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!