Christmas Recipe Month - Homemade Eggnog

Check back for a weekly dose of Christmas recipes all this month -  it's a digital happy hour at the Cheap$kate Chateau!

Store-bought Eggnog is too sweet and rich for The 99 Cent Chef, so I came up with a delicious recipe that uses 2% milk and a minimum amount of sugar. This recipe is a simple and festive start to your holiday.

Grocery stores start selling Eggnog during Thanksgiving and Christmas. So you can try out my recipe now, so you will have the recipe down when it's time to trim the Christmas tree!

However, be careful and do not get carried away -- those small airline bottles of booze mixed into an Eggnog carry a kick, as the second half of my Christmas-themed video will attest.

The airline bottles of Lauder's Scotch in the video were $1.29 a bottle when I shot the video a decade ago. I can still find 99c airline bottles - I would give Fireball a shot!

Recent finds - Click on any photo to see larger.

And some dried spices are always for sale at local dollar stores and markets. If my spices are getting old, or I don't remember when I bought them, I give the Sniff Test - if the smell is pungent, I may still keep using them.

Pumpkin Spice + Vanilla has all the flavor you need for my Homemade Eggnog.

Lately, I've been buying vegetarian Eggnog, while not 99 cents, it's not outrageously expensive. They are not as sweet but still taste similar to regular Eggnog and are creamy, too.

 

But for the real thing, check out my recipe for a tasty and lighter version of Eggnog. So pour yourself a 99-cent Homemade Eggnog and enjoy the Tipsy Chef's video.

Eggnog Recipe and A Tipsy Tree Trimming - Video

Play it here. The video runs 5 minutes 19 seconds.

Happy Holidays!

Click here to view or embed the video on YouTube.
*One ornament was broken, and two fuses were blown in the making of this video.

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 3 cups of milk - or 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of half-and-half cream for a richer nog. Okay to use 2% milk or plant-based milk for a lighter version.
• 4 egg yolks - OK to reduce this amount to 2 yolks for an even lighter version.*
• 1 tablespoon of sugar - or a sugar substitute.
• 1/4 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
• 1 airline bottle of Rum, Scotch, or Brandy - about 2 ounces. Optional.

Directions

Heat 3 cups of milk over low/medium heat (do not boil) until it begins a low simmer - about 3-5 minutes.

While the milk heats up, separate egg yolks in a bowl, add sugar, and whisk together for a minute to mix well. 

Add one cup of the heated milk to the yolk mixture a little at a time while whisking.

After milk/egg is incorporated, return milk and egg to the heating pot of milk and continue cooking. 

Mix in spices, including 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

Make sure egg nog does not boil and keep lightly whisking. The Eggnog will thicken slightly after about 10 minutes. The longer you simmer the Eggnog, the thicker it will get, as it reduces.

Turn off the heat and set aside. You can enjoy the Eggnog warm, or refrigerate it for later. The Eggnog will finish thickening as it cools down to a milkshake consistency. 

Add as much or as little of an airline bottle of booze as suits your taste - my Homemade Eggnog is good with or without alcohol.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts - VIDEO

The holiday season and Roasted Brussels Sprouts are a delicious combination. This is just a basic recipe, but there is a reason -- it's just plain good.

These pint-sized cabbages take on a nutty flavor when roasted. It's the difference between a boiled or baked potato -- I prefer mine baked.

My stop-motion animated recipe video is a short one. Because all I did was remove the old yellowed leaves and tough stems, slice the larger ones in half, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and finish them off with a half-hour of roasting.

I also have another recipe, Brussels Sprouts in Spicy Sour Cream -- just click here.

With Christmas right around the corner, grab a bag of these edible ornaments to set out along with your roasted bird, and give the Grinchiest of Chef's recipes a try. So until you pick some up, allow me to entertain you with my animated recipe video, Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 1 minute, 41 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (2 servings as a side dish)

• 10 ounces Brussels Sprouts - or enough to fill a roasting pan. Whole and/or sliced in half, lengthwise.
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil.
• Salt and Pepper to taste.

Directions
To prepare Brussels sprouts, remove any outer yellowed, old leaves.

Thinly slice off the stem ends. Cut Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise. You can leave the smaller ones whole -- I like to mix it up. Of course, you can just leave them all whole; they will be more tender in the middle.

Arrange into one layer on a baking sheet or pan. Drizzle Brussels sprouts with olive oil. You can slide around Brussels sprouts in the pan to coat all sides.

Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.

Cook uncovered in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Done when some of the Brussels Sprout leaves are lightly browned.

To make them more tender, just cover the baking Brussels sprouts with foil or use a baking dish with a cover. You may need to add an extra 10 minutes -- done when easily pierced with a fork or knife.

