My Food Resolutions in 2012

Normally I'm not a fan of New Year's Eve. For every satisfying, fun-filled celebration, there are four under-whelming, borderline depressing ones. Maybe it's because the evening lacks a real purpose. Is it a night for drinking, for dancing, or for really good food? To go out or not to go out? And is there anything to the superstition that the person you kiss at midnight is who you'll spend the rest of the year with? (I hope so.)

I always suspected the key to my New Year's Eve happiness lied in food. And this year I found out I was right. I spent the evening with my husband and some good friends, feasting on an incredible five-course meal cooked by the men. The women looked very pretty, making sure champagne and wine glasses were kept full. We ate leisurely right up until the ball dropped in Times Square at midnight. After taking a break to watch the revelry on TV (taking place just a few blocks away from our peaceful dinner), we had dessert. I made individual sticky toffee puddings and learned that it's a fine idea to put that buttery lava of a sauce on anything (even in your coffee).

Now that I think of it, last year's New Year's Eve was a success, too. And all because of the oysters and smoked trout spread that we ate on a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico (celebrating the holiday in Florida certainly helped, too). Big surprise, right? Good food = happiness in my book. In consideration of that fact, I'm going to commit to eating well in 2012. So without further adieu:

My Food Resolutions in 2012

• Learn more about how to pair wine with food. What To Drink with What You Eat has pointed me in a good direction. Drink This: Wine Made Simple is also very promising.

• Add more FAST + EASY (but delicious) dinners to my repertoire.
• Obey my cravings.
• Master le Macaron Parisienne. 

• Make everyday dinners more special. Candles, cloth napkins, and low lighting.
  
• Commit to memory the proper way to set a table (forks on the left!).
• Learn to love grapefruit.

What are your food wishes for 2012? Forget the New Year/New You diet, I want to know what you plan to cook, eat and enjoy in the coming year.