Egg nog time!

Yeah, it's that time of year. Our house has been spiffed up, the tree is up and is beautiful and my belly has been filled with lutefisk. Time for St. Nick to descend upon us, but not before we have some egg nog.
I've been making home made egg nog for about 25 years. People who don't like egg nog love mine. If you are a lover of egg nog you will never drink the emusified crap from the grocery store again. I'm going to share with you my not so secret recipe. The recipe here is a quadruple batch because it's labor intensive and my family and friends love it. I have been known to make up to 8 or 10 batches during December (in the quantity posted here) to satisfy the cravings of my family, friends and colleages.

You will need a very large stock pot, as this stuff expands when it cooks. Ready?

1/2 gallon of whole milk
1/2 gallon of half and half
cook on high (stirring all the time) until it comes to a boil
remove from heat and let cool
skim the top and add
2 cups sugar and 5 teaspoons of vanilla. Splurge for the real vanilla and don't buy that imitation junk they sell. Trust me, it's worth it.
Put it back on the stove and bring to a boil - yes, stirring all the time.
Lower the heat and gently boil it for 20 minutes
yes, 20
(some good music or a book and a glass of wine come in handy here)
take it off the heat and cool
skim the top.
meanwhile - separate 32 eggs - yes, 32
you can toss the whites or make a ton of meringue - or angel food cake - whatever
beat the egg yolks on high for five minutes
they should be thick and lemon colored
stir the yolks into the cooled stuff - the mixer works well here, as the yolks will float to the top.
add about 1 1/2 cups of white rum - more or less to your taste or none at all, if you wish
chill it until it's cold and serve with a cinnamon stick or a sprinkling of nutmeg on top.

Enjoy my egg nog and don't blame me when your arteries clog up.

PS. Don't lecture me on salmonella and raw eggs. Dozens of people have been enjoying this stuff for a quarter of a century and NO ONE has become sick from it.