Happy New Year!

First picture is me coming off the trail New Year's Eve.  Some of my old and new friends at our dinner  party last night are in the next two pictures.  Beautiful day for a ride on the trail to Floral City today.  The motivation was for me to sign up for the water color class that begins next week.  If you pay ahead you save $5 a lesson.  I'm all for that.  Means I can buy more art supplies with my savings.  I'm sure that isn't what Michael had in mind, though.

My Italian friend raved about my Italian cooking, a feather in my cap!  She had a few tips for me that came in handy.  I was a bit anxious about how to have the pasta ready at just the right moment.  She said the trick is to cook it about al dente and drain it into a colander.  Then, when you are ready to serve, plunge it into a pot of boiling water briefly and it will be perfect.  It worked like a charm and the dish was delicious. Problem was, I was sure the recipe wouldn't be enough, even though it said servings for 8.  So, I increased it and you know how pasta can get away from you. We now have enough left over for at least two meals for us and then some.  Well, you never want to be come up short in the food department when you entertain, a hostesses nightmare!


I wanted to write my "Ode to the Trail"today and include it in my blog, but I don't have the time.  Our friend, Julie, wants us to come over for New Year's Eve cheer tonight and I haven't cleaned up from our bike ride yet. We really aren't into great revelry for New Year's and usually only wake up to welcome the new year when we hear the signs that it is midnight out our window as the neighborhood celebrates for us. A quick New Years' kiss sews it up for us and back to sleep again, once the sirens stop outside. We figure an hour there will be about right, since the party doesn't even start until 9.  We usually head to bed about that time.

I was surprised I had something to throw together to take to Julie's at the last moment, without a trip to the store.  But fear not, I was actually able to scrape together most of the ingredients for a creamy black bean salsa, with only one substitution, tomatoes for the red pepper.  Not bad for me.  An actual recipe out of an actual magazine, no less. 

Happy New Year to all my followers and I will try very hard to write my Ode tomorrow.  I know you wait with bated breath.