Everybody has some New Years Eve tradition -whether it’s going to a bar, hosting a party or watching the ball drop in sweatpants – it’s a time when people come together, indulge in food and drink (resolutions don’t start ’til midnight!) and celebrate the past year’s accomplishments and what’s yet to come.
My family tradition is to have a nice meal of fondue (cheese AND chocolate) and watch the ball drop with a glass of champagne. I haven’t been home in the past few years to celebrate but this year I was able to be home and bring back the fondue tradition (and add in a bunch of other stuff because a week in an empty kitchen with nothing to do… well I kept myself busy!).
In addition to our traditional fondue (we buy the store-made packages for simplicity but 
always add in some garlic and kirsch) I thought it’d be nice to make some dips to go alongside the cheese. I knew I had to make a classic hummus to start with and then let creativity (and a whole lot of internet browsing) take me on a wild ride.
Turning to my go-to, Smitten Kitchen, I made her ethereally smooth hummus (via Ottolenghi who is a wizard with middle eastern cuisine). I’ve made this many times and it always turns out amazing! It’s a blend of chickpeas (I used canned), tahini, lemon juice and garlic. No olive oil here (you drizzle some on top). The trick here is to remove the peels from each chickpea. I know, this sounds ridiculous and very time-consuming but trust me, it is worth it. Get a friend to help you, play some music, have a dance party and before you know it all skins will be gone! This makes for an incredibly smooth hummus – so much better than store bought!
Following on the hummus path, I was browsing through Ina Garten’s new cookbook, Cooking For Jeffrey, in a sto
re recently and saw she had a recipe for butternut squash hummus. The sweet roasted squash pairs so well with the chickpeas – the caramelization adds a depth of flavor and sweetness that will have you double dipping!
Taking a break from chickpeas, I decided to go a different route for the final dip: eggplant! One of my favorite spreads whenever I get falafel or schwarma is the smoky eggplant dip – Moutabbal. This differs from the more well-known Baba Ghanoush since it has tahini mixed in instead of other veggies.
I used a recipe from… of course, Smitten Kitchen! You begin by roasting eggplant, making sure to get a char on the outside for that nice smoky flavor. Then you take the insides, 
chop them up and mix them with some tahini, lemon, garlic, and parsley. The fresh parley adds such a refreshing bite to the smokiness of the eggplant. This was the first dip to disappear and the bowl never made it around the table for seconds!
With all these dips, meat and fondue we definitely stuffed ourselves full to celebrate 2016! We never made it to the chocolate round, filling ourselves up instead with hummus, cheese and champagne. New Year’s Day breakfast however… well we had to eat the chocolate and strawberries somehow!
Happy 2017 and I hope everyone is settling into the new year with goals, dreams or just staying sane. Here in DC things are about to get a bit hectic the next few weeks with Inauguration coming up so my goal for right now is to keep pushing forward no matter what and have a positive outlook even when things seem gloomy (although the blistery cold weather is not helping).
Aluminum Foiled Kitchen 
We make fondue for NYE too!