Archive for New Year's Eve
Lia and Erin’s New Year’s Resolutions
Posted by: | CommentsPosted by Lia and Erin…
Lia: I am pretty terrible at New Year’s resolutions. Bad at setting reasonable ones and even worse at keeping them. I always have the best intentions, but horrible follow through. So this year, I’m going to continue doing something that worked (more or less) last year – which is to think of a mantra that I can try to follow and repeat to myself, rather a specific goal I know I’ll break in two weeks. Last year, it was “worry less.” For 2010, I have decided to “Think less and do more.”
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become the absolute master of thinking about something rather than just doing it. Why go to the gym now when I can go in a hour? Why go to the store today when I can go tomorrow? Why wake up when I can hit the snooze button 17 more times? Then I get mad that none of my pants fit, that I have no food in the house and that there aren’t enough hours in the day to finish everything.
So this year, I’m going to work hard to become the girl I once was – an efficient person who didn’t think too much when she needed to do something – she just did it. I was more organized, more well-rested and more in shape back then – and I see no reason why I can’t get that back. As an added incentive, toward the end of this year I turn 30, so this is a good opportunity to end the last year of my 20s (good God that sounds scary) on a high note.
A happy and safe New Year to everyone!
Erin: Every year, for the past four or five years, I’ve had a ritual to make my resolutions. The night before New Year’s Eve, Wendy and I go to Supper, one of our favorite restaurants in New York, drink too much Prosecco and then make our resolutions. They tend to be crazy, outlandish goals, the kind you think could actually be possible after too many cocktails. This year we’re a little late for our dinner, so the list below will grow, but I decided to also make a few sober attainable goals in the meantime. They are:
1. Gossip less. Love more.
2. Call my grandparents more often.
3. Visit my brother in Asia.
4. Spend more time crafting, less time at happy hour!
5. Run smarter, healthier, and hopefully, faster.
6. Love my life.
What are your resolutions?
Champange Punch… The Perfect Beverage to Toast the New Year…
Posted by: | CommentsWendy found this recipe* for champagne punch years ago, and she’s been serving it at our holiday and New Year’s parties ever since. It’s the perfect mixture – it’s not too sweet, and cuts some of the bite out of even the most brut champagnes/sparkling wines. The triple sec gives it the extra kick we all want to belligerently bravely smooch our crush at midnight or otherwise embarrass ourselves.
The recipe is easy to make and it’s always a huge hit. The cranberry juice it calls for makes it the perfect use for that cheap champagne you bought that you prefer not to guzzle down enjoy straight. (Seriously, don’t use the good stuff in this. Save that. Buy the $4.99 André, your guests will never know the difference!)
While this seems to make quite a bit, it goes down easy. I’d get some back up bottles of champagne if you’re having more than 10 people over.
Here we go….
- 1 bottle Cointreau (750 milliliters), chilled (or plain old Triple Sec as a substitute)
- 1 bottle (20 oz) white cranberry juice, chilled (We’ve substituted other cranberry juices when the store was out of white. They each give a different flavor – choose your favorite!)
- 4 bottles brut champagne/sparkling wine/prosecco
- 2 oranges, sliced into rounds (blood or pink oranges are beautiful in this)
Pour Cointreau, juice and champagne into a large punch bowl and float orange slices on top for decoration. Enjoy!
*To give proper credit: Wendy found this in the hard copy of GQ Magazine a few years ago, but it’s not appearing on their Web site!
New Years Eve Party Treats
Posted by: | CommentsIf you’re looking for something easy-but-impressive-looking to whip up quickly for a New Year’s party, this brie recipe is sure to do the trick. It’s much fancier than just placing a piece of brie on a cheese tray, and it’s always a hit at our parties. This rich flavor of the brie with the sweetness of the sugar is just delicious! And, most importantly, I can’t take credit for this creation. My dear mother has been serving this at her parties for as long as I can remember.
You’ll need:
The secret ingridient!
1 wheel or slice of brie, about a pound or just under. (If using a smaller size piece, use less Kahlúa and sugar)
1/4 cup Kahlúa
1/3 cup brown sugar (dark or light)
Optional: A handful of walnuts or almonds, chopped
French baguette sliced thin for dipping, or crackers
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place your brie in a round or square baking/pyrex dish – just not a cookie sheet. Scrap the white covering off of the top of the brie. It can remain on the bottom and sides.
It should look like this
Mix the Kahlúa and the sugar in a bowl. It should be a liquidy paste consistency. Pour the mixture over the top of the brie, letting it cover the dish, very lightly. Add the walnuts, if desired.
Place dish in oven for 15 – 18 minutes, or until brie is slightly melted. Serve with sliced baguette (my favorite – it soaks up the sweetness of the sauce) or crackers. Enjoy!
Ready to Serve!
Party Trick
Posted by: | CommentsPosted by Lia…
I’ll be honest – I’ve always found New Year’s Eve a strange holiday that never quite lives up to its promise. I think it’s funny that its main purpose is to get lots of people assembled in one area for the sole reason of watching a clock. As it were, I always try to make the best of it and in the last few years have either attended, or thrown, a house party. The one problem with house parties I’ve found, however, is that the attendees tend to be random groups of friends that sometimes don’t know each other well. While I always seem to meet people around the dip and cheese plates, because that is where I spend the majority of my party-going time no matter the holiday, for those more healthily inclined, ice breakers are sometimes needed.
One easy way to do this is through two things any good New Year’s party should have on hand- Solo cups and resolutions. 
Resolutions always tend to be grouped among similar topics – health, fitness, love, family, organization, travel, culture, finance, etc. So, buy different colored Solo cups and print one of these broad subjects – one topic per color – on them using black permanent marker.
Then, ask guests to take the cup color that corresponds to their number one resolution and use the marker to write down their specific 2010 goal. People with similar colored cups will have a common ground to start on, or in the instance that a conversation gets stuck, the cups provide at least a small thread to get it back going. Eventually, the drinks in the cups will handle the rest!
