Good Bye to 2012 ... Aloha to 2013

 

At the end of the year I give thanks for all the blessings we receive during the year. Our health...our amazing family...our wonderful friends, new and old. I am very grateful for having known and shared in the lives of those who are no longer with us, family and friends alike...

My cup runneth over with gratitude.

Long gone are the days when I partied until late to greet the New Year with friends... We seem to have turned into homebodies and, at least in my case, I hardly ever make it to midnight anymore...but I still enjoy marking the end of the year and greeting the new with a festive meal...and for New Year's Eve we seem to prefer a meal composed of appetizers and other simple foods rather than an elaborate dinner.

 

The table was set early in the day, using my new plaid dinner plates I had ordered for Christmas - 'promised' by the seller to arrive by the 24th but actually didn't make it here until the 26th... since I didn't want to wait a whole year to use them, the plates dictated the rest of the setting which I named "Auld Lang Syne" in honor of the Scottish poet Robert Burns who gave us the 'song most often heard around the world'.

 

 

The table centerpieces were a large martini shaped glass container holding Clementines, small red apples, a sprig of fresh bay leaves from our yard and a few bits of Christmas greenery and yellow popcorn orchids left from our Christmas arrangements...an old fashioned lantern, wide plaid ribbon and gold balls.

 

 

I had planned a menu of Cuban style food, but plans sometimes fall through, so I just checked to see what I had on hand without going to a lot of trouble.

 

 

Shrimp cocktail served with fresh salsa made with chopped grape tomatoes, chopped green onions, chopped orange mini-bell peppers, a touch of minced garlic and topped with bits of microgreens..all mixed with a small amount of chili sauce and served in these beautiful red swirled martini glasses that I had been eyeing for a couple of years at a local shop...When I dropped by on the day after Christmas there were only 4 left and marked down drastically, so I just could not pass them up one more time!

 

 

Mini pizzas made with a thin crust and topped with creamy brie, thin apple slices and dabs of Caramelized Red Onions & Figs preserves from Queen Creek Olive Mills in Arizona...a delicious combination of flavors!

 

The cheese and fruit course...the cheese selections were sharp Cheddar, Queso Fresco, a small piece of Brie left from the pizza making and a new-to-me brand of cheeses from England that I find amazingly good...Real Yorkshire Wensleydale.  For our Christmas party I served the one with cranberries and for last night we had one flavored with ginger...Absolutely Delicious!

Following the Hispanic New Years Eve tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight, I added grapes to our cheese plate...although we cheated and consumed ours way before midnight!

 

An ambrosia salad made with fresh pineapple, fresh sliced apple bananas and papaya, Clementine slices, shredded coconut and pomegranate seeds all mixed in a bit of mango juice;

 

 

For dessert I served Macadamia Snowball cookies with a side of puréed Mamey.  The mamey was a gift from our friend Carol who has a tree in her yard.  To prepare the mamey purée cut the fruit in half, scoop out the big seed and scoop out all the pulp. Put through the blender or food processor to purée; place in a saucepan with a bit of sugar (to taste) and enough milk or cream to soften it a bit, also to taste.  Can be turned into delicious smoothies or milkshakes, or even ice cream if more milk is added.  If you find you can't use it all at one time, place in plastic bags or an appropriate container and freeze until needed.

 

 

Wishing a Joyously Happy, Healthy and Very Prosperous New Year to all!

 

Original article