It’s that time of year. Christmas is over, New Year’s Eve lingers like a wobbly exclamation point, and I’m still feeling a bit bloated from all the roasts and cocktails and candy canes of the last week. It’s holiday limbo time. The holidays may not be quite over yet, but the best part really is, and I’m already feeling nostalgic. For me, the best part of this season is the build up: The boozy adult parties and the goofy school parties, the hunting for the elusive perfect tree (ours had a backwards tilt this year, but no matter), studding gingerbread men and woman with all sorts of gaudy sugary-accessories, decorating the house with garland and bunting, forcing the dog into a festive Xmas sweater, introducing the kids to White Christmas, Nat King Cole on repeat…the pre-stuff is what I enjoy most.
(Some Instagram highlights: Seamus asleep in his sweater and my first cheese ball, using a recipe from the very fun book Great Balls of Cheese).
I even look forward to preparing the epic Christmas Day dinner. Here was the final menu, although sans the bouche, because I became too weary and a good friend dropped off a fluff cake for us from the amazing Natale’s Bakery, so I just added some fresh whipped cream and raspberries and called it a day (although I do have a wonderful new faux-bouche recipe which I need to share; not THIS one though). We also had to deep-6 the crab cakes because the crab meat I purchased was BAD (I’m looking at you, Wegman’s).
For New Year’s Eve we’re actually not going to a party for the first time in several years, and instead, we’re staying home with the kids. They’re pretty hopped-up because they think they’re staying up until midnight…they probably will be staying up until midnight and I’ll probably be asleep on the couch by 10 o’clock wearing a pair of extra-large socks. Until then, I need to figure out what we’ll eat to say adieu to 2013, which has been a pretty good year so in my opinion, deserves a fine meal. This is what I’m thinking:
MENU FOR A NEW YEAR’S EVE AT HOME WITH THE KIDS
Pigs-In-A-Blanket (little wieners, puff pastry, honey-mustard, done).
Fettuccine with lobster, lemon, shallots, dill and creme fraiche (the big cheat here is that my supermarket will steam the lobsters for you, so no crustacean homicide is necessary on the last night of the year). Conor will just be having the fettuccine part of this dish.
Warm Ad Hoc-recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Good Champagne *for the adults.
Good apple-cranberry bubbly *for the kids.
That’s it. Short and sweet and simple and no one needs to freeze their ass off watching a ball drop.
So HAPPY HAPPY New Year’s to you and yours!! Let me know if you make it to midnight.
XOXO
