Cognac

*Sin*cere Season’s Greetings!

Posted on: December 23rd, 2011 by Carla Johnson No Comments

Wishing You and Yours a Peace-Filled Holiday.

May Goodwill and Blessings Fill Each of Your Days!

~ Carla

 

To help you celebrate, here is a collection of links to several great recipes I hope you and your loved ones will enjoy.

Instead of store-bought egg nog, try one of these:

Pretending to be Tipsy” German Eierlikor
Wedding Pudding” Dutch Advokaat
Hand Made” Egg Nog
 

Easy Apps:

We Are Family” Rye Bread ‘n Brie & Fondue
Goddess Supper” Potted Cheese
 

Saucy Sauces:

Comfort & Joy” Cranberry Sauce
Father & Son” Bourbon Sautéed Mushrooms
“A Little Leftover” Wine Jelly
 

One-of-a-Kind Salads:

Pork Ninjas” Salad Dressing
Poverty Line” Potato Salad
Stuck on Reduction” Watermelon Salad
 

*Sin*-ful Side Dishes:

Comfort of Home” Sherry Potatoes
Proud Mary” Fried Green Tomatoes
 

Distinctive Desserts:

Pumpkin Pie in the Great Outdoors
Thank You” Chocolate Cupcake Bombs
Fight Night” Kahlua Cookie Cake
Milk & Cookies for the “Real” Santa
 

The-Morning-After Breakfasts:

Sisterhood” Maple Rum Crepes
Working Past Midnight” French Toast

 
 
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
Hamilton W. Mabie

“Hand Made” Egg Nog

Posted on: December 7th, 2011 by Carla Johnson No Comments
If you see a fat man who is jolly and cute,
Wearing a beard and a red flannel suit,
And if he is chuckling and laughing away,
While flying around in a miniature sleigh
With eight tiny reindeer to pull him along,
then lets face it… your eggnog’s too strong!!

Just in time for the Holiday Season! Two wonderful drinks you can serve your guests.

When my husband’s Aunt Susan was a young child, she emigrated with her family – and her 9 siblings! – from the Netherlands, more specifically, Friesland.

By her early 20’s, Susan was well-settled into Canadian life when she met Robert Hogeboom. They fell in love, married and had two beautiful children. Sadly, while the children were still young and Bob was only in his 40’s, he succumbed to cancer. He passed away too quickly and too young.

Susan was energetic and creative and watched her children grow up to marry and have grandchildren, but in her late 50’s, she too succumbed to cancer.

It is an honour to remember Bob and Susan here on the blog. There were very special people who left us wanting so much more of them.

Bob and Susan loved to entertain and Bob always made his own eggnog at Christmas time. Interestingly, he always made it by hand. He said the key was to mix it all with your bare fingers. I think it was his way of adding love. All great cooks know good food needs love. So, roll up your sleeves, scrub your hands really well and let’s get to work.

 

Uncle Bob’s “Hand Made” Egg Nog

 

6 egg yolks
1 cup granular sugar
2 cups cognac
1 cup white rum
8 cups (2 quarts) 15% cream
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
6 egg whites

1. Beat egg yolks until thick.

2. Gradually add granular sugar until it becomes light in colour.

3. Slowly stir in the alcohol, cognac and rum.

4. Add add the cream and 3 of the egg whites. Stir until mixed thoroughly.

5. In a separate bowl, beat remaining egg whites until thick, then gradually add the confectioner’s sugar.

6. Beat the egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form.

7. Gently stir the egg whites and sugar mixture into the egg yolk mixture.

8. Serve in glasses and garnish.

*By the way, Bob’s egg nog recipe remains popular with many of their relatives & friends. They have all made his egg nog over the years, but none of them make it by hand. 😉

Raise a glass of Christmas Cheer!

