Start out the new year learning new skills -- my two favorite recipes are Petit Pain Au Chocolat COMPLICATED, BUT YOU CAN DO IT! and French Toast Bread Pudding, VERY VERY EASY! which are both OVERNIGHT recipes -- so you can prepare them the night before, then the next morning you do the actual baking (you DON'T bake the night before, just prepare them --this first overnight step takes less than 20 minutes).

And here's a nice article in the NY Examiner that also mentions the songwriting geniuses David Buskin, Lou and Peter Berryman, AND Deirdre Flint of The Four Bitchin' Babes.  Hope Mary Travers is smiling down on all this!  New York Examiner article about Lavin ASCAP Award

And here's a FANTASTIC egg nog recipe -- so easy!!!  

Alton Brown's Egg Nog  -- I've made it twice and it's simply fantastic.  Who knew how easy it actually is to make?  All you need is an electric mixer.  No cooking.  

It's very flexible -- you can substitute 2% milk for whole milk to make it a bit skinnier, or use less heavy cream and more milk.  You can also leave out the bourbon and include vanilla instead.  The key is whipping the eggs.  Below is a website that tells you everything you need to know about whipping eggwhites -- and just before that is a link to a video that explains egg white whipping step by step.  

If you are one of those people who say, "Oh, I don't know how to cook!" -- this will change everything for you.

Egg White Whipping Video

Everything else you ever need to know about beating egg whites

Start the new year with a new skill -- impress your friends with this amazing egg nog!  And petit pain au chocolat and French Toast Bread Pudding.

Let's make 2010 a great year for all of us.  Go OBAMA! --- Chris