Aged Eggnog Recipe

Last year I made eggnog from scratch for the first time, it came out well but was thinking the flavors could meld better. I remembered yesterday of a few years ago around this time of year when my husband and I ran into friends at the local grocery store. They were buying ingredients for their traditional aged for a month eggnog. Up until yesterday it had been on my list of mental to do's. Today I decided to go for it, here's what I did.

I found this recipe online then went shopping for the following ingredients:
12 eggs (brought to our home via FFTY)
1 cup heavy cream (Straus, in a bottle to turn back for deposit)
1 qt whole milk (Straus, in a bottle to turn back for deposit)
2 cups sugar (bought in bulk in a reusable cloth bag)
1 liter Bourbon (bought in a glass recyclable bottle)
1/2 cup dark rum (bought in a glass recyclable bottle)
3/4 cup brandy (bought in a glass recyclable bottle)
1 pinch salt (bought in bulk in a reusable cloth bag)
1 pinch mace (bought in bulk in a reusable cloth bag)

{Nearly 3 liters of eggnog ready to age for a month in the refrigerator}

Directions:
Separate egg whites from yolks, place yolks in a large bowl and save egg whites in an airtight container for another use. Cream together egg yolks and sugar with whisk until creamy. Then add and stir in cream, milk, bourbon, rum, brandy salt and mace. Mix with spoon and store in the refrigerator for 3 weeks to a year. I made ours tonight so it will be consumed exactly a month from now.

Serve over ice and garnish with sweetened fresh whipped cream and a shaving of nutmeg. 

UPDATE: 1/17/2014
We had a holiday party and served the aged eggnog along with spiced cider and mulled wine. The eggnog was the star, everyone loved it. I ended up cutting it with about 1/4 parts milk because it was super strong. Aging it made it super smooth and creamy.

Homemade Jalapeño Hot Sauce

One thing that has been seriously lacking in our house is hot sauce. Friends gave us a bottle of the kind from the store and when we ran out we didn't buy more. We have been using a sprinkle of cayenne and/or red pepper flakes to add heat but its just not the same so I decided to make some myself. 

I was inspired by this recipe from Bobby Flay but made some adjustments to simplify and it turned out great.

{The finished product: homemade jalapeño hot sauce}

Ingredients:
3 tsp EVOO
5 jalapeño peppers
1/4 large white onion
1 garlic clove
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbs honey

Directions:
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of EVOO in a sauce pan on medium. Add in coarsely chopped onion and jalapeño then cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for about a minute more then add vinegar and water and cook a few more minutes. Take off heat and stir in remaining EVOO, salt and honey. Using a hand blender, blend mixture until smooth. Using a funnel, pour into a bottle and store in the refrigerator. 

Note:
Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly and often while making this, these peppers are hot and can really burn your eyes if you aren't careful!