New Years Day

Happy 2010 everyone!!!! hope you all had a great one, spending time with family and friends :)  We enjoyed some awesome family time at home and of course any celebration wouldn't really be complete without food (LOL)- 

I was in charge of afternoon tea or snack (whichever you prefer to call it) and my sister (who is another good cook by the way...) and I agreed for me to do just a light menu since we will have a big dinner afterwards. I was in a state of panic because the day before, I still don't know what to cook! 

However, I quickly rummaged my brain for some recipes that I can put together- hmmm? something simple, light yet delectable? to make the long story short I was able to come up with this:

{AFTERNOON TEA MENU}

Pasta Marinara with scallops, prawns & sundried tomatoes with cream sauce

Ciabatta sandwich with pan-fried chicken (cooked in butter & white wine), 

brie, lettuce, cucmber & avocado aioli

Fruit smoothie & sparkling red grape juice

Dark chocolate cupcakes with meringue icing

FOR DINNER: i made...
Grilled Salmon marinated in worcetershire, lemongrass, 
fresh cracked pepper & sea salt 

Chocolate dipped strawberries

Panna Cotta with plum sauce
and my sister made a potful
of yummy Minestrone 
and Lechon kawali

*not in the photos*

And so, last minute I thought: Oh, oh am I missing something? (think, think...) Ahhh, dessert! we have to have something sweet. So, I made Panna cotta with plum sauce, chocolate dipped strawberries (again, I forgot to take a photo) and these super chocolatey-moist cupcakes, yummm...
I frequent a specialty shop here in our area called CULINARY COUNCIL that sells very classy and hard-to-find stuff for baking :)  I looove these paper cups! and also this DIY cupcake tier stand, which sells for only $20.00...what a find! (yipee!)

It was so fun because after we had snack, we headed to the Mount for rides in the merry-go-round, ferris wheel etcetera...what a brilliant day it was (as it should),  fun, fun, fun!!!  I took a photo of my family- all smiles!

HAPPY 2010 TO ONE & ALL !