Eggnog Redux

Call me the DIY-Diva. At least when it comes to the kitchen. No pre-packaged, pre-mixed items, please. I'll do it myself, homemade style. You might also call me the Exhausted-Diva by the time I've chopped and diced, squeezed and puréed my way through a self-imposed menu of food and drinks.

This year we had a cocktail party on Christmas Eve with 50 of our closest friends. Once again DIY-Diva was at it in the early party planning stages. Homemade cookies and cakes, chutneys and dips, nibbles and nosh. Homemade wreaths and garlands, too. But early into the process Exhausted-Diva was rearing her head, a winter cold began to creep in and DIY-Diva began to lose steam. So, in the spirit of the New Year and, for that matter, not being bedridden for the New Year, a new Balanced-Diva emerged. Homemade cookies - sure! - but not 6 different kinds. Homemade wreaths - absolutely! - but not necessary to hike miles into the forest to find a sprig of holly. Homemade gløgg - a given! - but let's draw the line at the eggnog. A trip to Trader Joe's was just what the party planner ordered. At Trader Joe's the cookie aisle is formidable, the flower department is affordable, and, yes, Virginia, there is a delicious organic eggnog in the dairy department. This year Balanced-Diva reigned.

Now, perhaps because the eggnog was not homemade (and the gløgg was), Hostess-Diva did not push the eggnog in her usual hostess-y way. So, today there are a few cartons of leftover eggnog in the refrigerator. Here are a few suggestions on how to use leftover cartoned eggnog - courtesy of DIY-Diva.

Eggnog Latte
for a sweet start

1/2 cup eggnog
1/4 cup whole milk or reduced fat milk
1 shot of espresso
Pinch of nutmeg

Combine eggnog and milk. Steam with the wand of an espresso machine until frothy and temperature reaches 145 F.
Prepare a shot of espresso and pour into a mug. Fill mug with eggnog mixture. Top with foam from the eggnog mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Spiked Eggnog Latte
for a sweet finish

Follow above recipe, except add 2 tablespoons of bourbon (or 1 tablespoon rum and 1 tablespoon bourbon) to the espresso before adding eggnog mixture.