I'm trying out two new recipes this evening. I've finally gotten my veggie-fearing fella, J, turned on to salads. Lettuce is his arch enemy, and I prefer spinach anyhow. So, a simple mix of baby spinach, julienne carrots, celery and hot house cucumbers in a red wine vinaigrette.

After that come the newbies: chicken breast stuffed with Italian sausage and breadcrumbs. And since I have a new set of ramekins I'm dying to experiment with, we'll be inviting my friend Billiam and his gal over to have dessert with us - molten spiced chocolate cabernet cakes.

I'm cutting a corner with the chicken - using pre-made bread crumbs instead of the stale sourdough it calls for. After all, I'm not spending $3 on a loaf of sourdough when I only need one slice. I'll post photos tomorrow once all of the holiday spirits are out of my system.

In the meantime, Happy New Year, eaters!