See Ya' 2008, May You Take Your Troubles With Ya'

So it's been a bit!

What with the holidays and all, things have been busy.

I have been around the block culinarily speaking. Upon returning home to Chicago we had a delish new years.

It all started with an amazing new years eve. I, like probably most of you, joined friends toasting 2008 (even though it was kind of a shoddy year). A friend of ours had us over along with several others. Started off with a cranberry and champagne cocktail, and then proceeded to drink a lot of really bad booze. I mean some of it was fine, and some of it was cheap. Not that there's anything wrong with cheap, but WOW, what cheap bottles we drank. I have to say the prosecco was not bad at all though, oooooh and the rose, man that was good--I have no idea what it was! It probably come to at least 10 empty bottles total...most consumed by the 6 of us that stayed well into the night...

She had lots of yummy snacks. A brie wheel that she covered with a boozed sauce which melted the cheese instantly and it became a lovely goo. And her artichoke spread was great! Though by that point I was too hammered to remember exactly how she made it, but I do remember thinking it was really good.

Returning home well past midnight (oh how late it was), I awoke an extremely short time later and started re hydrating. We had been invited to a 2009 Dinner at another friend's, and I was cooking a side....and baking, which I have to say I am crap at.

But all went well! See, you knew it would turn out okay!

A very good friend of ours lovingly cooked a standing beef rib roast, and served it with both a horseradish sauce and a gravy. He made twice baked potatoes which were heavenly, a salad, YORKSHIRE PUDDING!!!!, and collard greens, which in his family they eat for good fortune in the new year. I contributed a bowl of black eyed peas, a tradition in my family for luck. Now here's the thing. There was this vegetarian that was supposed to come, so we left bacon out of all of the veg dishes, even though it would have been AMAZING!

She did not come.

Neither did the person allergic to mustard. That's a whole other story.

I could not put the traditional porky favorite into my BEANS! I really don't know why I'm making a big deal about this. I sauteed two onions, added a few sprigs of fresh thyme, then sauteed for another bit. Then added salt and Veg stock. It was so good. I mean this was a vegetarian meal I would tell vegetarians there was meat in just so I could eat more of it. SO GOOD.

And I baked a chocolate torte...who knew it was going to come out as well as it did. It was lush and light in texture, but rich and velvety. Ahhh, we left the leftover cake at our friend's, I have to say I was a little sad about that. I could have gotten up that night and eaten the whole thing straight from the fridge.

All in all, 2008 went out the way the whole year felt, one blurry drunken mess, though full of friends and loved ones singing and dancing in their various drunken states. And 2009 came in like a medium rare slice of roast beef with all the fixin's. And I have to say, that's one hell of a way to ring in a new year.

~Happy 2009~