A Good Start to the New Year (and Some Advice From Julia Child)

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday! (And Happy New Year!) 

Hope you all had a nice day yesterday. We spent it relaxing with the kids, which was so lovely. I also put one of my Christmas presents from my husband to use for the first time...he got me Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," Volumes 1 and 2, and I made beef bourguignon...took a good part of the afternoon and about every pot and pan we have, and while I was tasting during the cooking it didn't seem like anything special, but the finished dish, oh my, it was absolutely divine. That for dinner, along with a nice glass of red wine, was such a great way to start the New Year. 

By the way, I love Julia Child, have read several books by and about her and she wrote such a charming introduction to my new cookbooks. Included in that introduction were the following bits of advice (and I'm paraphrasing):

1) Don't be afraid to make mistakes and have fun (she's talking about cooking of course, but it's applicable pretty much anywhere, no?)

and:

2) You can eat pretty much anything you want and keep your figure if you a) serve yourself a small portion, b) don't have seconds, and c) don't snack. Which makes me feel entitled to cook and eat from my new cookbooks once a week or so...it's going to be fun. :)

How did you all spend your New Year's Day?

XOXO

Image credit: Ooka Medias.