Christmas Recipe Month - Green Beans with Almonds

Check back for a weekly dose of Christmas recipes all this month - it's a digital all-you-can-eat holiday brunch at the Cheap$kate Chateau!

Here's a perfect side dish for your Christmas Day feast. Fresh steamed green beans with crunchy almonds pair perfectly, and garlic gives it all a finishing flavor kick. My Green Beans with Almonds travel well, so bring a casserole dish full if you are a guest. Your host will surely place it between the centerpiece roasted turkey and sweet potatoes with marshmallows.

The green beans are steamed for a couple of minutes while some almonds are sauteed with garlic in a frying pan. Finally, spoon out the cooked green beans, mix them all together, and serve. I used fresh green beans, but for an easy and cheap substitution, it's okay to use fresh frozen green beans.

Green beans are a little more expensive than dried beans, but they frequently come on sale at my local Latin grocery store, especially during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Frozen green beans even show up at my local Dollar Tree.

Nuts have been in the news lately, touting their health benefits and as a diet aid to your appetite. Read about it by clicking here. You only need a 2.5-ounce package of almonds (a handful).  I used unsalted ones, but it's easy enough to rinse off typical oversalted ones. 

I used to get small packages of Almonds from the late, great Los Angeles 99c only Stores. 

Now I get a tiny package of nuts from my local Dollar Tree. You can use almost any nuts on sale, including cashews, walnuts, peanuts, and pecans would take this side dish in a Southern Cuisine direction.

Add my Green Beans with Almonds to your Christmas dinner menu. I'm sure the bottom of the bowl will be scraped by hungry diners looking for seconds.

Ingredients (about 3 servings)

• 1 pound green beans - stringy stems removed. Okay to use frozen green beans. Canned green beans may be too mushy for this recipe.
• 1 small package of almonds - I used a 2.5-ounce package. They were unsalted and whole. I chopped each almond in half. If you get salted almonds, then do a quick rinse and drain. Okay to use any nuts on sale, including walnuts, cashews, pecans, or peanuts.
• 1 teaspoon garlic - I used chopped garlic from a jar.
• 1 teaspoon oil - I used olive oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste - optional. For salted almonds or nuts, leave out the salt in this recipe.

Directions
Rinse off fresh green beans. Cut off stems and any brown, discolored parts. If green beans are very long, it's okay to chop them in half.

You can remove the green beans' stems, then place the green beans in a couple of cups of water or put them on a steam rack with water. Steam covered for 2 to 4 minutes to the desired tenderness. I like them a little crunchy.

If you are using frozen green beans, then follow the package directions to heat them up - usually, just steam in a 1/4 cup of water for about 3-5 minutes until defrosted and warm. Drain green beans when done.

While green beans are steaming, chop each almond in half (or most of them). You could buy slivered (pre-cut) almonds, but they are much more expensive.

In a large frying pan, add a teaspoon of oil over medium/low heat. Add chopped almonds; stir and lightly toast them for about 2 minutes. You are just heating them through until just starting to brown - you will keep sauteing them with garlic and steamed green beans.

When the almonds are done, turn down the heat to low and add a teaspoon of garlic. Stir as you add the garlic so it doesn't splatter out of the hot pan. Sauté for about one minute.

Green beans should be done by now, so add them (without the water) to the frying pan with the garlic and almonds. Mix well.

Ready to serve when green beans and almonds are mixed together and warmed through.

Hindsight

If you don't have access to almonds, almost any type of nuts will do. Just remember to rinse off salted nuts. If you use peanuts, just call the dish Southern-Style Green Beans with Peanuts, or Chinese Stir-Fry Green Beans with Peanuts -- it'll taste delish with any name.

🌹 Happy Birthday Mom! - Mom's Favorite Family Recipes 💖

Mom turns 91 years young on November 11.

And I owe it all to her, at least where I get my cooking chops (and any good sense I have.) Just check out our cooking videos to see what I mean.

My Mom liked my annual cute animal birthday card for her 91st.

She grew up in Texas on the Gulf Coast in a small shrimping town called Port O'Connor. There, I learned to love seafood.

Port O'Connor Slideshow

Her father was a shrimp boat captain. So, while we couldn't afford steak, we had all the fresh-caught seafood Big Daddy would bring home, including shrimp that fell off the big boat's conveyor belt while unloading his catch. 

Big Daddy & Big Mama

Mom had movie-star looks (like a young Elizabeth Taylor), smarts, and a scholarship to college if she wanted it, but had no extra help from her parents.

Mom's 90th Birthday Video 

So after high school graduation, she was soon married, and I arrived on the scene, followed by my brother and sister.

Billy, Berry, and Brenda

My Dad was in the military, so we moved around. Mom and we kids eventually settled back in Port O'Connor after a divorce. 

