  I think NOT!").  We drew and cut out shamrocks, read stories, and played for hours.  I love celebrating holidays with children!  They make everything a lot more fun.
♣ A delightful evening of excellent food, drink, and conversation.  Our tums were more than comfortably full!

Another 17th of March gone by... Cheers!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wouldn't you like to be far away right now, frolicking on the shores of a distant land?  Yeah, me too.  I'm excited because of the holiday today, to be wearing both orange and green, and for a chance to use the grossly underrated word, "frolicking".  Triple points, eh?

♣

In anticipation of tonight's festivities, I thought I'd share a Proper Method For Making a Black and Tan (also called a "Blacksmith" or "Light and Bitter"), via YumSugar.  This is the American way of making the drink, and in fact, I learned today that a B&T is not a very popular drink in Ireland due to the infamous history behind the name.

♣

Have a marvelous evening, everyone! 

St. Patrick's Day plans

ST. PATRICK'S DAY is coming!

Seven days from now.

(You're probably thinking, Sarah!  This is a bit premature; we have 'til next week...)

But, I tend to plan in advance (what else can I say, then that I'm like my mother -- and that is something, because she is amazing!).

Oh, and I found some glorious food photos.

Along those lines, what are your plans for next Thursday?  Do they include traditional dinner fare of Potatoes, Corned Beef, & Guinness (deemed, "hearty comfort food" by Jane Seymour, in the cooking video I was just watching on Martha Stewart)?  Downing green-coloured conconctions whilst proudly sporting orange &/or green (don't wish to run the risk of being pinched!)?

 
In America, many of us serve classic Irish-American food such as the above, or you might find us mixing up a Black & Tan, mashing some Colcannon, baking a Shepherd's Pie, or munching on a slice of Irish Soda Bread.  However, whilst studying this holiday back in high school, I was surprised to learn that the Irish across the pond don't actually celebrate in the same fashion as we do (that's right, no corned beef and potatoes!).  Why didn't anyone tell me this before?!

Here are some lovely party/meal planning links (just in case you're catching the planning-ahead bug):

♣ Epicurious' St. Patrick's Day Feasting Ideas

♣ Martha Stewart's St. Patrick's Day Guide (Martha is a fave of mine)

♣ The Kitchn's St. Patrick's Day Cocktails & Spirits Roundup (which all sound downright drinkable to me)

♣ YumSugar's St. Patrick's Day Party Menu

♣ Gluten Free St. Patrick's Day Goodness from Elana's Pantry

♣ YumSugar's Rustic, Slow Cooker Irish Lamb Stew (seriously yum!)

♣ For dessert, a slice of Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Guinness Cake (for further instructions and photos from a fan of Nigella's cake, go to the Kitchn)

♣ Or, you might wish to nibble on sweets earlier in the day with these Peppermint Patties tantalising you from Elana's Pantry...

Now that your stomach is full from all those delicious images and ideas, tell me what St. Patty's Day looks like in your home.  I'd love to hear!

Happy heart

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

I take delight in learning new facts about the special occasions we celebrate.  It makes them all the more fascinating and meaningful, wouldn't you agree?

Much of this afternoon was spent in the kitchen, preparing tonight's menu with my mum.  Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Linguine (it's killer!), a fresh herb salad, and the aforementioned Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries.

Pasta coming pronto.

Valentine's Day decadence

Here is an easily-put together dessert that is as healthy as it is supremely satisfying.  Best of both worlds, don't you think?

Oh, and I neglected to add a final optional step!  If you're feeling extra fancy, melt a tad more chocolate (say, a darker brown or white) to drizzle over the tops of the chilled/already-dipped strawberries.  They will look like this (don't click unless you can handle all the chocolate-y goodness -- I'm on overload right now!).

Now, I am a devoted brown chocolate lover (the darker, the better, in my book), but if white chocolate's your thing...

For similar Valentine's-themed recipes, have a look at these for inspiration:

♥ Bon Appétit's Valentine's Featurette

♥ Epicurious' Valentine's Menu

♥ Food Network's Valentine's Featurette

♥ How adorable are Jamie Oliver and his wife, Jools?

(GF scrumptiousness below, but check these out even if you're not avoiding gluten)

♥  Elana's Pantry Gluten Free Valentine's Day Desserts 

♥  Ginger Lemon Girl's Gluten Free Valentine's Day Recipes 

♥ Gluten Freeda's Valentine's Desserts 

In other news (though it ties in with the recipe above), I recently concocted a Mexican hot chocolate drink (which undoubtedly needs perfecting, so if you have any tips or happen to be from down South...).  Can you imagine my delight when I came across Sippity Sup's Chile Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries?  That's right, amigos... CHILES.  This spicy twist just may have awakened a dangerous trend in my kitchen (and my heart)...

Labour of love

I don't know about you, but I've been on a decorating high since the Christmas holidays, and with Valentine's Day approaching, I was itching to make something pretty for my home.

Want to make some for yourself?

Here's what you'll need:

• Scissors (plain-edged and—if you want some variety—decorative)
• Paper (I had a gently-used stack of scraps already laying around, so I used that)
• Ribbon (for hanging, if you want to make a garland or banner)
• Tape (if you're hanging them)

Regarding types of paper, I find it's easier to use cardstock or something similarly sturdy (because you'll be giving the paper a lot of grief with all of that folding).  Just a tip.

Now, starting off: to find a heart shape, try Googling 'heart stencil'.  I reckoned I already had a stencil or two stashed somewhere, but since I couldn't find any, online sources came to the rescue!

For the folding steps, I used this helpful tutorial; while switching back and forth to these instructions.  If you happen to already be a paper-cut out pro (congratulations!), then you enjoy some more advanced designs (or do a Google image search).

I also freehand drew and cut out some red hearts and placed them around the dining area in a whimsical trail.  The room is transformed into sweetness!  (Shhh, I secretly think to myself, 'awww', everytime I walk through there...)

Cute, right?

Other than the time it takes to cut out each heart, this craft goes together pretty quickly, and is totally worth the effort.  You could say, it's a labour of love...

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The most wonderful time of the year

  Source: Sarah Machamer Photography

It's Christmas week, everyone!  Are you ready for the big day?  I am, but find myself wishing that there were a few more weeks to enjoy this delightful Advent season; because sadly, it will be over before we know it.

While browsing one of my favourite websites for delicious eye-candy tonight, it didn't escape my notice that PW is offering some fab giveaways.  How thrilling would it be to win one of those KitchenAid mixers as a Christmas present?  I would likely scream and do a happy dance.

Speaking of eye-candy, check out this tantalising coffee concoction.  I am totally craving one right now!