This has been a productive holiday week, but a non-productive no-job week. Cookies are baked, ready for mailing, we'll get the tree up tomorrow, and the house will be Christmas ready by Sunday night. This is particularly important because we are entertaining my wife's associates at our house on Monday evening. She felt it was a more reasonable approach to the traditional office party, and I agree, having done this myself for my own teams in the past. It's just more homey and warm, compared to say, Dave and Busters. Of course, I'll be doing the cooking, assisted by an able-bodied sous-chef, my oldest son. Brisket will be the main course: at least one day before serving, place the raw brisket in a large pot, cover with water, add an onion, two large carrots, two stalks of celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, beef base or bouillion cubes, couple of dashes Worchestershire and steak sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer for a few/three hours, or until meat becomes tender. Place the cooked brisket on a plate or sheet pan, and cool uncovered in the refrigerator for at least a day. Strain the broth, and discard the vegetables. Cover in a plastic container and cool along with the meat. Two hours before serving, trim the fat off the brisket, slice 1/4 inch pieces against the grain, and place in a large frying pan. Discard the hardened fat on the top of the broth, and cover the brisket with the broth. Simmer gently until heated through. To serve, spoon broth onto small crusty rolls, pile high with brisket, and always have horseradish and plenty of napkins on the side.

You can serve brisket with onion soup potatoes or latkes (with sour cream, of course). 

Now for drinks: how about this, from my bartending grandfather's bar-guide, How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion, by Jerry Thomas, published 1862...

"Egg Nogg is a beverage of American origin, but it has a popularity that is cosmopolitan. At the South it is almost indispensible at Christmas time, and at the North it is a favorite of all seasons. In Scotland they call Egg Nogg "auld man's milk".

Baltimore Egg Nogg

(for a party of fifteen)

Take the yellow of sixteen eggs and twelve table-spoons of pulverized loaf-sugar, and beat them to the consistency of cream; to this add two-thirds of a nutmeg grated, and beat well together; then mix in half a pint of good brandy or Jamiaca rum, and two wine-glasses of Madeira wine. Have ready the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, and beat them into the above-described mixture. When this is all done, stir in six pints of good rich milk. There is no heat used.

Egg Nogg made in this manner is digestible, and will not cause headache. It makes an excellent drink for debilitated persons, and a nourishing diet for consumptives.

Now that's my kind of medicine!! I suppose I'm just and auld man...