NYE, 2023

2023 is now behind us.  Barely, but behind us nonetheless!

Conrad and I started the last day of the year pretty gently.  Conrad and I walked down to Whole Foods to pick up a few things, then swung over to Amara for a last breakfast there for 2023. 

My usual, an arepa, for me,

and my decaf latte. 

Nice to say hello to the folks there and wish them all a happy new year before we came home.

I spent much of the day in the kitchen.  Just one dish, a cake:  Imposantniy Chokoliadovo Bilkoviy Tort. 

That's the name of it from the cookbook.  Essentially, it's a fatless sponge flavoured with dark chocolate and ground walnuts, layered with meringues, coffee-flavoured whipped cream, and sour cherry preserves, then glazed with chocolate.  It's been a long time since I last made it, and it's a bunch of work, for sure.  That damn glaze seized up on me four times, and I had to send Conrad out to get more chocolate!  But I got it done in time to bring it over to Van's for dinner.

Dinner was a treat.  Van cooked lobster tails for us along with baked potatoes.  Mitch and Ted came over with a roasted beef tenderloin, and it made for a surf and turf dinner. 

I helped out in the kitchen.  Conrad kept his favourite girl company. 

We tried a new cocktail, an apple cider margarita. 

Champagne and red wine with dinner, and then before and after dessert, it was a couple of games of That's What She Said.

Bedtime was 1:30.  We finished the dishes and cleaning up late this morning.