As I’ve written before, those stuck at home with a five-year-old don’t generally party on New Year’s Eve, but that doesn’t stop this household from enjoying a delicious celebratory meal to ring in the New Year. In fact, last night we decided to invite the kid to join us rather than sneaking our meal after his bedtime.

It was the best decision we’ve made: not only did we all have a wonderful, unhurried meal (that was not at 9:00 at night!) but Owen set the dining room table and arranged a festive centerpiece. Since he was so invested in our celebration, he was the best company we could have asked for (other than turning rack of lamb into a finger food, but that’s just a little thing….).

We kept it simple so we wouldn’t be slaving away in the kitchen all evening. White bean dip with sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic was the perfect appetizer for munching-while-cooking, and rack of lamb (bought pre-seasoned from Trader Joe’s) is as simple as plopping it on a pan and baking for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. We put a tray of halved Brussels sprouts in with the lamb and turned the oven up to 400 degrees convection bake at the end for a few minutes to roast them all yummy and brown.

Three more things and our meal was complete:

• Edamame and fresh basil risotto … I’ll post the recipe soon!
• A sauce made with shallots, all-fruit preserves (Trader Joe’s Super Fruit Spread), balsamic vinegar and butter, based on this one from Rachael Ray
• a divine Chateauneuf du Pape

We hope you enjoyed your New Year’s eve food as much as we did ours … and that you’ll share what you ate in the comments! Happy New Year!

Jessica Seinfeld, eat your heart out — I just made pumpkin ice cream for my four-year-old. Yes, ice cream with a vegetable in it, and get this — he asked for it. That’s right. Some would even have referred to it as begging. So when my self-proclaimed squash hater begs for pumpkin ice cream, is there really a choice?

There’s not even a small part of me that would have thought to put pureed pumpkin in ice cream, but Owen decided he wanted “pumpkin freeze” (still not clear on exactly what that was supposed to look like) at about the same time he realized he finished off all of the coconut milk ice cream yesterday, so our pumpkin coconut ice cream was born.

Pumpkin Coconut Ice Cream
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Ingredients:

• 1 can coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons agave syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or combination of cinnamon and nutmeg)

Whisk together ingredients until well combined and freeze according to your ice cream maker’s directions.

This ice cream screams autumn (lame pun semi-intentional). There’s only a hint of pumpkin flavor and I love the texture the puree adds. We ate most of this ice cream right out of the maker with our three combating spoons, but it would be perfect on apple crisp or poached pears.

I think I may have stumbled onto a great discovery in healthy beverages, my friends. After a little treadmill walk at work, I was thirsty as all get-out for something invigorating. I was really jonesing for one of the Harvest Bay coconut waters I keep in the fridge, but I also wanted another cup of hot green tea to top off the afternoon. So as I held the Harvest Bay in one hand and the Rishi Emerald Lily in the other, I thought: why not do both at once?

So, that’s just what I did. The result: a caffeinated, mega anti-oxidant, electrolyte-replenishing super cocktail. And it tastes good!

The recipe, if you can call it that, is really simple:

Coconut water green tea
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Ingredients:

• 11-12 oz. coconut water
• 1.5 Tb loose leaf green tea

Heat coconut water to 180°F (microwave high approx. 2.5 minutes). Fill tea mug with heated water (or simply heat the water in the mug in the microwave). Diffuse green tea in mug for approximately six minutes.

Coconut water isn’t for everyone, so give it a try before you commit. It’s not as coconuty as you might think and it’s an alternative to adding sweetener to your tea, if you like sweetened tea (but definitely not too sweet). Not only will this give your mind and body a pep, both ingredients are full of well-documented health benefits; coconut water helps with hydration and urinary function, and green tea is full of anti-oxidants and helps fight cancer. Coconut water doesn’t have many calories, either: about 65 calories in 11 oz. I’ve also found that you get a different sort of caffeine “buzz” from tea that you don’t get with coffee: gives you a nice pick-me-up without the jitters of headache crash.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Should you decide to take a trip to Las Vegas, you will inevitably encounter three things: extreme heat (in the summer, not the winter), thousands of slot machines, and buffets. While you can avoid the heat (air conditioned hotels) and the slot machines (plenty of places to shop) you can’t avoid the buffets. Especially in a town that has increasingly been connected with pricey, celebrity chef venues. Which means, of course, mucho dinero.

As many of these new restaurants feature small portions for high prices and long waits (even with reservations), the lure of the buffets seems even stronger. Even at some of the higher end places, such as the buffet at Wynn’s, the amount of money dished out gives you a much better selection of food. Thing is, there are so many buffets in Las Vegas that it’s hard to choose one or two for your gorging pleasure. Well, if that’s your issue don’t worry. Here are 10 tips to make your buffet experience a successful one.

