For Auld Lang Syne

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Today is my daughter's 14th birthday. She was born at 2:44 a.m., on December 31, 1993. It was the happiest day of my life. My husband and I had tried for seven years to have a child. It was a long, hard road, fraught with many disappointments. After surgeries and numerous other procedures, years of fertility drugs and injectable hormones (most of which I can't pronounce), and hundreds of blood tests, God finally blessed us with a with a beautiful baby girl. She was the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen, with a full head of wavy, honey-colored hair, big blue eyes and the deepest ruby, little rosebud lips. I was totally and hopelessly in love! Suddenly, all of the pain and heartbreak was forgotten. My life began anew, full of joy and eager anticipation. I have loved every moment I've spent helping her grow into the lovely, caring and talented young lady she has become.
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It is ironic that I had a New Years baby, since the new year is a time that most of us look at as a fresh start - a kind of "do-over". It is such a hopeful time, where all possibilities seem "possible". We make our well-intentioned resolutions and plan the ways in which to carry them out. Sometimes, we follow through. Sometimes, we don't. The important thing for me is the desire and willingness to grow and change and move forward.
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This year will be all about self-improvement for me, both inside and out. I want to make my body healthier and my heart purer. I resolve to get my butt to the gym more often and play a lot more tennis. I resolve to become much better organized! I resolve to become a better photographer. I resolve to be more patient and less demanding of others. I resolve to try to let go of old wounds inflicted upon me (You know who you are.), and let myself heal. I resolve to let the people I love know that I love them a lot more often. Oh, yeah...and I resolve to learn some HTML so that I don't have to pull my hair out every time I work on this blog!
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Have you made any New Year's resolutions? If so, I'd love to hear about them if you're inclined to share.
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In the meantime, I am going to leave you with my wildly popular recipe for Salmon Mousse. It is a terrific dish to serve at parties,(um...like New Years Eve parties), and it is ridiculously easy to make. Most of the ingredients you'll need are probably already in your fridge and pantry. The original recipe calls for canned red salmon, but I have used pink salmon, crab, and shrimp before, and the results have been great. If one of your New Year's resolutions is to watch your weight, you could use light cream cheese or neufchatel cheese. I don't think fat free cream cheese would be a good choice for this. Better to just eat a little less.
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I make sure to whip a lot of air into the salmon mixture. I think it makes for a more light and airy product. This mousse is creamy, dreamy and delicious. I guarantee that you will get lots of requests for this recipe. I know I have.
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It is helpful to spread a little mayo around the mold before you pour in the mousse. This prevents the mousse from sticking. To unmold, gently slide a sharp knife cut around the perimeter of the mousse. Then, set the mold in a shallow pan filled with warm water for a few minutes. This should do the trick. If the mousse does stick, just scoop it out and mix it in a bowl and call it salmon dip!
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Here's wishing you all a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year! I hope it is all you ever dreamed of!
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Salmon Mousse
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Ingredients:

1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 packages unflavored Knox Gelatin
¼ c. warm water
1 can cream of celery soup
3 stalks minced celery
1 medium onion, minced
1 8 oz. can RED salmon

Directions:
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• Mix cream cheese, mayo, salmon, onion and celery in a mixing bowl.
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• Beat cream cheese mixture at medium high speed about 3-4 minutes. The more air in the mix, the lighter the mousse.
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• In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in warm water. Set aside.
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• Heat soup until hot, but not boiling.
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• Remove from heat and mix gelatin into soup.
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• Add soup mixture into cream cheese mixture. And blend well.
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• Pour into a mold and chill for several hours or overnight.
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• Unmold and serve with crackers, crudités, etc.

Enjoy!

Comments

What a heartwarming post. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Happy birthday to your beautiful baby!
Susan @ SGCC said…
Thank you, Susan. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year to you!
Helene said…
Great post Susa! What a beautiful blessing your daughter is! I love your "thoughts" 2008. If I can help in any way, I'll be there.
Go Susan! Go!
Happy New Year!
SteamyKitchen said…
Happy Birthday!

pssst...pick up this week's Creative Loafing and read my column.

xo, j
Susan @ SGCC said…
Tartelette- Thank you. As always, you are too kind. Now that I have my feet wet (not from the bad plumbing, this time!),this is going to be the year of "The Blog" for me. I know I will be asking a lot of questions! Get ready! ;)

Steamy- Uh oh! As soon as I find my cashmere socks, I'm going out to find a copy!
Amanda said…
Thanks for posting this; my husband and I have been struggling with infertility and it always gives me hope to hear about success stories.

Your mousse looks delightful. I can't wait to try it.
Susan @ SGCC said…
Mrs. W- I'm glad you like my mousse! I understand what you're going through. If you ever want to talk or vent, feel free to email me.
Peabody said…
Happy birthday to your daughter!
That is a beautiful way to present the salmon mousse.
Susan @ SGCC said…
Peabody- Thanks! I had to give my daughter editorial approval before she would allow me to post her photos! Things were sure a lot easier when she was 4!

Glad you like my mousse. It was gone about an hour after I served it!
Dolores said…
What a beautiful tribute to a lovely young lady. You are clearly blessed to have one another.

Wishing you the best with your goals for the year ahead!
Sophie said…
It's been awhile since New Year's, but I saw your post dedicated to the March of Dimes and clicked on over to this link. It's truly inspiring; I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome in college and just got married. As newlyweds, my husband and I look forward to having kids some time after he finishes law school, but I'm a little worried because of the infertility possibility associated with pcos. But, you're right, children are blessings from God, and they always arrive in his perfect timing! I'm so happy for you! Stories like make me certain of my faith :D, thanks for sharing!

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