Yesterday we had a great time making hors d'oeuvres for the late night. We started with fried shrimp which turned out wonderful- note that we put only the tiniest amount of the cilantro and garlic mixture in the tip of each shrimp. Since we don’t have fried foods often, this was a real treat! Next we made a creamy roasted red pepper dip from one of mom’s new cookbooks. It was very quick and easy and we even roasted our own red peppers! Then we decided to try some more Thai cooking with marinated shrimp on skewers and chicken sate. This is the second time we tried sate and it turned out wonderful with the Penzy’s spice mix. Add a bit of guacamole and we were all happy and awake until the new year approached. This year we didn’t see the ball drop, but we did watch Cohnan make quite the show- it is amazing what gets on national TV these days. With some money in our pockets, full tummies and Door County’s sparkling cherry and cranberry drink in our hands we greeted the New Year with open arms. 
Today we all got up a little later, but in time to watch the Rose Parade. It is amazing the creativity that goes into every float. And I love watching the horses in their best! The only thing that I truly dislike about the parade is the lack of knowledge on the parts of the announcers “what’s cardamom…” I really think that the announcers should spend some time getting to know about what they are presenting- doing their job well and all. And also I wish they would quite fighting with each other- every announcer seems to have some serious psychological issues about self-importance. While the website does not contain information about the float make-up you can occasionally glean some information from the announcers which is always nice. Lunch was black eyed peas (need to remember to put in the smoked hock- makes all the difference), jalapeno corn bread, thai noodles side salad and deviled eggs. After a unknowingly violent King Arthur, we sat down to a nice game of Ticket to Ride which everyone had a good time with. Then we relaxed our brains with an oldie, The Best of Everything - a rather sad flick about three girls trying to find love and careers.
