what i did on my new year's vacation.

we had a good friend (and his dog) over for new year's weekend and because he travels so much, he eats out all the time. as a special treat (and because we're extremely low-key new year's people), i cooked all weekend for us. it was fun experimenting with new recipes and (ok, selfishly) allowed me to do the thing i love the most.

saturday late lunch

• hot open-faced turkey sandwiches with dijon and melty swiss cheese. served with salt and pepper kettle chips and arugula salad dressed simply with lemon and olive oil. this was my take on a croque monsieur.

saturday dinner

• antipasti of sausage and horseradish crostini, spiced cashews and walnuts, lentil spread, salad of roasted beets, apple and parmesean, stonehouse dipping oil (nothing special). something sweet, i served mom's traditional kolacky cookies filled with apricot and poppyseed, a polish holiday treat she makes just once a year. since we had eaten a late lunch, a table full of snackies were just right.

new year's eve morning

• baked oatmeal with dried cherries, turkey and pork sausages, served with heavy cream and warmed vanilla syrup. oj, coffee and ponche navideño, a traditional mexican christmas punch. in the photo above, i have just added the fresh guava (that smelled simply heavenly).

new year's eve snack

• fresh popcorn with parmesean.

new year's eve dinner

• caramelized onion, parmesean and polenta tart, smoked salmon canapes served atop herbed and crisped kettle chips, roast pork loin with garlic and rosemary, tuscan native harvest wild rice salad with toasted pistachio, dried cranberries and shallot vinaigrette, green beans with garlic and bread, chocolate gingerbread with fresh whipped cream. i'm glad we had a lot of food because we had a lot to drink. (ahem.)

new year's day brunch

• spicy roasted chicken chilaquiles, whole beans, scrambled egg whites with jalapeño. served with oj and ponche navideño (this time, sans rum!). a hearty way to remove the effects of our collective veisalgia.

if you're interested in any of these recipes, please leave a comment.

note: requested recipes follow.

scrambled egg whites with jalapeño
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. distilled water
6 large egg whites
1 or 2 roughly chopped jalapeño peppers
1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
pinch kosher salt

over a medium-high burner, heat olive oil in large sauté pan and add jalapeño peppers. cook for three minutes. whisk together remaining ingredients and add to pan. scramble together to desired consistency.

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ponche navideño (christmas punch)
note: the original recipe is incredibly sweet, so this version reflects my changes.

from the original author: this warming punch contains winter fruits that grow in mexico. some of these are not available in the united states, so i have found substitutes. this punch is a good alternative to mulled wine.

prep time: 20 minutes
cooking time: 1 hour
serves: 24

1-1/4 cups dark brown sugar (not packed)
10-12 cups water
2 cups dried apricots, halved (substituted for tejocotes, which you may be able to find at a hispanic market)
2 cups fresh guavas, quartered
2 cups pitted plums, halved
2 fresh pomegranates, halved (my addition per a tip from a farmers' market employee)
3/4 cup sugarcane, cut into 1-inch pieces (i left mine whole; it was hard to cut)
1 cup dark rum (optional; i didn’t include)

dissolve the sugar in the water and add the fruit and sugarcane. heat and simmer gently until the fruit is cooked through, about 1 hour.

add the rum and serve hot.

adapted from “the mexican mama’s kitchen” by sofía larrinúa-craxton

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caramelized onion, parmesean and polenta tart
note: i'm still working with this recipe. it seems like it should be "set" better. let me know how you do and any changes you make that yield a less "gooey" tart. gooey is good, of course, but would love to have it firmer.

1/2 pound thawed puff pastry (if using frozen puff pastry, make sure to find a brand that does not use hydrogenated oil)
all-purpose flour, for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup corn meal
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ounces parmesean cheese, coarsely shredded (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme, plus more for garnish

preheat the oven to 475° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. on a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 12-inch square about 1/8 inch thick. trim the edges to form a neat square. cut a 1/2-inch-wide strip from each of the 4 sides of the pastry. brush the pastry square lightly with the beaten egg, then arrange the strips along the edges to form a raised rim. using a fork, prick the bottom of the crust all over. bake the tart shell for 15 minutes, or until it is golden and the rim has risen; use a fork to flatten any bubbles.

meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet. add the onions, cover and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until softened and browned, about 10 minutes; add a few tablespoons of water as needed. remove from the heat.

in a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. add the corn meal and whisk until smooth. cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes. season with salt and pepper and stir in the onions, parmesean and 1 teaspoon of thyme. spread the polenta in the crust and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. sprinkle with thyme and serve.

adapted from this recipe by bill telpan.