shitake burrito that looks like an animated sting ray

precious!

nancy, your bright future

marcus smiles

felipe, nancy, marcus

christina and nancy

It’s 2010 and I have cause to be sentimental.  I have never had particularly memorable New Year’s Eve celebrations but this year was wonderful.  I would say this was my favorite New Year’s Eve. Yes, definitely, in fact.  Felipe & Christina kindly opened up their place in San Diego and a small group of our friends made the drive from Los Angeles.  I was having an itch for San Diego anyway.

I feel warm about all the people at the party last night.   I absolutely adore my friends.  Last night, with all of us huddled and sleeping on Felipe & Christina’s floor, it occurred to me that there was a great deal of affection gathered up in such a small space.  It seemed logical but also incredible that some of the most important people in my life should be at the same place, at the same time, sleeping.  Thinking about this made me enormously happy.

I feel grateful.

oh, and also I made limoncello rose cakes.

ingredients:

zest of 4 lemons

3 cups of all purpose flouw

1/2 cup of butter

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 eggs

2 tablespoons limoncello

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

for syrup:

2 tablespoons of water

juice of 2 lemons

1/4 cup limoncello

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1. preheat oven to 325

2. cream butter and sugar

3. add zest and limoncello

4. beat in eggs one at a time

5. sift together flour, salt, and baking powder

6. alternate  flour mixture and buttermilk in three separate additions

7. grease and flour mold or line cupcake tins

8. fill molds and bake for 20 minutes

9. let cool in pan

10. meanwhile make the syrup by bringing all the ingredients to a boil over medium heat

11. unmold the cakes.  there should be small bubbled holes on the top of the cakes

12. pour the syrup over the cakes a teaspoon at a time, wait for the cakes to soak in syrup and then add another teaspoon

13. let cool completely (about one hour)

14. dust with powdered sugar