Another quiet New Year's Eve at home...it was a bit too cool and breezy to dine in our 'dining area' on the back lanai, so we cleaned off the living room coffee table and set it up as our dining table... getting too old to be able to get up from floor gracefully, so I had to resort to sitting on the couch.
The menu and table settings were the simplest I could come up with at the last minute, and still 'feel celebratory'...
Pears, caramelized pecans, pomegranate seeds, and blue cheese salad (special request from Anthony)
Boiled shrimp to dip in my own special 'cocktail sauce' (ketchup, mayo, horseradish, & nam pla Thai sauce)
Sautéed scallops in blood orange infused olive oil, with capers added at the last.
Small potatoes, cut and rubbed with avocado oil, sea salt, and pepper, then roasted.
Manchego cheese
Pickles & Olives
Martinelli
Dessert:
Christmas cookies and other leftover Christmas treats..
The salad in the back and the pickles and olives in a blue ceramic star shaped plate in the foreground. The small Japanese bowls hold the 'cocktail sauce' for the shrimp - ketchup, mayo, horseradish, & nam pla Thai sauce.
One of the gifts I received this year was a Jim Shore - Angel of Generosity figurine. A beautiful angel carrying a tray of fruit, and the colors of her skirt, which I thought blended well with the colors of our New Year theme, inspired me to use the multicolored sarape style runner from Pier 1 I bought several years ago.
The blue plates were a Freecycle score many years ago; the shallow glass sunflower bowls were found in an after the holiday sales at Paradise Plants in Hilo, also many years ago...I used 'rough cotton' navy blue napkins and my Wallace Napoleon Bee flatware.
The cobalt glasses used to hold tea lights I've had many years; the light blue drinking glasses were a gift from a friend.
Pears, caramelized pecans, pomegranate seeds, & blue cheese, 'partially deconstructed' salad so I could include the Manchego cheese on the same plate...the table is not large enough to hold too many different dishes. The strong taste of both cheeses complemented the juicy pears and the caramelized pecan halves.
Boiled the shrimp just enough to not get rubbery and still 'pop' when bitten into.
The scallops sautéed in blood orange infused olive oil, then added capers. The scallops were sprinkled with a tiny bit of Hawaiian Red Alaea sea salt during the sautéing.
Small potatoes, cut and rubbed with avocado oil, sea salt, and pepper, then roasted; a few sprigs of stick oregano were added during the roasting, discarded after they were done, and a fresh sprig added for the presentation...plus I love the taste!
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
Feliz Año Nuevo!
Happy New Year!
