I had so much fun ringing in the New Year with a festive little fête at our place. With everyone dressed glamorously and toting bubbly plus something indulgent to share, it was a very good time.

We laid out cheese, crackers and salumi, mini quiches, spanakopita and baked mussels. Our friends ramped up the indulgence with goodies like toast points topped with smoked oysters and sour creme, chocolate molten cakes, chocolate covered potato chips, and peanut butter swirl brownies baked from scratch.

Our experimental welcome drink, blood orange gin fizz topped with candied orange rind, turned out to be quite the crowd pleaser.


Seeing my different groups of friends mingle and have a blast together made the evening extra special for me. I found it so cool that by the end of the night, they were hatching plans to food trip in Flushing and watch Red Bulls soccer games in Harrison.

2011 was a crazy roller coaster ride of a year that felt like a decade's worth of living packed into 365 days. There's a lot to be thankful for but what I cherish the most about 2011 was that it was a year well shared with the people who are important to me. For me, love is best expressed by giving someone your time. To my family and friends who took the time this year to join me in eating ridiculously good food; draining many bottles of wine, beer and assorted spirits; bungee-jumping off a tower; chasing after whale sharks; spelunking through caves; trekking up a volcano; salsa-dancing on the streets of San Juan; having moments worthy of the movie The Hangover in New Orleans, Cancun and Las Vegas; getting my butt kicked at wakeboarding and snowboarding; getting my mind blown with fantastic music at Coachella and Electric Zoo; and just generally living the hell out of life, THANK YOU. With all of you in my life, 2012 is bound to be a crazy good time.