I'm hosting an intimate dinner for 8 tonight. The menu consists of very simple, yet tasty vegetarian dishes: walnut raisin bacciata with a pickled lemon spread, roasted root veggies with EVOO and raspberry balsamic vinegar, egg pasta cacio e pepe with kale and almonds, cucumber yogurt salad, another salad that a friend is bringing over, and for dessert, Nicaraguan cheese manuelitas, berries with condensed milk and sprinkled nuts. We'll have water wine and/or drinks we already have at home.

After dinner, we're all heading over to another friend's house to ring in the new year at her party.

I'm having my family over for a big pancake breakfast tomorrow morning. We all have kids so that is easier. We're going to gather around and have a fun time. I can't wait!

Pork loin in honey mustard sauce, sauerkraut, applesauce, potatoes, and carrots. Good and hearty tradition in some parts of the northeast. We don't often eat meat but this is an exception.

Dinner for two: homemade pizza and champagne.

We had appetizers to nosh on last night before heading out to a party. I made gougeres stuffed with bacon, arugula and pickled onions (a Zuni recipe), 5-layer taco dip (guilty pleasure!!), the caesar salad deviled eggs Smitten Kitchen posted recently and creme brulee. Delish!

Today, we had black-eyed peas with bacon and a side of greens. Good luck and health in 2012!

At my NYE party I served vegan sushi (with different combinations of beets, mango, lime/ginger marinated carrots, and soy/sesame/sriracha marinated shitakes), deviled eggs (with dill and harissa), traditional Quebecois ragoût de boulettes (meatballs with a savoury cinnamon and cloves gravy), Filipino-style chicken and veggie spring rolls, cookies, chips, spiced almonds, and copious amounts of wine!

We do New Year's Day brunch with our next door neighbors every year, trading off who hosts. This year it was our turn; we had the sweet potato hash (I used half sweet potatoes and half Yukon Golds as well as using mirepoix instead of only onions), home baked bread, and a salad with a light vinaigrette. It was a lovely meal and it is a nice tradition to reconnect with neighbors at this time of the year.