Tuesday Talk Time: Boiled Custard

~iPhone5s~

One of our early Christmas traditions in our married was to have store-bought eggnog. I must admit, I was not a huge fan of eggnog. The truth is, I thought raw eggs in my drink was simply icky, but I was a real toy soldier about it all and cheerfully raised a glass with DH to keep with his boyhood customs, as part of our own holiday traditions.

The good news is, as things have a way of growing on you, then so did the eggnog. It grew on me. Now, I actually look forward to having a cup or two of non-alcoholic Christmas cheer every year. Life is kinda funny like that, isn’t it?

Over the years, we migrated from eggnog to boiled custard from concerns of consuming raw eggs. I am either a little paranoid (no surprise there) or just a little wiser (definitely so) about such things. Anyhow, my paranoia mindset left me a little apprehensive over whether manufacturers cooked their boiled custard thoroughly enough or even if at all to kill the bacteria in raw eggs so much so that I sought out to make my own.

I adapted an eggnog recipe found in DD#2’s The Little House Cookbook to suit us. It’s a very simple recipe. And, yes I cook the eggs!  In fact, I made a tasty batch of this stuff this past Saturday. Being the incredible friend that I am, I decided to share my boiled custard recipe with you.

Boiled Custard

• 6-egg yokes
• ½-c. sugar
• 1½- quarts milk
• ½ – tsp. nutmeg

Put all ingredients into a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved. Be care to not get too hot or yoke will cook and possibly make your custard clumpy. I allow the temperature of the milk to reach the boiling point (100°) before reducing the heat to low to simmer for 15-minutes. Remove from heat. Serve immediately topped with a little nutmeg. It makes your drink look prettier and tastier. This is a beverage that’s good served hot or cold!

This week’s Tuesday Coffee Chat prompt is, if you were Santa, what food/drink would you like left for you?  I am not a picky eater. Anything that is prepared well, just as long as it’s not something really weird then I am happy. Why the traditional food choice of many kids around the globe to set out for dear ole Santa of cookies & milk is perfect, except I would have to request no milk since I’m lactose intolerant. However, an excellent substitute would be a good cup of coffee to go with my cookies  and the java would make doing the Santa job a bit easier. Speaking of cookies, did you catch my post yesterday? I shared my gingerbread cookie recipe. If you’re interested, just click here and scroll to the bottom of my post.

Next, let’s visit Patrice’s chats on the farmhouse porch to answer this week’s questions.

1. What is your favorite way to have potatoes? Overall, my favorite has to be simple mashed potatoes with a little butter, milk, salt, & pepper. Maybe, even a wee bit of sour cream added to the mix. On rare occasions, I love to have a fully loaded baked potato – butter, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, & cheddar cheese. Yum!
2. Do you keep your house toasty warm or a bit cooler? It’s hard to make our house toasty with electric heat, but I do my best to keep the temp between 70° to 72°. Usually anything above that is too warm for me, unless it is very, very cold outside. I don’t know, if it’s psychology or I am actually cooler when it’s colder.
3. What would you most like to see under the tree? A box filled with money. Lots and lots of money! Okay, Patrice didn’t say I had to be reasonable. I wonder how big the box would have to be to hold $1M? If that’s a bit too much, then I’ll take $500K! I don’t think Santa will be placing this under my tree this year. Oh, darn, I knew I should have gotten in on this last mega-million dollar lottery draw.
4. Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? This one may not translate to other countries- Just tell us something you want if you don’t know what I’m talking about. I am not sure what the fuss is over the Elf on the Shelf. I have seen them around, but honestly I have not taken the time to take a close look at them. That being said, I’m not even sure I can translate what this whole thing is all about. Should I have one? Is it too late to get one? Oh well…maybe next year!
5. Have you put up a Christmas tree this year? Yep. I always do and I hate to take it down after the holiday is over, too.

Grab a cup of coffee and join me as I visit my lovelies at….

We’re a week away from Christmas Eve. How are you progressing with your holiday preparations? Don’t forget to take time to breathe and to reflect on the true meaning of this season.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to participate in my Wordless Wednesday hop, where you’ll get to see pictures of Christmas in Dillsboro, North Carolina. Have a terrific and sane Tuesday!

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