BRRRR!

Okay, it's cold. And I'm still seeing idiots running around in t-shirts and shorts. Went to ship some Christmas presents ("Guaranteed delivery by the 19th", Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad!) and saw several young idiots running to their cars at Safeway, t-shirts, shorts, carpet slippers, and a fluffy wool hat. Granted, keeping your head warm is good, but you can negate the benefit by utter stupidity...

As a follow-on to my post about winter safety, please be aware that the ever-popular "taking a shot of whatever" to warm up can be counter-productive; I grew up watching guys (not my father) go into the wild, wet woods in deer season with a flask of brandy in their pockets.

Alcohol may make you feel like you are warming up, but that's just the capillaries opening up to increase the flow of blood, and is actually cooling you off. The exact opposite of what you want in cold weather.

Having said that, I have nothing against a nice, warm adult beverage at the end of the day, when there is next to no chance that I will be asked to go outside again unless it is to empty the trash.

Locally, we have Harvey's Butter Rum Batter. Harvey ships. Even local stores only stock during the holidays, though, so we stock up and freeze.

OTOH, when I am feeling more ambitious, I use this recipe I found in the internet. (I'd say where, if I knew...)

Hot Buttered Rum Batter No. 1

1 lb Brown sugar
1/2 lb Butter, salted
1 tsp ground Nutmeg
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp ground Cloves
1 tsp ground white Cardamom
1 tsp Vanilla

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or mixer and store in the fridge or freezer. To make a drink add a shot of good dark rum along with 1 or 2 tbl spoons of batter to a mug of very hot water. Serve in Irish coffee cup.

I like to use dark brown sugar, and dark rum, but that's a matter of taste.

I find that the best way to mix everything up is to put batter "to taste" in the cup, add a little bit of hot water, and then to "muddle" it, that is, to make a consistent paste of it. You can then add the rum (or other alcohol) "to taste" and then top off with the rest of the hot water. Muddling the batter with a little hot water ensures the batter will all be used.

Cardamom: If you can get cardamom in the pod, it will keep forever. I mean, like, F O R freaking E V E R. The first time I made this recipe, I used up our supply of white cardamom, and Mrs. Drang made me save the box, because it was... well, old. It might have been her mother's. But the seeds inside the pods were just fine.

White cardamom is also known as Scandinavian. You can buy White (and Green and Black) Cardamom pods here. (Another local outfit, of course. Alton Brown shops there, or at least he filmed part of an episode there.)