Our New Years entertainment was inspired by ::Top Chef:: As I have mentioned, we really enjoy the show. A few of the episodes involved chefs blind-tasting several ingredients, in hopes of guessing the highest number correctly. An hour before our crew arrived, I grabbed over a dozen ingredients from my pantry that were slightly tricky: Hoisin, pickled ginger, white chocolate shavings, whole cumin & coriander seed, hazelnut bits, tomatillo sauce. . .At first, as I watched everyone strap on their dishtowels, I was envious that I couldn't join in. But I was soon rewarded-- they couldn't enjoy the faces I saw people pulling! I admit, I got pleasure out of dipping trusting fingers into sticky mystery sauces and watching their faces react to what their tongues were telling them. Kate, of course, was the most vocal. Ness, who wasn't playing, took pleasure in making Kate squirm over what she was about to put into her mouth.
It came as no surprise that Anthony won. He knows his food. Connor was very proud of his 1.5 out of 15. "I knew it was a cranberry, not a raisin!"Jared assured me he would be pulling this game out at his next party. So will I. It was fantastic.
We closed the year singing along to Karin on the piano. For once, we met the New Year when it slipped in to greet us. Well, some of us did. . .
