Happy New Year

In some cultures, and among the superstitious, it is believed that the New Year's Day meal sets to tone for the rest of the year. Needless to say, the year of the disastrous chili in which I forgot to pre-cook the beans (whoops!) still haunts our household. As does the year of the Emeril potato lasagne in which the potatoes never really cooked through even though I followed the recipe to the letter (unlike the disastrous chili).

This year, I decided to keep things simple: no untested techniques, no science experiences, no elaborate baking. The dinner menu: gingery panko-crusted salmon with stir fried sweet potato hash (my new favorite side dish courtesy of the studly and fabulous Minimalist, Mark Bittman) and shaved brussels sprouts with pancetta, garnished with pomegranate seeds for color/kid interest. Do these three items go together? Not particularly well; I probably would have to pack my knives and go if I were competing on Top Chef. But, hey, I've got a 4 month old, a 3 year old, I've spent much of the holiday season cooking/baking like a maniac, and now have less than a week to prep three design classes. I used what I had in the freezer, fridge and pantry. Seriously, this meal required nary a trip to the farmer's market or grocery store. It was done start to finish in less than half an hour; watch out Rachel Ray.

And for dessert (okay, we actually had it for afternoon tea and will probably soon be helping ourselves to round two): the ridiculously easy Sherry Cake that Mark's neighbor kindly made for us on our last trip up to the Bay Area.


A beautiful day for the Rose Parade, yummy food, and—praise all that is holy and good—a new president. I think 2009 is already shaping up to be a fantastic year.