1. Do your research — Thanks to that wonderful invention called the Interworldweb, there are plenty of research options to find buffets t0 pique your interest. For example, lasvegasadvisor.com has a whole section on buffets that includes photos, costs, and customer reviews (Garden Court Buffet at Main Street Station is one of the best, while the Emperor’s Buffet at the Imperial Palace is rated one of the worst). You can also go to the individual hotel websites for buffet information. Though, they may be somewhat biased in the opinion of their own services.

Another form of research: ask the locals. These are folks who go to these buffets on a regular basis and can separate the good from the bad. Instead of pointing you to some of the larger resorts, these folks may direct you to the smaller, local establishments that normally cater to the local citizens. It’s these places that are normally the best in town.

2. Bigger doesn’t always mean better – Just because the buffet, and the dining room it stands in, seem huge, it doesn’t mean the quality of food is the best. Take the Round Table Buffet at Excalibur. It looked impressive from the outside; however, once I got in and saw the selections … well, I might as well have been dining at my local Old Country Buffet or my high school cafeteria. On the other hand, while Harrah’s Flavors, The Buffet was small it had some very good food.

3. More expensive doesn’t always mean better – See number 2, just replace “large” with “costly.” Just because a dinner buffet is $35 doesn’t mean you’ll get the best quality and selection of food. Again, research these places before paying $100 for you, your wife, and your kids. You may get some very expensive slop instead of good food.

4. Get there early — Especially when 1) You’re hungry, and 2) You’re in the city during a big convention or heavy vacation season. This is particularly important for dinner. Arrive any time after 6:30 at most buffets and expect to wait in line. After a long, hot day pounding the flat pavement of Las Vegas Boulevard you’re not going to want to wait to eat.

5. Small portions! Small portions! – I know your first instinct at seeing all of the food surrounding you is to grab a plate and load it to the point that it’s heavier than you are. Bad idea! You’re going to waste a lot of those items, and get fuller faster with that plan. Instead, give the buffet a once-over and select some items you want to sample. If you enjoy what you eat then get some more during your second or third time around. Don’t worry, there will be plenty for everyone.

6. Try something different — Here’s a simple rule: if the selection you’re looking at is not something you make at home give it a try (unless it has something that will give you an allergic reaction). Many of these buffets now feature not only Italian and Mexican specialties but Chinese, Japanese, and even Korean items. There’s no harm to try something new. If you don’t like it then push it aside on your plate.

7. Chew, swallow, repeat — Don’t worry, the craps table isn’t going anywhere. No need to shovel the food down your gullet. All that’s going to do is make you feel bloated and increase the difficulty of walking down the Strip during those chilly 106-degree summer days. Just chew, swallow, take a sip of liquid, and contemplate the flavors of what you just ate.

8. Eat a vegetable, for Pete’s sake! — Take a good look at the buffet. See those leafy things in the bowl, or the stringy, beany things on that plate? Those things are called vegetables and they should be a part of the buffet experience. Not only will they aid in digestion, but it will give you the energy required to stay awake for that 10:30 topless review show.

9. Watch the desserts — They may look wonderful, they may smell wonderful, but the taste may be less than wonderful. Unless you’re buffeting in a resort that highlights pastry shops in their selection of dining items (Paris and Venetian, for example), be wary of the dessert offerings. Especially the cakes and pies, which can look like your mom’s original recipe but taste like your drunk uncle’s recipe. If you’re dying for some sugar you can always tackle the sundae bar or, like at Harrah’s, grab some tasty gelato.

10. When done, take a walk — Believe it or not, Las Vegas is a walking city. So, when you’re done eating your and your wife’s weight in crab legs, get up, stretch your legs, and walk around the streets and shopping midways of Sin City. By the time you reach your hotel you’ll be ready for that $7.99 steak and shrimp special.

We had a ton of leftovers in the fridge from our Father’s Day feast, so I thought for dinner I’d just grill up (read: have Keith grill up) some chicken breasts to go with the leftover sides. I wanted to do a marinade recipe we’d never tried before, but I wasn’t quite sure what I was going for.

That is, until I found this recipe for citrus chicken marinade.

I admit, it was a bit bold of me to attempt this recipe. Why? It was completely bizarre. The same things that drew me to it also repulsed me. Could a recipe that included fresh sage, Tabasco sauce and ginger actually taste good? I set out to find the answer.

In short, yeah; somehow, it works. Lemon and orange juice with sage makes sense; the juices also make sense with ginger, and citrus and spice work well together so the Tabasco makes sense too. And together, they make a tasty marinade. Oh yeah, there’s soy sauce in there too. Even though I’ve eaten it and enjoyed it, I’m still a little freaked out by the combination.

It was very simple to make, especially if you’ve got a blender or food processor. All in all, I’ve got to say thank you to CM, the mastermind behind this completely twisted combination of ingredients that somehow perked up my chicken and made my mouth happy.