The Eggnog-Ice Cream Paradox

It started off as a regular night in bed (as so many nights do).

The Sous Chef and I were dozing; he was probably dreaming about discovering a new succulent, whereas I was dreaming of - what else - eggnog. It is the holiday season, after all.

Suddenly, I bolted upright in bed. I turned to the Sous Chef and exclaimed:

"Eggnog is ice cream!"

The Sous Chef's groggy reply:

"Yes. Fine. We can make eggnog ice cream."

My all-too-frantic-for-the-middle-of-the-night response:

"No, you don't understand! Eggnog IS ice cream!"

The Sous Chef had already fallen back asleep.

In my half-conscious daze, I must have been recalling the ingredients for eggnog in my head (eggs, cream, sugar), then quickly cross-referenced them with the ingredients in a basic ice cream base (wait for it ---- eggs, cream, sugar). The same stuff.

How could I have failed to notice this before, especially considering my affinity for all things nog? I can think of only one explanation: when you look at something one way for a long enough time, you mentally block yourself from seeing it any other way. Like how it's hard to picture your little sister as anything other than a child, so when you talk to her when she's 27 and she uses a big word like "consequences", your first instinct is to smack her and say "I'm telling Mom!"

Lying in bed that moment, I wanted to smack my eggnog and tell my mom - but the sleepy Sous Chef had to suffice.

The next day, I did the experiment. I grabbed my carton of eggnog from the refrigerator, added a little vanilla extract, and poured it into the ice cream maker. Done.

It worked. And oh it was good.

Eggnog Ice Cream topped with my Cranberry-Pecan Crumble

Visual Recipe: Easy Eggnog Ice Cream

1. Do it.
2. Eat it.
3. Love it.

Eat well.

P.S. The next time you're wondering why eggnog has so many darn calories, just remember: You're drinking melted ice cream.