How many years makes a tradition? I’m thinking 3. That’s because this was our third year having Baked Alaska with penguins on top for dessert on New Year’s Eve.

This year’s celebration was pretty low key. We were less exhausted than last year but not quite as ambitious as the year before.

We had dinner and a bottle of bubbly around 6:00. Shane made pizza, and Rose and I made  a mini Baked Alaska (recipe here) with penguins and Sno-Caps on top. We filled it with Dulce de Leche ice cream because there are several pints of it in our freezer. As it turns out, Dulce de Leche compliments the flavor of meringue just perfectly.

Shane went to bed early with the baby (and got up with him the next morning). Rose and I stayed up until midnight (but not a moment later) playing games and discussing the possibility of adult diaper-wearing among Times Square revelers, and Taylor Swift’s ability to tolerate the cold.

And that wraps up 2014 for us.

Wishing you many happy dinners in the new year. xo