The new year :)

1. New Year snow, 2. Serene in the snow in her PJs, 3. Molten chocolate lava cake, 4. Frozen berry fruits, 5. Gooey goodness inside, 6. Giant snowflakes

Happy (orange) New Year, everyone! Yes, orange. Because that was the color of the sky when Jude and I went out in the snow just past midnight last night. See here, here, and here. I kid you not. It was dumping snow and we couldn't resist going out even though we were already in our PJs. And this morning, we woke up to ten inches of snow. Someone tell me this is not typical...

New Year's Eve was quiet, just the two of us. After the heady festivities of Christmas, it was nice to just stay in and relax while the snow storm raged outside. We made a home-cooked dinner, watched episodes of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations (the guy's a genius... we're hooked!), and wished each other a happy new year while the ball dropped for the 100th time in Times Square. We didn't have plans for New Year's so we slept in. I made simple baked eggs for brunch which while elegant, was also comforting in its own oozy, gooey way, kinda like how my mom and dad would have half-boiled eggs at home, except made fancier with accouterments and baked in a ramekin . Who knew?... And only because it's the new year, dessert was mini molten lava cakes with homemade whipped cream and fresh blackberry sauce. Nothing screams "Happy New Year!" like deep-dark, intense chocolatey goodness, if you ask me... :)

Since we've been staying home the past few days, we thought it'll be a good idea to talk a walk outside for some fresh air, which in light of last night's storm, meant trudging through MUCH snow. But it was fun, and because it's the holiday today and some of the smaller pathways weren't plowed, much of North Campus was just blanketed in pristine, powdery snow. It's really pretty actually and I'm glad we walked. Not a typical New Year's for Serene Koh, that's for sure, but a beautiful one nonetheless...

I hope all of you are enjoying an equally relaxing and inspired New Year!