Susan was very musical and she often sang with her sisters. They all have great sense of humour and call themselves “The Sour Lemon Sisters.” One of her sisters, Maaike, whips up a very “sin”ful drink she calls Northern Slush. She once served it at a company gathering where it was a hit. One of the people at the party asked for the recipe and as Maaike was writing out the recipe, she realized she had accidentally doubled the liquor in the party batch. That night, a good time was had by all! :-)

 

“The Sour Lemon Sisters” Northern Slush

 

1 – 48 ounce can pineapple juice
1 – 12 ounce can frozen orange juice thawed
1 – 6.5 ounce can frozen lemonade thawed
26 ounces of gin or liquor of choice. Maaike recommends Peach Schnapps.
1 cup strong tea, cooled to room temperature

1. Mix all the ingredients together and freeze for 48 hours. It will become a slush.

2. To serve, scoop the slush into glasses and top with clear soda like 7-Up or Sprite.

 

Wassail! Wassail all over the town!
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing-bowl, we’ll drink to thee!
~ Traditional
 

Happy Holidays!

 

“Pretending to be Tipsy” German Eierlikör

Posted on: March 27th, 2011 by Carla Johnson 1 Comment

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter. ~ Jenny Joseph

Nora (Schwier) Goodwin was raised in a close, loving German family. Nora’s Mami (mom) Mary Anne Schwier has a very fond memory from the 1950’s when she was in her early 20’s and Nora’s Omi (grandmother), had taken her home made German Eierlikör (eggnog) on a visit to the neighbours. While Mami had a brief moment of embarrassment that day, she and Nora continue to make Omi’s delicious eggnog every year at Christmas time.

Mami from the time of the story

 

 

This is Mami’s story of Omi in her own words.

Jedes Jahr um die Weihnachtszeit machte meine Mutter zwei-drei Flaschen Eiercongnac.  Einst luden uns die Nachbarn auf eine Tasse Kaffee und etwas alkoholisches ein. Mama nahm eine Flasche von ihrem frischen Eierlikör mit, um davon etwas in den Kaffee zu schütten. Das muss ihr wohl selbst gut geschmeckt haben, weil sie noch ein paar mal nachgeschüttet hat. Davon hatte sie einen kleinen Schwipps und weil ich das garnicht von ihr gewöhnt war, fing ich an mit ihr zu schimpfen. “Ach”, sagte sie, “ich tu doch nur so, ich bin doch noch ganz nüchtern”. Dann haben wir nur gelacht.

Omi at the time of the story

Translation:

Every year around Christmas my mother made 2 or 3 bottles of eggnog. When our neighbours invited us over for coffee, cake and a drink, mom took a bottle of her fresh eggnog along, and poured some in her coffee. It must have tasted real good because she kept adding more, till I thought she was getting tipsy. I had never seen her like that before, and I told her she better not have any more. She told me that she was only pretending, and not to worry.  Then we all had a good laugh.

Omi, Opa and baby Nora

 

“Pretending to be Tipsy” German Eierlikör

Makes 1 litre

1 litre (1 quart) milk
6 whole eggs
2 cups (1 lb) of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
375 ml brandy or cognac

1. Heat slowly, stirring with whisk continuously until it boils.

2. Let it bubble for 1 minute.

3. Remove from heat and stir until it’s cool. *Tip: Put pot in sink filled with cold water to speed up cooling.

4. Once cool, strain through strainer to remove tiny lumps.

5. Then stir in vanilla and brandy or cognac. Serve.

Danke Omi!

Mami today

 

Nora and her family today

 

If you love this recipe, you will also want to check out “Wedding Pudding” Dutch Advokaat. http://cookingwithsin.com/2010/05/30/dutch-wedding-pudding-advokaat/

The Beer & Cognac Wheels Go Round and Round

Posted on: July 26th, 2010 by Carla Johnson No Comments

“The guy who invented the first wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, HE was a genius.” ~ Sid Caesar

“There are many spokes on the wheel of life. First, we’re here to explore new possibilities.” ~ Ray Charles

Here is the Beer Tasting Wheel & Cognac Aroma Wheel. In a world where wine often gets treated with more respect than beer –  there is interesting history that explains it – here is something to help you enjoy & elevate beer & cognac tasting.

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