Eat, Drink & Be Merry!

This year we had several friends over for a casual New Year's Eve dinner. My friend Greg offered to do the cooking and no sane person would ever turn that down. He's an incredible cook.

He decided to go with his pork carnitas with roasted tomatillo sauce (previous blog posts contain recipes) and they were as amazing as I remembered them. The depth of flavor in the sauce is amazing - it's smokey, spicy, and sweet all at the same time. The carnitas were delicious and everyone went back for seconds. We used paper plates which was the smartest thing in the world since the sink was already overloaded with pots and pans. Casual is key for nights like this with great friends.

We served the carnitas with a recipe inspired by Orangette's Quick Black Beans with Cumin and Oregano. I like to use a lot more garlic, more cumin, and add cilantro while it's cooking. I simmer for 20 minutes to enhance the flavors, then top with cheddar cheese or queso fresco and sour cream. So good.

The beans are also good with brown rice. I served them for lunch the other day with a little brown rice and some chili (then I mixed it all up together). Cumin black beans and brown rice are a great meal to make for your meatless day!

Wishing you a happy, healthy 2009 filled with lots of laughter and great conversation with friends... over cocktails!

Happy Happy New Year!