Merry Christmas on this beautiful Christmas Day 2015.
Yes, the day is really Saturday…the day after Christmas, but I am a bit slow in posting and I worked on this post on Christmas Day…but after posting the Christmas Eve Dinner Menu….I decided to wait to post this til today.
First, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I have to tell you I certainly did.
I particularly love Christmas Eve and our church had two services….one at 5 p.m. and one at 6:30 p.m. I try to never miss the Christmas Eve Service, because it is always a special time….and apparently, a lot of our parishioners wanted to come to the early service too….as the ushers had to bring in more chairs to seat everyone.
(And no, that is not Santa Clause in the upper left….she is a lovely lady along with our song leader, talking to a couple of kids and I guess the lighting makes it appear she has a beard, you will see her in the bottom pic sitting on the sofa) BTW, the sofa scene and backdrop were left over from our Christmas Dinner Program which was amazing!
I took these pictures before the service started and by 5:00 pm…the church was packed. The above pic is of our Pastor, shaking hands (in the green shirt). He is a people-friendly kind of guy and always greets each and every person he can, before Sunday services and of course special services such as the Christmas Eve Service.
As is usually the case, the Captain is required to “fly” for Christmas, as he does for many Holidays. I have learned over the years that Holidays do not have to be celebrated on the “given” day…but one can celebrate in their hearts and with loved ones on any day of the week. Which was why we celebrated with our Christmas Eve Dinner (see yesterday’s post). I promised the egg nog recipe in today’s post and I will get to that in a few.
May I share with you how I celebrated Christmas Day?
Oops! too late, I am forging ahead. 😉
When our friends find out that the Captain will be working on the Holiday, I get many invitations to attend their Christmas Day festivities…and I do appreciate their thoughtfulness. However, I try to invite friends who have no families in Florida and make them a Christmas Dinner.
This year, I did something a bit different. The Captain and I have two beautiful friends (Fraulein and The Fisherman) who are both suffering from debilitating illnesses, and it is very difficult for them to get out and about. So I decided this year to make them a dinner of a turkey breast, stuffing, fresh cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pie and deliver it to their home to be eaten at their leisure.
The rest of my Christmas Day was spent talking to our kids (without interruptions…almost impossible in their busy lives) and watching sports and black and white Christmas movies. BTW, I changed into the most comfortable attire I own….OK, Sweats!
Hey! I really enjoyed myself! 🙂
Egg Nog is synonymous with Christmas and New Years Eve and the recipe I have for you has a vanilla bean and cinnamon stick flavors added. I use cinnamon sticks and the pure vanilla bean for a simply exquisite Nog! Yummy!
I served the egg nog in Moscow Mule Mugs and I have to admit the copper mugs kept the egg nog nice and cold for quite a long period….plus the copper color fit right in with my copper and gold dining room table decor!
Some people shy away from egg nog because of the raw eggs….however, I am providing a cooked egg nog note in my recipe.
Below is the handy dandy printable recipe for the Cinnamon Vanilla Egg Nog, the Captain and I shared on Christmas Eve! Tomorrow, a step by step on the Tiramisu Dessert that was heavenly! (I have to confess that I ate some of that again today!) Yummy!
How did you spend your Christmas Eve and Day, my dear readers?
Blessings and Hugs


- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 pint whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds removed
- 3 ounces bourbon
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 egg whites*
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they are a pale yellow
- Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until the sugar is incorporated
- Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.
- Pour all ingredients into a saucepan, adding the cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, vanilla seeds, and nutmeg. Bring to the boil over a medium heat. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and set aside to allow the flavors to meld
- While the egg mixture is cooling, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks and add an additional tablespoon of sugar.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and the vanilla bean and slowly whisk the egg whites into the cooled egg mixture. Chill and serve.
- *If you prefer your egg nog completely cooked, please see the method below.
- *In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.
Please comment, I'd love to hear from you.