Welcome to 2010!!!  May it
bring all of you the best that life has to offer and when things don't go well, the strength to make it
through the rough times.  No recipes today...sort of in a food/holiday coma...just sharing some of what
I did make with the family for the New Year's holiday.  I like lots of hors d'ouevres for a New Years' Eve,
whether we're home, just the 4 of us, or out...however...my family gives me the freedom to MOST of the
time pick what we are eating...On NYE, they make the decision.  They like to end and start the year on
a festive and luxurious note...that says Lobsters and King Crab to them.  In the NY/NJ area, the reces-
sion has brought the price of live lobsters way down.  They ranged from 5.99-7.99 lb.  How can you
not??  Btw, personal preference,  hate frozen lobster tails...why do that when you live in an area where
the live Maine/Canada lobsters are fresh year round?  Later in the week, I will post the details of this
dinner.  For now, I'm just throwing out at you some visuals....



A platter of fresh tagliatelle with an Amatriciana Sauce, from the town of Amatrice, Italy
a Roman pasta sauce staple, usually served with Bucatini (or Perciatelli), the thick
spaghettli with the hole down the center.   Onions, tomatoes, olive oil (or leaf lard),
pancetta, black pepper, pecorino....



Porchetta, the food that got me into this months' Saveur Magazine...slow roasted pork
with a rubbing of fresh rosemary (NOT DRIED!!), garlic, olive oil, fennel seeds, lots and
lots of salt and pepper....



And while cooking last night, I looked out the window and saw an amazing sunset...first
one of 2010....red sky at night, sailor's delight....the water was alive with all the possibilites
the new year has in store for each one of us.  My "still life" is evocative of some of the things
that get me happy and excited...a can of San Marzanos and a beautiful sunset...enjoy the
weekend.