Dad was quite a character and the life of the party, but he was also a little too profligate in the alcohol consumption department.

Billy Doyle Robinson

Mom went back to work as a waitress, so I learned how to literally pinch pennies when she poured handfuls of customer tips on the kitchen table for us kids to separate and count.

Mom got back on her feet and found love again with this shuffleboard-playing fellow below, Ken.

Click on any photo to see larger.

After a couple of years, Mom remarried, and a final sister, Denise, was born (catch up with my youngest sister Denise's Eggplant Recipe, video here.)

Denise & Radish

We moved to neighboring Louisiana the year I enrolled in Junior High School. There, she picked up a whole other way of cooking, Cajun-style.

My high school daze were spent in Gonzales, Louisiana, the self-professed Jambalaya Capital of the World. So you know this town is serious about chow. Click here to see a culinary video tour of some local Cajun cuisine at the weekend Flea Market, including Crawfish Pie, Boudin Balls, and, of course, Jambalaya.

And, here's our first video we made together in my Los Angeles kitchen - and even my dear late wife Amy makes an appearance at the very end of the video. You'll get a kick out of Mom rockin' the cast-iron kettle. I make her Cajun  Jambalaya more than any other recipe - it's simply delicious!

Here is a link to her Jambalaya recipe with text and yummy photos.

And our latest video together is a gut-bomb Breakfast Taco with Curly Fries! Her cooking always incorporates ingredients suggested by the family, this time from her grandkids Zak & Matt (I first had frozen fries, but not Curly Fries, in an egg taco cooked by Zak). 

Mom was always popular with my high school buddies...especially during lunch or dinner time. She brought her Tex-Mex Enchiladas to Cajun Country, and my Louisiana friend Marvin ate them up!

Me, Marvin & Dennis

On a recent visit to Louisiana, I had him over when I filmed Mom making Tex-Mex Enchiladas. Marvin liked the Enchiladas so much that he had a flashback to our high school daze.

Make sure to watch my wacky recipe video to the end, that's when our flashback hijinx really gets to smoking (wink, nudge.)



Mom takes a star turn with her next video recipe, her popular Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

It's a traditional Southern dish, and it's cheap, too. Just chicken, sausage, and the Cajun veggie trinity of bell pepper, celery, and onion. What gives Gumbo its unique taste is a dark brown roux, which is flour cooked in oil until chocolate brown.

Just check out the video below - Mom will take you through the steps. And, as an added bonus, my oldest sister Brenda makes a nagging appearance a few minutes in.



Click here to read all about making Mom's homemade Gumbo, from roux to rice!

My Mom's Cajun Potato Salad is the perfect side to her Gumbo and Jambalaya. When she visited me in Los Angeles, I got her to do it on camera. I couldn't help but give her a hard time with the recipe. I called it Cajun Mashed Potatoes, and she called it Cajun Potato Salad - well, I guess you'll have to watch the video below to see who wins that argument!

I satiate my sweet tooth during visits with Mom. And the best of her pastry delights are Mini-Pecan Pies. If I couldn't make it for the Christmas holiday, then she would send a shoe-box-sized package with a dozen of these tasty pies.

In the video below, Mom attracts a kitchen full of hungry relatives when these pies come hot out of the oven. And it's a miracle they were done right because this Chef de Shutterbug was shoving a camera in her face (and a hot oven) during the whole procedure. We butted heads a few times, but fortunately, it all turned out fine.

I even came up with a way to dodge the high prices for pecans - so check out the video below to learn my budget secrets.

And click here to see Mom's Mini-Pecan Pies recipe with text and tasty photos.

Now, Mom is no angel -- hey, who is? Recently, my brother from another daddy, the Swamp Chef, made an appearance with his Spanish moss and all.

When I asked Mom, "Who's the Swamp Chef's daddy?" Her reply was: "That's a very good question!" I guess Mom will spill the beans one day, until then, check out the video below for a dessert good enough to cajole the Swamp Chef out of the bayou!

Cherry Pie - Recipe Video

In Louisiana, there are fast-food drive-thrus serving slushy Daiquiris. I don't know how the heck they get away with it. Every time I go back to visit my Mom and Sis, I am reminded about this quirky Cajun roadside icy, thirst-quenching to-go cup.

Now, there are rules to this. Louisiana has an open container liquor law. So, when you get your Daiquiri, as both Mom and Sis reminded me several times, "Do not put the straw in!" That is a DUI violation if you are stopped. However parched you are, resist plunging the straw through the drink top -- until you get home. Fortunately, Mom's house was less than 5 minutes away.

Check out my last video below, and ride along with my sister Brenda and Mom for a cool beverage on a hot Louisiana summer day.

Happy Birthday, Mom -- I love you!