Merry Christmas!

I hope that all of you are enjoying this wonderful Christmas Season!  I know I am!  I love having my family all around me, seeing the anticipation in the grandkids faces and hearing all about the projects our customers are making for gift giving.  Isn't it a wonderful time of the year?

I thought that I would share a couple of recipes with you for the Holidays. The first one - Egg Nog - I have been making for about 30 years.  It was given to me by a neighbor, Elaine Crane.  (Of course, I tweaked it a little).  It is a Holiday staple at our house and I really hear about it if we run out!  This tastes best if made the day before.  Make sure you shake it well, during the making and each time you use it.  Be prepared to have enough ingredients on hand to make another batch.  One won't be near enough!

Egg Nog
2 small pkgs. vanilla instant pudding mix (I like the Jell-O brand best)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 gallon whole milk
nutmeg, to taste

Pour 3 cups milk in a blender.  Add pudding mix, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg.  Blend on high until well mixed.  Pour into gallon pitcher.  Pour 3 more cups milk into blender and blend.  This just gets all the leftover mixed in.  Pour into same pitcher with the rest of the milk.  (I actually pour it back into the milk jug.) You might have to do this gradually, as it tends to foam up a little.  Shake or stir well.  Chill.

The second recipe is for Candy Cane Brownie Truffle.  This one was from a co-worker - Annette Page.  Again, I have "tweaked" it a bit.  It is a great way to use up the candy canes that Santa left on the tree.  I took this to my Relief Society Christmas Party and came home with a scraped out dish!

Candy Cane Brownie Truffle

Brownie
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter in large saucepan.  Remove from heat.  Blend in sugar and vanilla. Cool slightly. Beat eggs with a fork, then mix well into sugar mixture.  Combine in a separate bowl; flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually stir into egg mixture; mixing well but do not over beat. spread into a jelly roll pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes or 350 degrees until done.  Cool completely.

Truffle
2 pkgs. Milk Chocolate Mousse mix (Nestle or Dr. Oetker)
1 1/3 cups milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
12 peppermint candy canes, crushed*
Brownies (above)

Mix mousse mix with milk.  In a separate bowl, add a few drops of lemon juice to the chip cream. This helps stabilize it.  Break up brownie into bite sized pieces and place 1/3 of them in the bottom of a trifle dish.  Spread 1/3 of mousse on top, then 1/3 of whipped cream.  Sprinkle with candy cane bits.  Repeat twice more EXCEPT on the last layer of candy canes; sift out the larger pieces of candy cane and "decorate" the top.  Save the "dust", it's great in hot chocolate!  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  YUM!

*crushed candy canes - remove candy canes from wrappers and break up into large pieces.  Place in a gallon freezer zip bag.  Place bag in a towel and smack with the side of a hammer.  (My great husband does this for me. =]  )

May all of you have a peaceful and wonderful Christmas!

Carolyn