Welcome to The Morning Star Update!
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Greetings! November was quite a hectic month. At times, I couldn't tell whether I was coming or going; but we enjoyed getting together with friends and family for Thanksgiving and with some of our favorite return guests. Of course, new guests are fun too. While chatting with Ellie from Indiana, I enjoyed hearing about one of her family holiday traditions. Every year one of her grandmothers hosts a formal Eggnog Party at her home which is off a dirt road in historic Plymouth, Mass. The event is invitation only. Men wear tuxes. Women evening gowns. Underage children aren't allowed. Teens in the family valet the cars. Ellie said that Grandma's eggnog is a secret recipe - a delicious blend of heavy cream, and 4 different types of alcohol to "sanitize the eggs". It's an event that folks in Ellie's Grandmother's circle look forward to every year. Do you have any New Year's traditions that you would like to share for the January newsletter? Click here to pass along your story. Whatever your family traditions, may you have a wonderful holiday season this year.
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Homemade Eggnog
If the only eggnog you have ever had is store bought eggnog out of a carton, you haven't had the pleasure of trying real eggnog. Eggnog is a drink the popularity of which dates back to Colonial America. In the "Old World" similar drinks made with wine were popular. The American twist that distinguishes eggnog from its predecessors is the use rum rather than wine. A rich drink to be enjoyed from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, eggnog is made from milk and/or cream, sugar, eggs, spices and rum. There are many, many different eggnog recipes out there. My grandparents used to make a variation called Tom and Jerry that was served hot and made with brandy as well as rum. Here is a recipe for eggnog that I particularly like, though. I'm not sure whether to describe this as a libation or a dessert; but either way it is delicious and festive. (I made it three times around Thanksgiving just this year!)
2 cups whole milk 3/4 cup granulated white sugar, divided pinch of salt 1 vanilla bean 4 eggs, separated 1 cup bourbon 2 oz. dark rum 1 cup cold heavy cream fresh ground nutmeg
Combine the milk, half of the sugar, and the pinch of salt in a medium-size sauce pan. Split the vanilla bean and add it to the mixture. Warm milk mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved. (About 10 minutes.) Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until lemon-colored. Slowly stir 1 cup of the warm milk mixture into the eggs and then stir the egg mixture back into the milk in the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. (About 10 minutes.) Remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean. Stir the bourbon and dark rum into the custard base. (The mixture will thicken a little more when the alcohol is added.) Transfer to a large mixing bowl, cover and refrigerate until well chlled. Once the custard base of the eggnog is chilled, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining half of the sugar and beat until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Then beat the heavy cream until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Fold the egg whites and the whipped cream into the custard base until evenly combined. Transfer the eggnog to a decorative serving bowl. Sprinkle with fresh ground nutmeg. (Eggnog can be made several hours before serving and refrigerated, but it will separate and need to be stirred to re-incorporate the egg whites and whipped cream. Sprinkle again with nutmeg before serving.) Yields 8 servings.
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Peppermint Blondies Blondies are a lot like brownies except they don't have chocolate melted into the batter. They can have chocolate or white chocolate chips in them, or they might rely simply on brown sugar and butter for their primary flavoring; and they are simple to make. This version is one of our favorites to serve around the holidays.
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted 1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 t. salt 1 c. Andes' peppermint crunch baking chips sparkling sugar, optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter, but do not flour, an 8" square baking pan. Place the stick of unsalted butter and the cup of brown sugar into a non-stick pan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the sugar mixture into a medium size bowl. Beat on high for 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture has lightened in color by about half (around 5 minutes) scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Do not underbeat mixture at this stage.) Mix together the flour and salt and sprinkle it over the sugar mixture. Beat on low speed until the flour is all absorbed. Stir in peppermint crunch baking ships until evenly dispersed. Wet a spoon and use the back of it to spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan. If desired, sprinkle the top with sparkling sugar. Bake about 25-30 minutes or until the top is firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out almost clean. Do not overbake. Place pan on a cooling rack and let cool for about another 30 minutes before cutting. To store, cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature or freeze.
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Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to do a book review for this month. Don't let that stop you from sending me your recommendations. I always look forward to them! Thank you for reading The Morning Star Update! As always, I hope that you have enjoyed this issue.
Wishing you and your family the best over the holiday season, Laurie Pieper The Morning Star B & B |
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KSU Basketball
| December 6th: Men v. Alcorn State Deceber 8th: Women v. North Dakota December 12th: Women v. UC Davis December 21st: Men v. UNLV December 23rd: Men v. UMKC December 31st: Men v. North Florida January 3rd: Men v. Savannah State January 9th: Women v. Oklahoma State January 12th: Men v. Colorado January 15th: Men v. Texas Tech January 19th: Women v. Missouri January 22nd: Women v. Nebraska January 24th: Men v. Baylor January 29th: Women v. Kansas February 2nd: Men v. Nebraska February 9th: Women v. Texas February 24th: Men v. Kansas February 16th: Women v. Colorado February 19th: Men v. Oklahoma February 26th: Men v. Missouri February 26th: Women v. Iowa State March 2nd: Women v. Texas A & M March 5th: Men v. Iowa State (Photo courtesy of Maggie Schultz) |
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| Other Dates to Remember | through December 24th: Wrap It Up Art Sale, Manhattan Arts Center through January 15th: Choice & Kansas Artist Craftsmen Association National Craft Exhibit, Strecker Nelson Gallery December 1st: Friends of the KSU Gardens Annual Poinsettia Sale, KSU Gardens Visitors Center December 1st: KSU Concert Band and Wind Ensemble Concert, McCain Auditorium December 2nd: Frontier Christmas Celebration, Kaw Mission State Historic Site December 2nd - 4th: Winter Dance (Performance), McCain Auditorium December 3rd - 5th: A Christmas Carol, Manhattan Arts Center December 4th: Santa Paws - a fundraiser for the Riley County Humane Society, Seniors Service Center December 6th: Orchestra Concert, McCain Auditorium December 11th: Patty Larkin & Merrie Amsterburg, Birdhouse Concert Series, Manhattan Arts Center December 12th: Flint Hills Masterworks Chorale, First United Methodist Church December 9th - 12th: A Christmas Carol, Columbian Theater, Wamego December 31st: New Year's Eve Little Apple Ball Drop, Aggieville
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| A Taste of Morning | It's not too late to order copies of A Taste of Morning: Recipes from The Morning Star Bed & Breakfast for people on your Christmas list. $20 for one copy or $18.50 each when you purchase two or more copies. Order here.
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| Morning Star Gift Certificates | During the month of December this year, we are running a promotion on gift certificates to The Morning Star Bed and Breakfast. With any purchase of a gift certificate, we will add on an extra 10%. to the value of the certificate. Our gift certificates now come in two designs, one a floral motif for special occasions, the other a winter design for the holidays. Order here and let us know which design you would like on your gift certificate.
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