festive dinner: cioppino

I have a confession.  It’s a big one.  Are you ready for it?  Okay.  I do not like going out on New Year’s Eve.  I really don’t.  It’s expensive, crowded, and almost always a giant letdown.  There’s so much pressure to have the best night ever, to look fabulous, and be awake when midnight rolls around.  I like to be asleep before midnight.  Since I am in my 20s and without child I really don’t have much of an excuse for my homebody ways, until my husband and I made cioppino for Christmas dinner and were told to freeze the leftovers for New Year’s Eve dinner.  Umm, thank you, Kristine!  Best.  Idea.  Ever.  Are you looking for a meal that is special enough for New Year’s Eve and does not require going out?  This is your answer.  It’s surprisingly easy to make and, like all soups, there’s plenty of room for improvisation.    

{Good thing my husband spent his life cutting up fish so I didn’t have to devein the shrimp.}

{True to my childhood tradition, we enjoyed our cioppino with the butteriest bread completely doused in garlic.}

{Enjoy with the garlic bread and a glass of bubbly, preferably by the Christmas tree.}

{The perfect dessert for after dinner?  A delightfully rich yet light and refreshing white chocolate peppermint mousse, topped with crushed candy cane and chocolate curls.}