I like to nog it, nog it

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I like to nog it, nog it

Written by Eric Mathurin

Monday, 03 November 2008

I have a confession. When I moved to Toronto three years ago the regular supplier of my favourite drug upped the ante and introduced me to something so much more wonderful—and even more powerfully addictive. Yes, I had my first taste of the Starbucks Eggnog Latte here in Toronto and I was powerless to stand against it. Rounding out at around 500 calories for a Grande, this is one drink that hits the mother-lode when it comes to caloric deliciousness. That’s almost as much a Big Mac.

I had one every morning, 5 days a week.

More addictive than crack, and almost as expensive.

I start thinking about the Eggnog Latte when the leaves start to change colours. I eagerly anticipate Halloween for the fact that once the skeletons and spider webs get packed back up the stores will have their Christmas decorations out and their “Holiday” drinks on the chalk boards.

But wait.

These days everyone is trying watch both their waistline as well as their wallet. (In my case, only one of those is always getting thinner.) David Bach, author of “Start Late, Finish Rich” has coined a phrase called “The Latte Factor”. (Or something like that. Who cares?) Essentially his point is that we all spend money, probably every day, on some frivolous expense we don’t need. Like lattes.

Idiot.

This is the same guy who, in the ominously-numbered “Chapter 11”, tells you buy a house at any cost—and goes into detail about how just about any schlep can get a mortgage. “Shop around!” he propounds. “You can get a house with no money down!”

Gee. That worked out real swell.

He also suggests that if you spend (for example) $10.00 a day eating lunch in the food court, and brown-bag it instead, you’ll save $10.00 a day! I make my lunch nearly every day and all I can say is that David must get visited by the Grocery Fairy on a weekly basis because my home-made lunches sure as heck don’t realize a 100% savings over eating out.

But I digress. The main point here is that a) I like lattes and get defensive about giving them up and b) even though his math skills and perilous advice leave something to be desired, David still has a point. So for the last two years I’ve been making my Eggnog Lattes at home. And you can, too! In fact, I make regular lattes every morning, and have probably paid off my $450 Barista espresso machine a thousand times over since buying it several years ago.

Just buy a carton of Eggnog at the store. Pour about ½ a cup in a big mug. (That’s about 150 calories right there. Ouch!) Then fill the mug about ¾ of the way with 2% milk. (That’s another 120 calories, bringing your drink up to around the 270 mark. Ahhhh… that’s not so bad, is it?) Then froth away. Be warned, though: the extra density makes it a little trickier. I usually need to cup my hand around the top of the mug because the increased amount of spray.

Add espresso.

Sprinkle with nutmeg if you desire. (I don’t – it seems to diminish the wonderful froth.)

Now I can make it through the winter without the crazed look of cabin fever I usually get. And you can, too! Just don’t forget to hoard a few extra containers of Eggnog after Christmas because they disappear quickly from the dairy cases.

Eggnog Lattes cure all.

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