Egg Nog

Picture from theworldwidegourmet.com

Egg nog is my favorite drink during the holidays!  My mom and I could drink cartons of this stuff.  I think egg nog is one of those things you either LOVE or HATE.  I don't know that there is an in between.  And I LOVE it.  While I usually only drink the store bought kind, there are some really great recipes out there.  I thought I would share a few.

6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups of milk
Dash of powdered nutmeg

I tried this recipe and it was fantastic!  I was really scared to try it but I was so happily surprised.  I cut the recipe in half as I am the only one who drinks it.  I used skim milk too and soo yummy!  Now, we have fresh eggs from our chickens in the backyard so if you are too frightened to try it with raw eggs just use egg substitute.  Our  chickens aren't sitting on top of one another pooping and being force fed antibiotics to combat the illnesses that occur in such conditions.  So I am not afraid of what is in the egg.  I know exactly what is in the egg, ha ha... feed and grass with no chemicals.  Okay off my soap box and on to another recipe...

 4 eggs well beaten
3 tablespoons sugar or 1/2 cup honey
4 cups of cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of powdered nutmeg
 
Of course there are recipes with rum and what not in them but I am NOT a fan.  I have tried it several times but I don't like how strong it makes it taste.  I love the flavor of the eggnog with OUT the spirits.  But if that suits your fancy by all means add away. 
 
Did you know there is an eggnog cake?  YUMMY!!  Here it is.
 
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup eggnog
1/2 cup butter, soft

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend at low speed with a mixer. Grease and flour bottoms of 2 9in pans, pour batter in pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 min, or till center springs back when touched. Cool, fill and frost with Eggnog frosting.

Recipe from a 1974 Family Circle Cookbook



Eggnog Frosting

1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup eggnog
2/3 cup butter, soft
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, salt and eggnog in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until very thick. Cool. Gradually cream butter and sugar. Add flour mixture; beat until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.

Wow so yummy!  A little history on egg nog...  There are different ideas on how the name eggnog or Egg Nog have come about. One is as follows.  Eggnog is first mentioned in the early parts of the 1600's and was used to toast to ones health.  It was first made with wine, milk, and eggs in Europe but here in America rum was added instead of the wine.  In the colonial days rum was called grog so it seems fit that eggnog soon came about.  Another part of the story is that the nog part of eggnog came from the mug called noggin.  A noggin was a small wooden carved mug used in taverns.  This drink would be called egg and grog served in a noggin.  This of course makes sense to shorten and became eggnog.  So there you have it... Egg Nog!

Recipes from: oldrecipebook.com
History from: kitchenproject.com