Keeping It Real... I Screwed Up While Making Christmas Kahlua, Okay?

Before I reveal the secrets to making my totally delicious Christmas Kahlua, I must issue a strong caution to anyone who makes the decision to try doing this. Once you have started making this recipe, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, FALL ASLEEP OR FORGET ABOUT IT WHEN A FRIEND CALLS TO RUN AND DO SOMETHING. Okay? Have we got that straight? Lovely.


So, by now I'm guessing you figured out that I might have fallen asleep and let this happen. Well, you would be right. I did. It was like waking up to a mouse running across your face, only worse. First, there was the aroma of the burning. You saw how the mixture could quickly boil to the top and yet you still fell asleep. Most nights it takes you hours to get to sleep. How ironic. As the horror of what resulted from your nap dawns on you, there is still the task of cleaning up your crystallized sugar-coffee-vodka-ooey-gooey mess. From. Every. Little. Nook. And. Cranny. And, your vintage O'Keefe & Merritt stove has many, many, many nooks and crannies (many that you never even knew existed!). But, it's Christmas and you have to cook, so you just do a *Band-Aid* cleanup job to get through the holidays.

Even after Christmas and up until New Year's Eve you continue to think about other things that need to be done, shoving this job to the bottom of the pile. The trend continues. Then, one dark and gloomy Saturday you roll up your turtleneck sleeves and decide to tackle the monster that has been flanking you for weeks. It's immediately apparent (as hubby pulls the entire top off and places it on the floor) that it's going to be a much more difficult job than you thought.


As I recall, I stopped making Kahlua over 20 years ago because this very same thing happened, only back then it was because I ran off to do something with a friend and forgot about it. Do I feel like the fly smashing up against the window, trying to get out time after time? Indeed I do.




You pause and consider calling for HGTV help, but decide you don't have that kind of time, so you don your plastic surgeon's gloves and dig in with all the tools you have available. A scraper. Several screw drivers. Hot, soapy water. Bazillions of paper towels. Several old, stained kitchen sponges. Steel wool. Elbow grease. Determination.


I've finally worked so long and hard on this cleanup project that I have once again developed tendinitis (tennis elbow) in my left elbow, with the right elbow threatening to jump on the band wagon. (Waving Hello! to my next cortisone shot!) However, the good news is that the entire interior and exterior of the stove are as clean as a whistle.

And, although no one can see what I did or had to clean up, it is a wonderful feeling knowing that I got it back to better-than-it-was. I am woman, hear me roar....


So, if you really still want this lovely, easy recipe, I suggest you CLICK HERE.