Monday, December 22, 2014

Recipes

So here are two of my favorite scratch recipes, which I talked about in my "Food Wars" post a couple of days ago.

The first is George Washington's Colonial EggNog.  The only thing President Washington left out was how many eggs to use; I use a dozen in this recipe but often cut the whole thing in half too, meaning only six eggs and half of everything else. I also add more sugar than he did; my advice is to taste it as you go along and and see how much works of you. I like my eggnog sweeter than old George did I guess, or maybe sugar was at a premium and was therefore used sparingly back in the Colonial times.

The second is for my absolute favorite mac and cheese of all time.  Rich, creamy, tangy, and so good. It is heaven.  High calorie heaven, but once in awhile it's worth it and this is one of those times.


George Washington's Colonial Egg Nog (probably Martha's recipe)

"One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, 1/4 pint sherry—mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently."

Hot Flash Homestead's Favorite Mac and Cheese
4 Cups cooked small conchiglie (shell-shaped) Macaroni
16 ounces (2 cups) shredded sharp cheddar
8 ounces (one cup) grated parmesan
3/4 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
One stick of butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh, sliced tomatoes or bread crumbs (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cooked noodles and butter, then add hard cheeses first (while noodles are still hot) cream cheese and sour cream, plus heavy cream.  Stir, taste and then season with salt and pepper to your liking. Add sliced tomatoes or bread crumbs as toppings if you wish.
I'll be honest here; I usually eat it at the point, sans toppings, but my traditionalist family prefers having it cook in the oven for approximately 30 minutes before eating it. Which works too. Try it both ways and see which you prefer!


6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recipes. My my, that egg nog would put me under the table after the first cup.

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    1. I drink it more like a post-dinner brandy...in a VERY small cup lol! Apparently our first president liked his liquor!

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  2. It's funny, I grew up with my GGs eggnog of which children were only allowed to have a scant sip. It was lighter fluid. But then when you taste low alcohol eggnog, it's disgustingly rich. You need the big punch of alcohol to cut through all that fat. I'm going to star this and make it next year. Oh your m&c sounds delicious. My family always debates baked v just boiled and covered in sauce. My compromise is to put the topping on and crackle the top with a flame like you would a brûlée topping. Still creamy inside, but a crust on the top. Yours is quite a bit more upscale than mind! Haha mine is just cheddar, Colby, and cream cheese. But I use buttermilk in the sauce which probably gives a similar tang to the Parmesan. Thanks for the recipes! And for giving Mrs. Washington I'm sure she's due!

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    1. Thanks! Yes, I'm pretty sure Martha did the preparation for the egg nog and George did the tasting and taking credit, haha. There are so many variations on mac and cheese, I think the only requirement is to find one that appeals to you. This was an Emeril recipe that I modified significantly and adapted as time went on.

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  3. Oh, your food looks soooo good! I'm on a elimination diet due to chronic inflammation so my food choices are limited. No eggs, dairy, chocolate, sugar, etc. What a terrible time of year to start, but if it works, it will be worth it.

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    1. Oh, I am sure that must be tough, you have my sympathy! At least you will hopefully be able to re-introduce some of the foods if they do not cause problems. Sugar would no doubt be the hardest one for me.

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