The Final Word(s) on 2005....

As occasions go, New Year's Eve deserves an honorable mention around here. Joe and I met on New Year's Eve 1997 and talked for 3 hours until it was well past 3 a-m. Fast forward to 2005 where it is safe to say we won't be awake at 3:00 am thanks to the runaway freight train that filled our lives with marriage, children and a few houses to boot!

So instead of talking into the night at a party -- we settled for a treat Joe only gets once a year.




Oh STOP it -- I am talking about steak! I made dinner for all of us that included New York Strip pan-seared and then sauteed in a Cabernet Reduction. This is how big a deal beef is around here. The butcher let Joe come in the back with him as he made the cuts and trimmed the (?%$^#$) fat. (The whole thing makes me queasy.)

Our side dishes included green beans with bacon and pimiento (did you ever meet a Southerner who didn't add bacon to the green beans???), hot baked pineapple, Fettucine Alfredo (Joe's family tradition), biscuits and kid-friendly Brownies for dessert.

The girls were certain it was a holiday because we ate in the dining room. Joe is POSITIVE it was a holiday because there was a big slab of red meat on his plate in his own home.

May all of your dreams come true in 2006!