a homemade send-off

i know that new year's eve is

inherently a celebration holiday,

one filled with parties, noisemakers,

sparkly dresses and lots of champagne.

but none of that is really me.

yes, i like a celebration,

and the wine that usually

comes with it,

but i'm more about

the quiet get-togethers,

special meals and

spending a night at home,

free of crazy after midnight drivers

and late night drama.

and, luckily, larry is understanding.

yes, he likes the parties.

but he also likes good food,

which is usually the promise

i offer up in exchange for an evening in.

and while this year

i was somewhat so-so about the

dishes that came out of our kitchen,

he enjoyed them, we made them together

and, i'm proud to say, i made it to midnight.

brandy, pear nectar and prosecco. it was...ok.

the ingredients for chili crab, inspired by a meal larry recently had at fatty crab. recipe from the new york times. it was good, but very messy, and not as spicy as either of us expected. i think next time, i'd go back to my adapted version of this recipe.

we loved the dungeness crabs so much a couple weeks ago that we jumped on the chance to get more when they popped up again in the market. i cleaned two 1.5 pound crabs, then halved them.

the already cooked crabs were simmered with the shallot-based sauce, then topped with scallions.

i've been eyeing this gelato for a while and when i looking for a vanilla ice cream to serve with bananas, i knew this was the time. it was so worth it.

in search of a fast, but good dessert, i decided to make a riff on banana's foster. it was very rummy - i'm still not sure how i feel about that.