What am I doing New Year's Eve?
We are notoriously "boring" at this house, when it comes to New Year's Eve. Perhaps it is all the tremendous excess that we have indulged ourselves in over Christmas... maybe it's the downright fatigue, after having just "closed the books" on our business year... maybe it's simply the fact that we are parents of small children...
Maybe it is ALL of the above that results in our annual tradition of "staying in" on December 31st.
But, truth be told, it's not so bad, actually. We put a movie in the dvd player, stoke up the logs in the fireplace, snuggle under fuzzy blankets... and ring in the New Year by raising a few glasses of Hot Buttered Rum.
Hot Buttered Rum is one of my specialties. It is said to be the drink that "makes you see double, but feel single"... yet another reason to stay home-- it keeps us out of trouble! It is the ultimate treat-- warm and calorific, and capable of melting all of your troubles (not to mention your skeletal structure) away.
I make my Hot Buttered Rum in the crock pot, and simmer it all day long on the "low" setting. The wonderful aroma is a treat for the senses, and makes us feel festive-- even though, truth be told, The Husband and I wind up the evening by pushing the clock hands forward, then tucking ourselves into bed WELL before midnight REALLY arrives...
We're party poopers, no doubt about it. But, after a few glasses of this heavenly stuff, who cares??!
Colonial Hot Buttered Rum
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 pinch salt
3 sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups rum
Whipping cream
a tsp or two of icing sugar
a slurp of good vanilla
ground nutmeg -- for topping
Pour 2 quarts hot water into the crock pot. Add the brown sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, cloves and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. Stir well. Cover the crock pot and simmer on LOW for about 5 hours.
Just before serving, add the rum; stir to blend.
Whip the cream, adding the icing sugar and vanilla when it begins to stand up in small "peaks", then beat a few seconds more.
Serve the Hot Buttered Rum with a big scoop of whipped cream plopped on top. Dust with a sprinkling of ground nutmeg.
Relax. Enjoy.
Happy New Year!!
2 comments:
oooh.. that sounds good. we are pretty boring around here. I would love to go out and party, but my husband is a homebody, and terrified of drunk drivers.
Its new Years Eve here - our usual 12 hours - 24 hours ahead of the world!
A quiet one for us too, our youngest has gone off to a barbeque and he will call us when he wants to come home so he doesn't have to drive.
Just near us is a popular holiday resort and people are gathering there in droves, ready for a night of partying and, unfortunately heavy drinking and other antics.
The police are all ready too with a temporary tent jail all set up (nicknamed alcatraz).
It all seems so futile really - to go out and get so terribly drunk and smash things. Thank goodness none of our family have ever been involved in unruly behaviour to that extent - that I know of anyway.
Post a Comment