It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Because Of...

EGGNOG! Yes, I love me some eggnog. Every year when the Holidays roll around, I wait with baited breath for the extensive selections of eggnog to arrive in the refrigerated case of the grocery store. And every year I am not disappointed by the variety of brands to try. Although I must admit to being something of a purist when it comes to eggnog- I stay away from pumpkin eggnog, and coffee eggnog, and anything else too far from the standard eggnog formula. Vanilla eggnog is an exception to this, as Southern Comfort makes one of the best eggnogs I have ever had. Both their regular flavor and vanilla spice are yum yum yum.

And yet this is not the best eggnog I have ever had. That distinction goes to a bottle I purchased from Whole Foods last week. It comes in an old fashioned glass milk bottle, with a green cap. There is no label on the sides, no nutrition information, and the ingredients are fairly straight-forward: milk, heavy cream, sugar, and eggnog base. Which in this case is a rich, eggy, nutmeg-laced concoction that results in the most divine eggnog I have ever had. If you have a Whole Foods nearby and you love eggnog even half as much as I do, it would be worth going there and picking up a case or two. I mean, a bottle or two.

Now, how do I like to enjoy my eggnog? A variety of ways, in fact. In the morning, a homemade eggnog latte is just the thing to jump start my day. Even better? An eggnog chai latte, oh yeah. Mid afternoon? Straight up, cold from the fridge. Evening time? Well, now we are talkin'- eggnog with Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum is a dream come true, with an extra grating of fresh nutmeg on top.

But the joys of eggnog in my life do not stop there, oh no. I've made eggnog scones, eggnog cookies, and, my favorite recipe with eggnog of all time, Eggnog Quick Bread. And since I love all of you so dearly, I will share my recipe for it so you can all run out and try it right away.

Eggnog Quick Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (this is key, must be fresh! And a half teaspoon would not be a bad thing to bump it up to.)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 teaspoons rum extract (find it with other extracts, like vanilla, or substitute dark rum)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then add in the eggs, eggnog, rum extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Once combined, stir in the flour mixture just until moistened. Pour into loaf pan and bake in the center of the oven for 45-60 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

(Just a small suggestion for those eggnog addicts like myself- make this in 3 mini loaf pans and freeze two of them as soon as they are cool. Otherwise you WILL eat it all in the matter of a day or two. Or less, depending on your willpower.)