2015

 

Here we go guys, another trip around the sun.

New Year's is generally a quiet affair around here, especially as we just returned from a holiday trip to Chicago and needed some downtime after all the insanity that is the month of December. Other than a few memorable New Year's (Waikiki Beach and Tokyo come to mind) I generally find NYE parties to be disappointing and forced. It's never the glamorous evening I imagine, but in my experience it tends to play out like amateurs night- somebody drinks too much, somebody won't stop complaining about their bad year/breakup/job/etc, somebody talks the big talk about their resolutions, the weather is always cold (I'm remembering sub-zero fireworks in Chicago one year), and everybody has to wait it out until 12 before the treacherous drive home. We tend to sit it out.

We do have a tradition of making Veggie Hoppin' John and Collard Greens on New Year's Day as a way to auspiciously bring in the new year. This year there was a run on collards at our local grocery- literally three people were asking for it at the same time as I was- so we substituted kale instead. Our collards are made with vegetarian bacon for texture, and steak sauce and a tad of liquid smoke for flavor. 

I'm not really one for resolutions, but I do enjoy the chance to reflect on all that happened in the past twelve months and to think about goals for the coming year. May 2015 bring you joy and peace,the chance for personal growth, and the opportunity to experience the world in new and eye opening ways. Happy New Year!