The Ritual

I can't say I'm sad about 2010 being over. Nothing bad happened exactly, I am just ready for something new in the this year. 

For New Years Eve, my family threw a party for close friends. It consisted of fancy food I would never normally get to eat, and champagne I never get to drink. 

The oysters were a main activity, with everyone gathering around to watch my uncle Jay (and resident oyster shucker) wrestle each one open. We all talked about what we liked best on our oysters (hot sauce was strangely the most popular), and we bonded over country music. 

The second most successful part of the evening as the dessert. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but they were pretty great. 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

From Barefoot Contessa Parties

Ingredients 

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

For the frosting:

• 3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

After most of us had gorged ourselves with cupcakes, we did a ritual. We all wrote down the things we wanted to forget about 2010, and then burned the paper. I'm not to fond of things like this, even writing it sounds silly, but, reflecting on the year made me remember of all the great things that happened, not just the bad. 

We then wrote down what our resolutions and hopes for 2011 were, and burned those on a bed of rosemary (a failure. we soon realized rosemary isn't the most flammable herb). We took the ashes and tossed them into the snow. 

The next morning, I was happy to find a burned piece of paper with my hope for 2011. 

Eat new foods in new places.