End of Year Wrap-Up

I had every intention of posting last night but quite honestly, I am e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d. The last of the celebrations for 2007 are now behind us, and a brand spankin’ new year full of promise and excitement lies ahead. Knowing some of what’s in store, I, for one, am excited at the prospect of a new year, clean slate and all that cliched goodness that goes along with it. So, what have we been up to lately? Let’s see… On New Years’ Eve, we did our annual seafood feast, with The Neighbors joining us for the third year in a row. The Husband and I started this tradition on our own some 10+ years ago and it has stuck and been a favorite ever since. We happened to be down for the count one New Years’ Eve many moons ago after having battled the flu and just didn’t feel up to going out. We had a massive seafood feast at home and a tradition was born. Over the years, different friends and family have joined us, but it’s remained a tradition that we very much look forward to.

The goal of our seafood feast is although there is a lot of food, we keep the actual food selections simple and more along the lines of grazing. Hey, it’s the only way we can justify having such a spread. When I pulled up the list of what we made for 2006 and 2005, it seemed only right that I include Salt and Pepper Shrimp. One of my favorites, and The Neighbor Husband’s, it’s earned its rightful spot.

When we first had this recipe for Coconut Fried Shrimp earlier last year, The Neighbor Wife immediately said it had to go on our New Years’ Eve menu, so, of course, it did. Super simple to make and almost a hint of a creamy taste, you can’t beat these. I’m in the midst of reorganizing all my spices and although I could swear I have curry powder somewhere, I couldn’t find it, so subbed cumin and it worked fine. Just as delicious as the last time we had them.

Shrimp Cocktail made the cut for its ease alone, as did another favorite, Smoked Salmon Dip. Deviled Eggs and these Crab Cakes from Weight Watchers and Scallop Casserole. Wings for the guys. Mac and cheese and fresh fruit for the kids. Cupcakes with sinfully rich frosting. The Neighbor Husband bought lobster tails which we steamed and served with melted butter, and I think that about covers it.

Yesterday was our traditional New Years Day dinner with my family, with mom taking over the hosting duties. We had Black-Eyed Peas for our regular dose of good luck, along with an antipasto platter, ravioli, meatballs, salad and dessert. When we came home, The Neighbors came over for a quick bite to eat. We got to polish off the leftovers from the night before and cook up a batch of OMG Mussels. I had bought the mussels for our New Years’ Eve feast, but we just didn’t get around to cooking them. The Neighbor Husband brought the makings for Bleu Cheese Chips, thus completing our mostly leftover feast.

Whew! Now with schools reopened and the holidays behind us, life can resume normalcy a bit, or as close as its going to get.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

P.S. ARF/5-A-Day will resume next week.