Happy 2012!  I hope you had a fun (and most importantly – safe!) New Year’s Eve.  We had a really good time, although this year was much more low-key than previous celebrations.  It was all about three things:  food, friends, and family.

First, we stopped by our friends Kelly and Brad’s house for a party.  There was an incredible spread of food!  Kelly is a very good hostess.  We hung out for a bit and chatted with our friends.

Then, we headed home to host a small potluck dinner party with Nicole and Isaac and our other friends, Heather and Sean. 

Everyone drank lots of delicious wine, but Heather and I stuck to a non-alcoholic concoction.

Sparkling apple cider + frozen raspberries:

Oh yeah.  Livin’ it up!

Dinner was excellent.  Potlucks can be awkward if everyone brings the same type of dish, but miraculously, our dishes coordinated quite nicely.

Twice baked goat cheese potatoes, a salad, roasted Brussel sprouts, and a cheesy quinoa and tofu dish.  There was also challah bread and homemade black bean soup.  I went back for seconds of everyyyything.  So delicious.

I have to say – my Twice Baked Goat Cheese Potatoes were a hit!  I made up this recipe on the fly yesterday (perhaps I was feeling inspired by the Stuffed {Potato Skin} Shells).  The recipe was really easy and so comforting.

Twice Baked Goat Cheese Potatoes

Ingredients (serves 6 – 8)

• 10 small to medium Russet potatoes
• 1 8-ounce package of herb and garlic goat cheese (if only regular is available, add 1 tablespoon garlic and 2 tablespoons dried Italian herb blend to the recipe).
• 2 cups loosely packed raw spinach
• 6 carrots
• 1/2 tablespoon salt, plus more for sprinkling

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (alternatively, you can microwave the potatoes; do 3 – 4 potatoes at a time, individually wrapped in a wet paper towel, for 6 – 9 minutes)
• Rinse potatoes, stab with a fork, and rub with olive oil. 
• Bake potatoes for 1 hour 10 minutes or until soft.
• Remove from oven and slice lengthwise.  Allow 5 minutes to cool off a bit.
• Carefully remove the insides of the potatoes using a small spoon.  Set potato insides in bowl; lay out skins on a greased casserole dish (or two).
• In a food processor, combine the carrots and spinach until blended.  Remove half and set aside.
• Add goat cheese to remaining carrots and spinach and blend.  Add half of potato mixture and blend.  Add last half of potato mixture and blend some more.  Add in salt.  Add leftover spinach and carrots and blend yet again.  It will take a while to get everything smooth and creamy. 
• Carefully scoop back cheese and potato mixture into potato skins.  Sprinkle tops with a generous amount of salt.
• Bake stuffed potato skins for an additional 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 
• Serve and enjoy!

You could easily reduce this recipe to serve less people, too.

So – after we ate, our friends left for a party, and the Husband and I sat on the couch by ourselves and watched the ball drop.  It was private and wonderful; a moment for us to just be alone and reflect on the past year and the upcoming year.  We stayed up for another 30 minutes or so and then went to bed.  Not a bad way to ring in 2012, I think!

First breakfast of the New Year!

Just a simple mix of raw oats, Greek yogurt, and a banana.

Well, my friends, I’m going to back to bed.  Wahoo!  Nothing sounds better right now.

New Year’s Thought of the Day:

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” – Mark Victor Hansen