Christmas Preparations

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m getting nowhere fast with my Christmas preparations.  The only decorations in place are on my fireplace mantle.  I don’t even have my trees up yet. 

I did find an easy eggnog pound cake recipe on Pinterest and thought it might save some time.  Plus, I love eggnog and freshly grated nutmeg.  I seem to use nutmeg a lot more at this time of year.  You might like this interesting video about spices and nutmeg in particular.  Not sure if I’d drink the punch after one hunting party host tasted it and then stuck the ladle back in the punch bowl.

You can find it on You Tube - Nutmeg: Natures Perfect Package - The Spice of Life - BBC 1983 series

You can find the eggnog cake recipe on my Christmas board at Pinterest (see link on side bar).  It was quick and easy to put together with a boxed pound cake mix, organic eggnog, eggs and freshly grated nutmeg.

I was ready for a little tea break after a morning of baking, cleaning and wrapping presents.  The cake is quite good, although I over baked it by a few minutes (I think my oven is running too hot).  It would make a lovely Christmas party dessert served with peppermint ice cream or some hot spiced fruit.

Every Christmas I treat myself to a tin of Harney & Sons Tower of London Blend tea.  This black tea has the most wonderful fragrance. It is blended with pieces of dried stone fruit and oil of bergamot and honey.  You can order it online at Harney & Sons or Amazon.

Do you have a favorite tea that you enjoy at Christmas?  I know several of you like Candy Cane Lane tea by Celestial Seasonings.