Monday, December 11, 2006
Enjoy the taste of eggnog
Some people love eggnog and some people hate it, but there are others who fear it. Traditional eggnog is made with raw eggs, so it isn’t surprising that some people are afraid of food-borne illnesses. But store-bought eggnog usually is pasteurized, which makes it safe. Using pasteurized eggnog alone or as an ingredient in a recipe allows you and your guests to enjoy the eggnog without worry.
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Eggnog Coffee
1/4 cup ground coffee
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup eggnog, warmed
1/2 cup thawed nondairy whipped topping
Place coffee in filter in brew basket of coffee maker; sprinkle with nutmeg. Place sugar in empty pot of coffee maker. Add 2-1/2 cups cold water to coffee maker; brew. When brewing is complete, stir in eggnog.
Pour into 4 mugs. Serve immediately, topped with dollops of the whipped topping. Sprinkle lightly with additional nutmeg, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
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To spike this punch, add up to 1 cup of rum.
Peppermint Eggnog Punch
1 quart peppermint ice cream
1 quart eggnog
4 12-ounce cans ginger ale, chilled
24 small peppermint candy canes for garnish
Set aside 2 or 3 round scoops of ice cream in the freezer for garnish. Stir remaining ice cream until softened. Gradually stir in eggnog and rum. Transfer to a punch bowl; stir in ginger ale. Hang candy canes around the edge of the punchbowl. Float reserved ice cream scoops on top, and serve immediately. Makes 16 servings.
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This recipe allows you to skip the eggs for a quick and tasty version of eggnog.
Mock Eggnog
2 quarts cold milk
1 3.4-ounce package instant French vanilla or vanilla pudding mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt, optional
1 cup whipping cream
Additional nutmeg, optional
In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Beat in the sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt if desired. In another mixing bowl, beat cream until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir into pudding mixture. Refrigerate until serving. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg if desired. Makes about 10 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
To further reduce the chance of becoming ill from egg products, keep leftover eggnog refrigerated. If you want to keep a pitcher of eggnog out, set the pitcher in a bowl of ice. Never leave eggnog at room temperature for longer than two hours.
The Practical Pantry ©2006 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com