Lobster!

Happy New Year!!

We had a great, somewhat upscale dinner for New Year's Eve, helped by the $4.99 live lobsters at my regular grocery store! We bought 4 and promptly named them: Condoleezza, George, Dick and Karl. They did not go in the freezer for the optional numbing, either.

2 became lobster gratin for New Year's Eve dinner, and 2 were lobster salad with homemade rolls for lunch today, pictured above. Right after midnight, we had some hoppin' john soup for luck in 2009.

I made cheese fondue - what's more New Year's Eve-y than that? However, even though I read every fondue tip I could find, it ended up a lump of stringy cheese on the bottom with a nasty lake of dairy-infused wine on top. So sometime on 2009 we will be going to a fondue restaurant somewhere (Montreal would be great, but I'll take Philly anytime). And cheese fondue will remain in the same category as sushi, oysters on the half-shell, and 12-ounce prime filet mignon: too much trouble/money/special equipment to make at home when there are perfectly wonderful restaurants who serve it. In my defense, I will try almost anything at home, cooking-wise. But we all have to draw the line somewhere, right?

Happy New Year - let's all kick some ass in 2009!!!