New Years Eve: Part 2

So you came back for more, did ya?

Insane-ness! The night before the party, i had a hard time sleeping... I kept thinking about all the things that needed to get done and how i was going to execute them... When i finally got to prepping, Patti came over to decorate.

On the menu: Sausage and peppers. To save some space on my burners (and decrease the heat in my tiny kitchen)

I seared chunks of sausage on the stove top

and then finished them off in a pan with green peppers and onions.

The sausage and peppers cooked at 350* for 90 minutes.

Then I set up the dip for the mommy crack.

Rotel, cream cheese and sausage= CRACK. Its really easy to assemble. I cooked the sausage and broke it up into crumbles. Combined the rotel, sausage and cream cheese and cooked on low till heated thru (2-4 hrs) and then kept warm.

I served this with crackers, toasted bread, and whatever else was on the table...might have even seen people eat spoonfuls of this stuff LOL

THEN...

I borrowed a rice cooker from Splinter Girl and started the rice for the california rolls.

When your guests demand homemade sushi ... you oblige. Why else did you spend $250 on the class???

After 30 short minutes in the rice cooker, I set the rice to cool and seasoned it with rice wine vinegar.

And set up a sushi station. By this time I started to reheat the baked ziti. Whew.

For more deets on that, i have a stash of photos from the first days of snobbery.

I put the sushi in the fridge while everything was heating so i could get ready. didnt want to be the hostess still in her jammies.

Got right back in the kitchen all made up with my apron and made spanish rice and the sangria!

I was given some sweet shiraz. I used one bottle of shiraz, 1/8 cup blackberry brandy, 1/4 cup triple sec and a tablespoon of sugar, stirred it up and refrigerated. Added one chopped Gala apple and one navel orange to the mix. Tasting sangria to make sure its just right is fun! but dangerous on an empty stomach.

just sayin.

(party city threw up in my living room) when the sangria was perfect and chilled, i set the table and the guests started to arrive.

Off the top of my head: sausage and peppers, quesadillas, potstickers, jalapeno poppers, wings, mommy crack, brioche, italian bread, focaccia, rotisserie chicken, farfalle with white wine sauce, chicken francese, shrimp cocktail, sushi, baked ziti, fresh fruit, spanish rice... and desserts in the fridge.

Side views...and my fridge has never been so full!

Looks like moms fridge! for booze we got Jell-O shots! sangria, coquito, rum, vodka, and white wine. whew.

Just the girls :-) Alert the Media... Mo wore a dress! Shhhh.

Mickey was hitting the sauce... had to pray that rum out of her paws (sort of)

First one is Mickey begging for chicken.... second is us getting busted staring lovingly at eachother, right before she licked my nose. Love my little hug muffin.

Here I am washing grapes before the new year! I was introduced to some new traditions this year.

I was forced to eat the 12 grapes, chug a glass of champange while holding money (for wealth- psh wheres my mega millions!?!), a condom (for lots of sex in the new year), and a walnut... for god knows what.
We played drinking games, did shots, and took turns holding mickey like a baby.
All in all it was a sweet intimate gathering of friends who got to take home a lot of food. I spent the first few hours of the new years happily cleaning the kitchen.
I am not really a resolutionist but this year i resolve to:
-keep an open mind in all aspects of my life
-pursue a life of happiness and contentment
-be open for the possibility of love
-be the most amazing version of myself that there ever was

...and how awesome am I for starting the first day of the year on a date with a new boy :-)