Tuesday, December 30, 2014

12 Smart & Savvy Days of Christmas - Day 7 - Guest Post from Erika Marks


Welcome, welcome! Today the lovely Erika Marks is stopping by and she's got a yummy eggnog recipe to share. Welcome Erika!

Day 1 |Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8

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Confessions of an Egg Nog Junkie


In our house, the holidays mean a lot of things—all good, all festive, and always, all delicious.

We are an unabashed family of foodies. My husband is a native New Orleanian and an amazing cook, and I am a native New Englander, who also is crazy for cooking—so when it comes time to ring in the holidays—from Thanksgiving to New Year’s—we do it up.

Over the years, lots of recipes have come and gone (don’t get me started on the icebox pie I finally tried for this year’s Thanksgiving that puddled as soon as I took off its spring-form fence) but there are few that are tried and true and that are always welcome at the table—or wherever you choose to consume edibles and drinkables. (Or, if you are Beck and Marley, the couple in my holiday novella A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS, who find themselves stranded together on Christmas Eve on a deserted island and forced to make a feast with just the contents of a welcome basket, then you make do!)

But in our house, at the top of this list of (adult) must-haves, would be Our Favorite Homemade Nog.

Now friends, I’m not talking about the store stuff—which is awesome in a pinch (and perfect for the kiddos!) And I’m not talking about the light recipes where you replace the heavy cream with skim milk. I’m talking the REAL DEAL. Because when the holidays call in our home, all bets are off. We say, go big or go home!

Like so many favored recipes, this one came from my mom, though I’m not sure where she got it from. So if you are so inclined to indulge—and why wouldn’t you at this time of year?—here is a quick run-down of what you will need:

6 eggs, separated (save the egg whites for later)
1 cup sugar
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup of brandy
¾ tsp salt

1. Separate 6 eggs (save the egg whites for later) and beat the yolks
2. Gradually beat in 1 cup of sugar
3. Gradually beat in: 3 cups of milk, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 cup of brandy and 3/4 tsp salt
4. Beat egg whites until stiff; serve egg nog and top with a scoop of the egg whites, sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired.


And viola! A cupful of bliss with a dollop of snowy egg whites to toast the season with. (And if you have leftovers—we rarely do!—but if you do, it can make for some amazing French toast batter for the grown-ups!)

Wishing you and yours a magical season of peace and joy—and much, much sweetness!

On the long and winding road to publishing, Erika Marks worked as an illustrator, an art director, a carpenter and a cake decorator. She now lives and writes in North Carolina with her family where she is currently working on her next coastal romance! To connect with her, you can find her at her website: http://www.erikamarksauthor.com/

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Thank you, Erika, for stopping by. Erika is giving away a copy of the print anthology, A Carolina Christmas. To enter, comment below and tell me what your plans are for New Year's Eve. 

13 comments:

  1. We are doing our family tradition of having Fondue Night!

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  2. We stay off the roads and watch tv... eating food we shouldn't!!

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  3. No plans here. We don't have any money to do anything. But also, we never go out anyways. We don't know people who have parties and don't want to deal with the crowds at the public places. I already have the print book A Carolina Christmas, so don't enter me in the contest.

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  4. We're going to friends for a casual dinner party, then home in time to watch the ball drop.
    Denise

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  5. The recipe sounds amazing and one I will have to try! For new year's friends have rented a room. The kids will swim and the adults will snack and enjoy a few cocktails. :)

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  6. We work in the medical field so we are lucky to both have it off. We are going out for an early dinner then home to watch a movie

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  7. Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you so much for having me here, Stephanie--and thank you all for sharing your plans. Here's to a peaceful and healthy 2015 for all. Hugs! Erika

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  8. Just a nice family dinner at home. I'll go to bed long before midnight, but the kids will stay up.

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  9. That looks yummy! I haven't attempted to make it, or even tasted any.

    NYE is spend with my husband, kids and a few close friends. We haven't decided if it will be our house or their house yet. But either way we stay within walking distance to the house and avoid the crazies.

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  10. Spending time partying with my family!

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  11. Happy New Year! :)
    The 31st is my grandmother's birthday. Just about every year I spend it with her. I'm not a huge fan of parties and I'm a single mom of a 5 year old, so we watch the ball drop with her. :)
    Blueflame_13@hotmail.com

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  12. We are staying home and binge watching Netflix.

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