In preparation for the New Year, I keep getting so excited about all of the food I'm going to cook each season. I have a hard time deciding what my favorite time of year is, at least when it comes to fruits and veggies. I love hearty, rich Winter and Fall vegetables roasted with rosemary and olive oil, but bright, new asparagus and artichokes in the Spring are really exciting to cook with. Still, I'm not sure if there's anything better than colorful, vitamin-rich Summer vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, melons and stone fruit. I'm curious as to what you prefer. What's your favorite season for cooking fresh fruits and vegetables at home, and why?

Have a New Year's party at your own house this year? Playing bartender for the night could mean your work's cut out for you, so instead, make simple cocktail mixers ahead of time, and let your guests mix them with an alcohol of their choice. I've toyed around with a few and come up with three that'd be perfect for New Year's Eve in fresh fruit flavors: cranberry mint, grapefruit basil and pomegranate citrus.
All three of these mixers would marry well with a host of spirits, even sparkling wine. I mixed the cranberry mint in a shaker with rum for a refreshing holiday drink, while I mixed the grapefruit basil with vodka for a more herbaceous version of a salty dog. The pomegranate citrus served as an easy topper to a flute of sparkling wine (for extra flair, float in a few pomegranate seeds, too). I also recommend keeping sparkling water on hand to mix with as a nonalcoholic drink.

Set up a bar before your guests arrive with glasses, buckets of ice, pomegranate seeds, lemon slices and a couple of shakers to ensure your guests and yourself can celebrate into the midnight hour. Mix up your New Year's by reading more for this simple mixers.

We love coltkels's love and appreciation for Polish cooking and culture, and these homemade pierogi look and sound delicious.

My mom’s side of the family is Polish so each year we make pierogi and borsch. I’ve grown up making these every year and enjoying every part of the tradition. This tradition is one I don’t question but washing with silver on Christmas Eve for wealth is one I do, but of course you have to do it because to risk not getting that extra bit of luck because of skepticism is just now worth it. Simply put, we are Polish. We make cheese pierogi that the filling is made with farmer cheese and a kapusta filling which is made of sauerkraut and mushroom. The borsch is a mushroom borsch that had eight pounds of mushroom in it; yes you read right, eight pounds. The main ingredient in everything below is sour cream and of course butter. This is a Julia Child approved recipe because of the amount of butter we used.

For more pictures of Polish cooking, visit her blog, and share your culinary traditions in our Savory Sights community group.