Oh, such pretty tableware. I’ve always loved that pattern - Pfaltzgraff Winterberry, right? Your tablecloth is beautiful too and your dinner looks fabulous.
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Yes, it’s Winterberry. We had put it away after Christmas, but I dragged it out again just for tonight 
I think I’ve said this before, but Pfaltzgraff was founded here in the town where I was born, so it’s extremely popular with certain generations.
The tablecloth is April Cornell.
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I’d use those dishes all winter. I have a set of Lenox Winter Greetings Everyday china that has all of the birds we see at our feeders in the winter. Hard to find a good photo of them.
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Those are adorable.
New Year’s Eve dinner here in Bangkok at a popular Isaan (NE Thailand) food chain called “Baan Somtum”. Including myself, there were 5 of us, a Japanese friend of 25 years with his Thai wife and their 2 kids (ages 5 and 7). I’m not too adventurous when it comes to eating food in general…and especially not so when traveling for fear of getting sick. So my friends chose some dishes I might like. Though green papaya salad (Somtum) is by far the most famous Isaan dish, papaya tends to cause my mouth to itch, so we didn’t order it. There were a few dishes that were ordered that I didn’t eat, but the ones pictured were all good and the best Thai food I’ve had since arriving (except for my friend’s wife’s mother’s homemade gapao rice!)
- somtum yod maphrao (spicy heart of coconut palm salad)
- somtum khao pod (Thai sweet corn Sslad with salted duck egg)
- phad makhua (stir fried eggplant with Thai basil…kind of “minty” and a bit different than that used in gapao rice)
- sannai khai tod (fried chicken filets with corn fritters served with tamarind sauce and the ubiquitous sweet chilli sauce)
- steamed vegetables (cabbage, Chinese cabbage, rape blossoms, gourd, sweet pea blossoms and baby corn…served with an unpictured VERY spicy fermented crab miso sauce…a little dab of it went a loooonng way!
)
Also unpictured is a plate of wonderful Thai jasmine rice…something I’ve long loved.
I’m not sure which dish was my favorite and I didn’t dislike any of them. The biggest surprise was that none of the dishes were too spicy for me and that I liked the salted duck egg in the somtum khao pod!
I apologize in advance for any possible errors in the transliteration of the Thai names for the dishes as well as the English tran of them.
And I truly thank my friends for choosing this restaurant (https://baansomtum.com/en/menu/) for my final meal of 2023.
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Happy New Year! My NYE is being spent curled up on the sofa in my jammies watching Dick Clark’s Rocking New Years Eve. I paid a visit to the market this afternoon to pick up dinner.
Dolmades and a glass of sherry.
Lincet cheese, kabanos because I couldn’t find a pate that interested me, Parisien bread, salad and olives - all paired with a sparkling rose. I have some cake too but I may have it tomorrow since I am getting full.
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We’ve never celebrated New Year’s Eve with the exception of 1999 when we went with my brother and his (now ex) wife to Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. It was a wild time. We all made it back to our house in Eastham in one piece. I don’t really like being around drunk people and am uncomfortable being on dark two lane highways with drivers seeing double. Not my idea of celebrating anything except survival.
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Greetings, People and Happy New Year!
Thomas Keller’s herb-brined fried chicken. The NYT’s version of creamy mac and cheese (gift link) made with Cougar Gold, Pecorino Romano and Velveeta. Salad greens in vinaigrette.
We’re both stuffed, and will be in bed by 9:00. 
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I had a great NYE with that chicken recipe many years ago !
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Beef Wellington
Fondant potatoes
Ina’s maple baked beans, broccoli, fruit salad. Purchased lemon meringue cheesecake and strawberry jelly roll for dessert.
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The brine really takes it over the top. I don’t always do the brine, but when I do, I don’t regret it. 
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Very nice!
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I enjoy reading about your adventure!
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That looks really good
Thank you! It’s been an adventure indeed! Until the night of the 30th, I’d only seen busting Bangkok and the neighboring suburb of Bang Na. However, my friend and his family took us for one night to Bangsaray, a lovely beach town south of Pattaya.
I had no desire to see Pattaya as I had heard only unflattering things about it. Thankfully Bangsaray is somewhat far Pattaya and other than a drive through Pattaya and lunch there, I didn’t have to experience anything there.
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We hosted two couples and their respective kids tonight. Menu was
Apps:
Cheese plate - aged cheddar, smoked cheddar, dill Havarti, Beemster, plain Havarti, dried cherries, pistachios, homemade blackberry jam, homemade cranberry-apple-shallot relish, Italian croccantini crackers, ww Ritz, Aldi Mezze tray w/olives, feta, and Peppadews, smoked cheese and bacon spread (courtesy my MIL), summer sausage (ditto)
Cacio e pepe popcorn
Pigs in a blanket and assorted mini quiches
Red grapes
Cheddar Goldfish (we fancy)
They thought it would be funny to insert their arms in the shot:
Main(s):
Buttered spaghetti, choice of homemade Cincinnati chili or marinara sauce (Aldi’s Rao’s knockoff) w/meatballs (from frozen). Beef hot dogs and buns for anyone who wanted; I think mainly kiddos partook.
Garnishes of sour cream, shredded colby cheese, mild hot sauce, chopped onion, scallions, kidney beans, oyster crackers, and Fritos
Salad - friend brought blue cheese iceberg wedge salads with bacon, tomatoes, and dilled ranch dressing
Dessert:
Chocolate and sea salt caramel mini cookies
Sour orange pie (ATK) with unsweetened whipped cream - I added more lemon juice and an extra egg yolk to the filling and used a blind-baked regular pie crust
Espresso drinks
Wines:
Two from our local wine shop and an actually quite decent Champagne from Sam’s Club. Got lucky with that one.
Cat photo bomb.
One of our friends brought a bottle of Tott’s extra dry, which I wonder if he confused with extra brut?
And a few of us had a sip of Knob Creek bourbon as a final toast to 2023.
Happy New Year’s Eve!
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it all looks fabulous!
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Happy New Year everyone! We enjoyed an outstanding NYE dinner with our friends at Drew’s in Keyport, NJ, including lazy lobster; ribeye; sake marinated Chilean sea bass; scallops with butternut squash risotto; pork boudin spring rolls; tuna ceviche; voodoo shrimp; For dessert: salty chocolate caramel pretzel tarts; funny bone; bananas foster bread pudding. It all went great with some excellent red wines.
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Thanks! Kinda wish I’d had time to do dishes
I was joking with my husband that this year I’m like, “Frozen meatballs and jarred sauce is fine,” and ten years ago I would have been like, “I’ve been cooking for three days and made the crackers and hot dogs from scratch.” LOL. Priorities and free time change.
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I must be acclimating to inflation because those menu prices seem expensive but not outrageous. I think Asheville has gone crazy sometimes with the influx of tourist cash.
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