Barista Banter: Christmas gifts/Party Favors for $0.87 each!

I love on a cold winter day snuggling up with some hot chocolate to watch the snow fall. Now NORMALLY this time of year we have plenty of snow up in North Idaho but this year...we've got nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. The weather reports Christmas day being in the 60's and although I LOVE me some warm weather this is just so....WEIRD!! Not a white Christmas this year?! Boo Hiss.

Any who back to the hot chocolate yummyness.

 Some of you might know this but my husband is the middle school youth pastor at our church- not to say we aren't blessed beyond our needs but it isn't really like we are "rolling in the dough" if you know what I mean. So when he asked me to come up with 60 party favors for less than $1 a person for the church Christmas party I was completely on board.

 In my head things like this are a game, a challenge, a quest to be conquered- you get the picture. I had seen some hot cocoa giveaway jars but my budget would be blown by the cost of mason jars and then there were some other ones made of condiment carriers but those looked too cheap (sorry if I just offended anyone....) Finally I came up with these goodies.

 The cost ended up being .87 per person and they were a big hit at the party-None left!

 Here is a step by step to get your neighbors or friends a little something without breaking the bank.

1. First you essentially make a huge assembly line.

I did the first twenty one by one and believe me it's MUCH faster going assembly line style.

 2. Take 3/4 cup of your hot cocoa mix, and start the first layer in a clear treat bag or cello bag.

 I didn't do anything fancy just Swiss Miss from Wal Mart at $5.46 a can

 and this made about 15 goodie bags.

3.Then layer a healthy handful or two of marshmallows.

There is no "set amount" to this- let the heart run wild (is that even how you  USE that phrase?!?).  

I stopped after two handfuls aka when there were equal parts of hot cocoa mix to mellows.

4. Then you simply tie the bags with curling ribbon.

Pull hard so the marshmallows don't dry out and get crunchy.

5. Curl the ribbon and tie a candy cane to spruce it up.

 I ran out of the clear bags so I had to improvise and use these cookie treat bags I had on-hand from last Christmas.

 Goes to show when I tell my husband I PROMISE I will use those someday- don't throw them out...I really will!

HA jokes on him! (Again...is that the right usage?! Stinkin idioms...get me every time)

Then take pictures of your hard work and show your hubby your craftiness and frugality without trying to gloat. Believe me...it's harder than it seems!

"Christmas-ing"

Happy Monday! How were your weekends?

Ours were spending Christmas-ing. Meaning, we ate dinner at one of our favorite places with the fam, walked around looking at Christmas lights, watched Elf, drink hot cocoa, and did some Christmas shopping.

This is Adam L and Kirst's little one looking at the lights with their special glasses.
(Seriously, Burke walked around the whole park like this, cute huh? Sorry about the poor picture quality, it was taken on a cell phone...)

What about you? Did you guys do any Christmas-ing too?

TheAdams: What to Buy for your Guy

Trish tells me I'm hard to shop for. Actually, if you're a guy you probably get told this a lot. So I decided I would put together 4 ideas (you only need 4, guys are simple) to help out the girls this year so that no guy ends up with Soap on a Rope again...

1. Local Brews-Take him to one of your local breweries, try to go on a tour, and at the end, let him get either the sampler or a few of the ones he really wanted to try as you eat dinner. Make sure to call ahead if you're planning a tour, there are usually specific times they allow them.

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2. Build your own 6 Pack-Have you been to Cost Plus World Market or Whole Foods? Well if you have one near you, it'd be a great place to compile a 6 pack of his favorite beers, or new beers to try. You could go with all different kinds of Stouts or IPAs or something. Root Beer works really well too. You could probably also try to put together your own from another store as well, I just know World Market and Whole foods have a special thing there just for this.

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3. Sports Mug-One of my favorite presents I've ever gotten was a Steelers Beer Mug. Amazon.com seems to have a ton if you type in the team or the sport you're looking for. Also, clicking the link for the picture below will take you to a site. Then he can have something cold to drink while watching the Steelers win another Super Bowl...

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4. Coffee-Coffee tastes better from a French Press, but most people don't have time to do this every morning. Another of my favorite things is our French Press to-go mug. I know Starbucks has them because that's where ours is from.

