Week of December 30

Happy (almost) New Year!

Time to start another year of blogging about food and drink. I have gotten some great feedback from you as to what you want to see and read about. As a result, I'll be trying to include more easy-to-make recipes that can be made on a weeknight after work (as opposed to prepping them a few days ahead).

I'll also be tackling some "special projects": these may be show-stoppers for dinner with friends (homemade pasta, candies or a beautiful pastry) or fun food projects (homemade grenadine, preserved lemons, jams and jellies).

No matter what I'm up to, meal planning is still important, so:

On Sunday:

• I went grocery shopping
• We went out to dinner at Eastern Standard (order the mahogany clams with house-made smoked sausage if they're available)

Week of December 30

Sunday
Dinner out at the Eastern Standard: Many lovely cocktails and a very delicious dinner

New Year's Eve: Playing Tapas for 2007
Gorgonzola-stuffed dates wrapped in prosciutto (no jamon to be found)
Marcona almonds
Chorizo in red wine
Garlic shrimp
Fennel salad
Rice balls with cheese
Eggplant with sherry vinegar
Mahon & membrillo (thanks Mom!)

Peanut Brittle (thanks Ann!) and Fudge (thanks Chryssa!)

New Year's Day
Breakfast: Kouign Amann, courtesy of David Lebovitz
Lunch: Lentil salad with chorizo
Dinner:
Reubens on seeded rye
Carrot salad

Wednesday
Meatloaf
Mashed potatoes
Oven-roasted brussels sprouts

Thursday
Mark Bittman's Autumn millet bake (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)
Steamed green beans with shallots

Friday
Chicken Marsala
Orzo with roasted garlic
Green salad