New Year, New List

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope 2011 has brought you a lot of Tadas! already.

Don't you love it when the new year comes around?

It's like a blank slate to make goals & dreams

come to life.

I don't make resolutions because not keeping them

is a blah. Let's just say I want to keep learning

and to try new experiences & adventures --

that's always TADA!

On the top of my list is reading more.

Including reading more cookbooks and learning

new cuisines like French cooking.

I've always tiptoed around this cuisine

because I've dismissed it as complicated.

Until I found this book:

It's part cookbook with easy to follow recipes,

part memoir with insights into French culture

lovingly written by Dorie Greenspan.

I knew very little about Miss Greenspan but I immediately fell

in love with her when she read excerpts from the book.

What a wonderful storyteller!

A gentle woman who would feed you, regale you with

stories if ever you knocked at her door.

And true enough, the recipes in the book were

simple enough for the home cook and received

TADAs! when my husband and I made

these at a recent party.

Here's what we made:

Chestnut and Pear Soup

{served as an appetizer}

Goat Cheese Mini Puffs

{I made the cream puff dough from scratch!}

Potato Gratin

{layers of potato, cheese & cream}

Pancetta Green Beans

I can't wait to try her other recipes

so I can make everyday blah meals

into TADA! meals! I might even join

French Fridays with Dorie.

Have a great day!

Wish No. 5

I have another wish for the New Year.

Today, I wish for:

Many, many more ideas to share with you!

Have a fabulous New Year and

a fun, fun weekend!

Wish No. 4

Here's another wish for 2011:

To remain optimistic and hopeful -- and may this

rub off onto everyone I meet.

Wish No. 3

To ring in 2011, I have a list of wishes for you and me.

Today, I wish for:

Generosity.

It takes very little to make people happy -- whether it's a little

of our time, talent and treasure.

May we give a lot of ourselves this year!

Wish No. 2

Thanks for stopping by today!

I'm making a list of wishes for the New Year.

Today, I wish for:

Joy in the simplest of things &

a joy that touches others.

A Wish for 2011

The New Year is here and all this week,

I'm making a list of wishes for 2011.

Today, I wish for:

May calm fill our hearts, minds and homes;

one that lasts throughout the year!

Wish Upon a Star

We're still taking a tour around New York City

looking at lights and decorations.

Today, I'll show you a few stars.

No, not celebrities but stars to wish upon!

Here are the stars that prettify Chelsea Market.

I like that they recycled paper, cardboard

and CDs and were successful in creating

a festive mood.

These are the stars at the Shops at Columbus Circle.

They change color and are quite mesmerizing.

Here's the UNICEF snowflake along Fifth Avenue

and 57th Street which is beacon of hope, peace and

compassion for vulnerable children around the world.

It really catches your attention and the meaning

behind it makes it all the more special.

Here's to a bright, hopeful and dazzling 2011!

Cheers!