While you're all recovering from your MLK celebrations, I'm still thinking about one of our most yummy Christmas desserts - eggnog pudding. If you're in need of a really creamy, special, festive dessert, this is the one. Eggnog is still available in the stores so you have time to make this, but hurry! Just so I don't forget about this recipe next year, I've put a copy of it in my paper desk calendar, under November...I'll be ready to make it the minute the eggnog hits the store shelves!
I'm really missing Christmas. We had such a great time, mainly because I changed things up this year. Instead of having one day where the grand-kids tore into stacks of presents that one week later they wouldn't be able to remember, I decided that in the days leading up to Christmas they would open an experience. I bought a pretty Christmas box (Joann Fabrics) and each night after the kids went to bed I put a red envelope inside the box. Inside the envelope was a letter to the kids telling them what to expect that day...it was a hit!
The first day they opened a letter that said they would go see the new Mary Poppins movie, and inside the box they found movie candy, and a new Christmas sweater for each of them to wear to the theater. The letter went on to say that night they would watch the original Mary Poppins and learn to sing the song Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious! Which they loved! (For Elsa's birthday on January 12th I gave her a pillow that said Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious on one side and on the other it said Practically Perfect In Every Way...she loooooooved it! Both Max and Elsa are now huge Mary Poppins' fans!)
Another day the kids opened a letter that told them they we were going to start the day baking and decorating Christmas cookies and then they would go to the Reindeer Festival at the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah. They could not have been happier - the got to feed the reindeer apples and Max saw some wolves, which is one of his latest obsessions, so he was over the moon, which is still his favorite obsession!) (I love the reindeer's eye - he was watching me!) Later that night, just as the letter said, we took the kids to see Snowflake Lane - in the rain - it was a circus, super crowded, cold, people jockeying for a position all around, but they took it all in stride with smiles on their little wet faces. Then I hit a home run by taking them to McDonalds for a late night snack...their favorite place to eat, oy vey...
Max is pretending to drive the sleigh - it was freezing outside but they sat in that sleigh for ten minutes!!! The letters kept them very busy - every morning they looked forward to opening the red envelopes. They saw the train exhibit at Seattle Center, rode the Monorail, rode the Christmas carousel, saw the giant gingerbread houses, saw the play Annie, made nativities out of clay, played games, took Rosie for walks in the park, had pedicures, hit golf balls, baked cookies and made candies, prepared the yule log for the fireplace (more on that later), had a root beer tasting and pizza party, and then there was the gingerbread house decorating contest - but I'll save that for another day! Every day, all day, they were kept busy, going, seeing, doing...It was EXHAUSTING!!! Kidding, but only a little...every night I crashed into bed but I wouldn't have had it any other way. They loved their Christmas box of experiences and I think this will become a new tradition for us. On Christmas day they still got to open quite a few presents as the parents, uncle, aunts, etc., all gave them gifts (and I managed to sneak in a few extra, too, couldn't help myself!)
Neither Max or Elsa like eggnog so this was wasted on them...but the rest of us loved it! This pudding has a very subtle eggnog taste, I can't help but think it would be perfect as an Easter dessert but who can find eggnog at Easter??! Doesn't make sense, why we can't have eggnog year round, it's called EGGnog...and Easter is all about EGGS!! Oh well, what do I know?!?
This is a very easy dessert to prepare and it comes together quickly. I loved eating it warm, it seemed richer that way...the mister liked his cold, with whipped cream piled on top, and that was every bit as good!
These cute little glasses are from IKEA, they hold about 3/4's of a cup and are the perfect size for puddings. The pudding is supposed to chill in the fridge for 3 hours but we have a fridge in our garage that is super cold so the pudding was chilled and ready to devour in about 1 1/2 hours - and it was hard waiting that long!
Eggnog Pudding - Adapted From This Silly Girl's Kitchen
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/4 cups eggnog
3 egg yolks
whipped cream, for serving, optional
Chocolate pirouette cookies, for serving, optional (available at Costco, World Market and Safeway)
Place sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon in a medium-sized pot. With a whisk, stir in the eggnog and egg yolks until combined. Set heat to medium and whisk constantly until pudding is thickened and it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 to 8 minutes. Pour pudding into a individual bowls (ramekins work nicely) and place a piece of plastic wrap on top, touching the top of the pudding so a skin doesn't form. Put puddings in fridge to set, about 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate pirouette cookies, if desired.
