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¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
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1 large yellow onion, diced into ½-inch pieces
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Salt and black pepper
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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5 strips uncooked smoked bacon, finely chopped
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1 pound ground beef
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1 cup dry white wine
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3 cups chicken stock or water
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¾ cup heavy cream
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¼ to ⅓ cup hot sauce
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2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
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1 bay leaf
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8 ounces elbow pasta
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5 slices American cheese, ripped into small pieces
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1½ cups grated Cheddar
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½ cup finely chopped chives
Instructions (via New York Times):
-Heat a large (12-inch) sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-low, and add oil and onion; season lightly with salt and pepper. (The hot sauce added in Step 6 will add a lot of flavor, so be careful not to over season here.) Let cook until the onions turn light beige in color and begin to caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes.
-Add garlic and cook until fragrant and starting to brown ever so slightly, about 2 minutes.
-Increase heat to medium-high and add bacon and ground beef, using the back of a large spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces. Continue to cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated and the meat starts to sear and develop a crust on the bottom of the pan, 12 to 15 minutes.
-Remove pan from the heat and carefully drain off most of the fat, leaving a little in the pan to keep the meat moist.
-Return pan to medium-high heat and add white wine, allowing it to reduce until the mixture is almost dry, about 10 minutes.
-Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, hot sauce, paprika and bay leaf to the pan. Mix until combined and bring to a boil.
-Once the mixture is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring often, about 9 minutes.
-Reduce the heat to low and stir in both types of cheese, stirring until completely melted and sauce is thickened.
-Remove the pan from heat, stir in chives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Ben Hansen, Communications Director
My wife and I enjoy this delicious homemade eggnog—a recipe that we found and tweaked to make it our own—on frosty winter nights in front of a roaring fire. It can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and both varieties are delicious.
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6 large egg yolks
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1/2 cup granulated sugar
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1 cup heavy whipping cream
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2 cups milk
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1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
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pinch of salt
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1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
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Cinnamon (for topping)
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Rum (optional)
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Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and creamy.
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In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream, milk, nutmeg and salt. Stir often until mixture reaches a bare simmer.
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Add a big spoonful of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Repeat, adding a big spoonful at a time, to temper the eggs.
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Once most of the hot milk has been added to the eggs, pour the mixture back into the saucepan on the stove.
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Whisk constantly for just a few minutes, until the mixture is just slightly thickened (or until it reaches about 160 degrees F on a thermometer). It will thicken more as it cools.
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Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, and alcohol*, if using.
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Pour the eggnog through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or other container and cover with plastic wrap.
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Refrigerate until chilled. It will thicken as it cools. If you want a thinner, completely smooth consistency, you can add the entire mixture to a blender with 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk and blend until smooth.
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Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, and fresh whipped cream, if desired.
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Store homemade eggnog in the fridge for up to one week.
Stephanie Teig, Sr Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Being a pastor’s kid, Christmas has always been the biggest day of the year in my family and I go all out. We start decorating the day after Thanksgiving and nothing gets put away until January 6th (the day after the 12th day of Christmas). Now that our kids are adults, it’s so much fun to hear them reminisce about all the things that I thought no one really noticed. And even though they’re ages 24 to 30, if I fail to not make one of the 12 kinds of cookies I make every year, or don’t put up all the decorations, I’ll hear about it until next Christmas! Here’s a family favorite cookie that I’ve updated from my great-grandmother's recipe.
Sift together and stir in:
Chill dough. Roll into balls the size or larg walnuts. Dip tops in sugar. Place sugared side up, three inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with 2 or 3 drops of water to produce a crackled surface. Bake at 375 degrees until set but not hard (8-10 minutes). Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them.
Katie Kuhn, HR & Operations Manager
We cut our own tree the day after Thanksgiving and bake cookies with Grandma.
Paul Eger, Sr Vice President, Governmental Affairs
One of our holiday traditions over the past several years is going to the Walker Art Center with friends to watch a screening of the British Arrows Awards. The British Arrows Awards highlight the best moving-image ads of the year. The imagination and creativity behind the ads are amazing. Some of the ads will make you laugh out loud while others are so powerful, they move the auditorium to silence. It’s always a fun night.
Jackie Juracek, Receptionist
Our tradition was to make my dad’s famous pancakes on Christmas morning. The recipe was in his head and every time I would ask him for it, the measurements of the ingredients would change. Here is the recipe that I came up with and it is a favorite for my family & friends.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & sugar.
Add milk & eggs to the mixture to reach desired thickness.
Laurie Ganz, Director of Professional Development
I love a good Christmas cocktail!
Kristan Waltz, Executive Programs Manager
A favorite holiday tradition is our family sleeping under the Christmas tree!
Amy Vannurden, Member Services Coordinator
We try and see a movie on Christmas day with just my immediate family. We used to travel so much with the kids, and they finally asked if we could leave Christmas day for just us.