What are you cooking for NYE?

We just got back from Barbados, so I'm putting a casserole in the oven that I just defrosted: lamb, eggplant, fromage blanc (Cowgirl Creamery recipe) and tomato sauce; a green salad with vinaigrette and some snowball cookies that I have in the freezer. And of course, we will be having champagne! Happy New Year to everyone!

Paella for tonight's party - and hoppin' john for tomorrow's vegetarian back-to-normal feast.

Traditional Southern USA fare: Hoppin' John (black-eyed peas and rice with ham hocks), collard greens and corn bread. The peas are for money in the new year, the greens for good health. And it tastes SO good!

Lenticche di Castellucio con Cotechino. Umbrian lentils with artisan cotechino sausage. Traditional New Year's Eve fare, lentils symbolizing coins and luck in the coming year.

Make that the juniper-honey pot de creme. Everything except the celeriac-potato mash and black-eyed peas (traditional NYE fare) is a Food 52 recipe, too!

Sounds good bigpan. I'm serving loin of beef with porcini-rosemary crust, celeriac and potato mash; mixed saute of mushrooms; fennel and two-celery salad; juniper-honey creme brulee; black-eyed peas and a bottle of good red. We'll be dancing to an eclectic and uplifting mix tape: James Taylor, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Cat Stevens, Herman's Hermits, Nina Simone, Van Morrison, IZ, Sinatra, and my favorite - Florence & the Machine. It's a good day to listen to "Dog Days Are Over". Happy and safe NY to you!

Chateaubriand, with all the trimmings (scored mushroom caps, potato, carrot, hollandaise, etc). A decent red. Nice music. Candles. That is the game plan for my house.