Eggnog Latte

Periodically on my blog I will confess another vice of mine. Today is confession time…I am in love with  eggnog lattes! Each year I have a fresh wave of excitement when I find fresh eggnog on the grocery store shelves! I don’t understand why something so tasty is only marketed for two months out of the year. It is a sad day in January, when I can no longer find those beloved cartons on the grocery shelves.

I grew up drinking homemade eggnog on a regular basis. Quite often my dad would blend up a concoction of raw eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla and serve us his “instant breakfast”! Apparently no one was concerned about ingesting raw eggs back then. Now that I think of it, with all those eggs in our diet, I  wonder if that is why my sis and I fight elevated cholesterol levels? Regardless, as kids we loved them… as long as dad blended it long enough! (no pieces of floating egg white)

I attempt to make my eggnog lattes as healthy as possible…if you have ever read the ingredient labels, you will know what I mean! They need a bit of a healthy makeover. Our health-food section at HyVee carries organic eggnog, which is my preference. I use a ratio of 1 part eggnog, to 3 parts organic skim milk.

Steam milk-nog mixture to a temperature of 165 degrees. Move the steaming wand up and down as you steam to create a nice layer of foam. 

Grind fresh espresso beans and make 2 shots of espresso. Pour one shot into mug. (I use about one half shot because I am trying to drink less coffee…acid reflex issues…)

Add 1/4 t. vanilla and 3 drops of liquid stevia to milk mixture. Pour milk-nog into mug, using spoon to hold back the foam. Spoon foam over top and sprinkle with grated nugmeg.

My favorite time of the day is when I sit down with my eggnog latte and sip it slowly as I read my Bible and catch up on the morning news. It seriously makes waking up a delight! I am not the only one who enjoys this routine…notice the size of his mug! If you look closer, you will see another mug that he fills with coffee to take with him for the day! (no acid reflux issues with him!)

I try all brands of eggnog…sometimes I add a swig from each one!

Never fear, eggnog lovers, to my delight, I discovered a canned eggnog that we can use through out the year! I seldom use this because it is fairly pricey, but it gives me comfort knowing it is squirreled away on my back shelf!

I reserve a section of my tiny apartment kitchen for our coffee/tea bar.

Some favorite coffee beans are…

To read my blog about Teavana, click here. We brew our cups of hot tea after dinner each evening. They hit the spot especially on these cold winter nights.

Eggnog Latte

1 c. eggnog
1 c. skim milk
1/4 t. vanilla
3-4 drops liquid stevia
Espresso Roast coffee, ground
Fresh nutmeg, grated

Combine cold eggnog with cold milk. Using the steaming wand on your espresso machine, steam the eggnog/milk mixture until the temperature reaches 165°F. Fill 2 mugs with steamed eggnog and milk. (Reserve small amount of foamed mixture) Prepare a double shot of espresso. Pour one shot into each of the 2 mugs. Top the drink with reserved foamed mixture. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg.