My first attempt at marmalade proved successful! I did alter the recipe a bit so if you'd like to follow suit here's what I did:

2.5 C kumquats thinly sliced and seeded ( I was just shy of 3 cups, hence the next ingredient)

While in Napa last weekend I gathered a few handfuls of kumquats from our friend's grandmother's tree. My own grandmother had a small potted kumquat tree and growing up I loved to pop the so sweet/so sour little citrus in my mouth.

On our recent trip to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico, we had a fantastic lobster feast. As an appetizer we got a huge plate of "Pulpo al Ajo" or Garlic Octopus. Check out my little slide-show below, including many closeup shots of tentacles, and suckers.

I went to

Don't you just hate when you've finally gotten your favorite little omelette pan perfectly seasoned only to have it get that sticky, tacky feel? You scrub and scrub and it comes off, but you also lose that nice seasoned coating.

Continuing the bubbly talk....this morning's Wall Street Journal has a great article on the Champagne industry in France.

What rings in the New Year better than a splendid champagne and some fine caviar? We started our celebrations with this delicious little appetizer thoughtfully prepared by Barnaby. Little 1.5"rounds of buttermilk bread (a fine substitution for blini) were cut out and toasted.