The Annual New Year's Disaster

Our batch of New Year's Cookies.

Ringing in the New Year has changed quite a bit since becoming parents. We used to get together with friends or get out on the town a bit more. Since Seth entering our lives we have been more apt to just stay home and get the little man to bed on time. J and I have stayed up with movies and favorite snacks but have not always "seen the ball drop" as they say.

Last night we stayed up and watched National Treasure 2 and Live Free or Die Hard. Two movies we have seen therefore knew we would enjoy. (We had a movie one year we turned off early and went to bed it was so boring.) We ate some super popcorn we popped our selves and drenched in butter and smothered in salt. It was way better than anything you get at the movies for $5.00 (yet how would I know as it was the last century when I went to a movie and actually bought popcorn!). We also made these to die for brownies and smothered them with melted Dove Dark chocolates, chopped Kit Kats, and Dark Chocolate M&M's. They were to die for if you are chocoholics like us. I think it actually can give you a buzz!

This morning life happened all too much like normal. Seth woke us up around 7 am yelling he needed to get the potty. Ahh, but it was too late, also as usual. Then the tradition started. I headed sleepily to the kitchen and started the New Year's Cookie batter. These cookies, much more like homemade donuts actually, are a tradition that goes way back in my husband's family and we are attempting to keep the tradition alive. I have to say they are so delicious to eat, but I still wish grandma was doing all the making!

You start by making some super sticky dough that must raise, then you scoop outthe dough onto pans so they can raise again. Then the fun part comes. The deep fat frying! Yikes - the smell is horendous at times, but again we keep the flavor of the feasting in mind. Once out of the fat we cover them in sugar and lay them out for all to enjoy. The disaster comes in the mess this whole process creates and the way it seems to take over my whole kitchen, and the smell, my whole house! This recipe is once a year stuff and therefore is never perfected. There are always little mistakes along the way but we pull together, regroup and then unite in eating our delightful confection.

Here is Jason transferring the dough to the hot oil on the stove and Seth dunking the fried ones in sugar and then placing them in a pan for eating. It is quite the process and requires everyone to help!

Seth immediately wanted to help with the choas so we put him in charge of the sugar. He did great! He has the job for next year too as far as we are concerned. His clothes might take a week to scrape of the sugar though : )

Seth loved the job and did great too!

Of course the grand prize was getting to eat as many as you wanted as this is breakfast and lunch on New Year's Day.

Now that the cookies are done we enjoy until we can't take another bite. I will spend the next hour cleaning my kitchen. The pans are everywhere, the oil is everywhere, the sugar is everywhere, the disaster has struck and left it's detritous! Then it's time to whip up some nacho dip for the big Husker game and hopefully watch our team bring us an end of the season victory! Of course, we will all be going to bed early tonight too...

Happy New Year's to you!