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There you go, 4 solid ideas so your guys (and you) are excited for the holiday this year. Hope it helps!



Peppermint Mocha Martini

Symptoms: 
Grumbling through lines at the mall
Plugging your ears each time your hear Jingle Bell Rock on the loud speakers at the grocery store.
Intentionally breaking each and every candy cane in the boxes at the check out line at Target.

Diagnosis: Scrooge-itis. A serious lack of some Christmas cheer (despite the ornament making and eggnog sipping from the last couple days).

Don't worry, we have a cure! It's an old home remedy: Peppermint Mocha Martini. A few sips of this bad girl and you'll be belting out "Merry Christmas" to each person you encounter.

Here's what you need:
2 oz. pinnacle whipped cream vodka
2 oz. chocolate milk (we made ours with dark chocolate syrup and skim milk)
a splash of peppermint schnapps
crushed candy canes and Hershey's Magic Shell ice cream topping for garnish

Here's how to do it:
Combine the whipped cream vodka, chocolate milk, and peppermint schnapps in your cocktail shaker.

Shake it up so it mixes well.

Next, put the Magic Shell in on one plate (or wide bowl) and the candy canes on another.



Take your serving glass and spin the top rim in the chocolate first, then immediately in the crushed candy canes. (It'll look pretty, and ensure extra-chocolatey-goodness with every sip.) It'll look like this:

Pour your mixture from the shaker to your glass, turn on your favorite Christmas jams, and sip away.
It'll be the perfect cure for any Grinch-iness left in you.
Promise.

PS. My husband is mildly suffering from Scrooge-itis right now. I might be off to make him one ASAP.

The "It Wouldn't be Christmas without Eggnog" Eggnog Recipe

What kind of a drink blog would this be if we didn't do an eggnog post at Christmas?
 I would argue, we would not be a very good one.

I know not everyone loves eggnog. (Actually, our very own Adam G of TheAdams Friday Column is one of those people). But, I also know that there are a significant number of "eggnog-ers" out there, and so this one is for you.

There are so many variations on eggnog.

The store bought kind, great in a pinch.

The flavored kind, fun for the experimental types.

And then there's good, ol' fashioned eggnog, simply delicious. 

Most eggnog lovers have their own recipe, and even their own secret to making it the best. And as a fellow eggnog-er, I'm going to share my favorite recipe yet.

There's no crazy ingredient, and no sentimental story to go behind it, but it's delicious and that's enough for me. I used the recipe from here, with a couple tweaks.

Here's what you need:

4 egg yolks

1/2 c sugar

2 c milk (I used 1% and it tasted great)

2 whole cloves

pinch of cinnamon

1 c cream (half pint is exactly one cup)

1 t ground nutmeg

1 t vanilla extract

** may add Bourbon, Rum, or Brandy to taste. For adults only, please.

Here's how to do it:

1. Separate 4 egg yolks from their egg whites. (If you've never done this, just toss the yolk back and forth between the to sides of the shell, dropping the whites into one bowl until only the yolk is left). Put the 4 yolks into their own bowl and beat with a mixer or by hand.

2. Gradually add in the sugar. Whisk until fluffy. Set aside.

3. In a medium sauce pan, combine the milk, cloves and cinnamon. (the recipe calls for a pinch of cinnamon, but I always add a bit more). Stir constantly.  Heat over medium until steaming.

4. Next, pour half of the milk mixture over egg mixture, stirring constantly. When combined, pour in the remaining amount, continue stirring.

5. When fully combined, pour back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, again, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Make sure it reaches 160 degrees if you have a thermomater, if not, just be sure it is thickening a bit until the back of the spoon is coated. Don't let it boil.

6. Remove from heat, stir in cream. Let cool for 1 hour.

(I put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes because I was on a time crunch and it worked out just fine).

7. Add in the nutmeg and vanilla. (again, I'm always pretty generous with the vanilla also). Be sure to strain the eggnog to get those cloves out too.

**you would add the alcohol here if you are opting to do so.

8. Chill then serve.

It took about 30 minutes to make, and yielded about 4 servings. 4. delicious. servings.

Ok, now it's only fair for you to share your famous-secret-sentimental eggnog recipes.

Ready, Go.