Friday Friend Recipe #107 -- Hot Buttered Rum

My Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown #107!

My family's Hot Buttered Rum

and you know all the whys and wherefores of this countdown, right? Homemade cookbook, friends contributed, Handyman said I couldn't/wouldn't do it, I'll show him, yadda yadda yadda....

We always make this at Christmas time and luckily I took a picture of it last Christmas.  That's how far behind I am on posting recipes I've made from the Friday Friend Cookbook. This is #107, but I have up to #130 in my drafts.  I counted the other day and there are 398 recipes in it.  At the rate I'm going this will take me FOREVER!

And sometimes the quality of the photos I take is--well, not so great.  You'll just have to deal with it because,

there is no way I'm making anything a second time--just for a photo. Not that they aren't worth a second time but (sigh) it's work to remember to take pictures and all, sometimes.

It seems as if I've meandered off--complaining--but I'm not really.  Because I'm so far  behind   this post fits perfectly now as we are headed into the Holiday Season.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is my favorite Christmas story ever!  (except for the birth of Christ of course)  and this edition of the book--SO BEAUTIFUL!!

The illustrations are gorgeous.

There is nothing better than curling up on a snowy Saturday afternoon in December with a hot buttered rum and reading this book, OR watching the old movie on TV.

The drink?  Hot Buttered Rum?

It's like  butterscotch  cocoa!

And now for my story---because this is my recipe after all. 

Or is it?

For years, I thought this was a secret family recipe that my mom's family had invented!

But when I grew up I began to notice it in every church and community club cookbook.  It was like finding out the truth about Santa Claus!

So disappointing.

But just like I still believe in the magic of Santa (Yes Virginia, he exists as surely as goodness.....) I believe in the magic of family holiday time, drinking this delicious concoction!

It's so good.... so sweet.....so good.

Here is a photo of my family who made up this recipe-- my grandma, holding my crying baby, me and my mom, about 37 years ago.

On January 2nd, 2009, I also posted about this recipe, but since the rules state I am making every recipe in the cookbook, I had to post again---but this is what I said then.....

I thought I might as well chime in on the "hot" drinks that everyone is blogging about. I've seen recipes for mocha's and hot chocolates, but one of my favorite holiday drinks are Hot Buttered Rums. I make the batter around Thanksgiving and if I'm lucky it will last until the middle of January. It's a very sweet drink, so you can't drink more than one in a sitting. Usually. I guess there are always exceptions to the rule. But they are really, really sweet.

Christmas time, when I was young, would be spent between my maternal and paternal grandparents homes. They lived one block from each other. My paternal grandparents would make Tom and Jerry's during the holidays, my maternal grandparents would have Hot Buttered Rums. Honestly, I've never made the Tom and Jerry's. I guess because I just love the HBR's so much.

They are best on a snowy day, of course. And with a good homemade cookie.
An old movie, or a good book, don't hurt much either. If it can all come together at the same time, it's heaven!

Hot Buttered Rum

1 lb real butter
1 lb brown sugar
1 lb white sugar
1/2 gallon real vanilla ice-cream

melt together over slow heat. Store in a jar or Tupperware container in the fridge for a few days, then freeze and use when you need it.

I like mine with hot milk, but most people like their's made with just hot water. With milk, it's like a warm butterscotch treat. Mmmmm.

Use 2 Tbls of the batter
1 oz light rum
mix together in a coffee mug and add boiling water or hot milk.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon.

**************************

You know I have a hard time thinking up new stories after the 107th time, so when I first thought of posting this today,  I was going to share the Handyman's election stories.  But they are not that exciting.

I think we're all just waiting for this 'historic' election to be over with.  Sad, but true.

And then....will it really be over?

Oh well... let me just say this...

The Handyman never was elected mayor.

(but he looked quite good in his election flyer, didn't he?  That's a flyer from 2006 lying on top of my sample ballot for this year.  10 years ago, wow!)

And you know what we say now about his losing the mayoral election? 

THANK GOD!

He was elected to another term on the city council tho.  Finally retiring from local politics in 2012.

And you know what we say about that?

THANK GOD!!

And  what do you do with old campaign signs?  Use them for bullet practice!

The magnetic ones you put up in your garage fridge and freezer for nostalgia's sake.

Except for Theresa--she's still on the city council.

I think we can all agree that this has been a vicious presidential campaign...on all sides.

I don't know who will win this election-- but no matter what I always kind of feel bad for the loser.  Especially for their families.  It's not fun to lose---no matter what.  Even if you should lose.  But watching someone you love lose is --really hard.

I found these in my journal--

the first one was a note I sent to all the Friday Friend Forum:

And the second one was a back and forth to my friend Nicole, whose husband lost a race for Judge a couple of years before.

Private at the time, but looking back it really all did work out for the best.

Seriously!

As things do turn out--- the mayor and Rich worked really well together.  REALLY well--and she misses him still.

And we are all really good friends.

She is in my bookclub.

I just thought the political stuff in my life was interesting right now, as I was doing this post.

Nothing like putting my life on view for you all to see now, is there?

Anyway...

MAY BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB WIN!

And may we all be friends.

And in the words of John Wesley (father of the Methodist Church)

May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?

Wednesday will bring relief --- of a sort.

Then we can get on to drinking Hot Buttered Rums!

The Holidays are right around the corner.