Arugula Pesto Pasta Recipe

Good bye 2011, hello 2012! I'd like to wish the happiest of New Years to you and yours. Ours is starting off great with my little baby girl. That also means new resolutions and mine this year is to lose all the baby weight. I'm determined to be healthy after 9 months of indulging in decadent meals. To start off on the right foot, today I made a healthy pesto pasta using arugula, sunflower seeds and Parmesan cheese. I love cooking with arugula; it tastes like a cross between mustard and hazelnut with a hint of pepper. It’s a nutritious meal that is healthy and filling.

For everyone out there starting off the year with a weight-loss resolution, best of luck!

Roasted Lobster with Almonds

Oven-roasted lobster with almonds ("homard rôti aux amandes" in French) is Papa's (my dad's) specialty. Papa doesn't cook on a daily basis, except for Maman's birthday and special occasions such as New Year's Eve. Exactly one year ago, my husband Lulu and I were in Paris, celebrating the holiday season with my parents. And of course, Papa pleased me by cooking my favorite dish. First, the lobster is poached for a few minutes, then a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce covers the lobster meat along with a sprinkle of toasted almonds. Then, the lobster dish goes in the oven for a few minutes.

I absolutely love this seafood dish. The lobster meat turns out sweet and succulent. For obvious reasons, this luxurious dish isn't an everyday meal, but it’s a great way to make special occasions that much more special.

New Year's Eve Appetizer Ideas

If you're hosting a New Year's Eve party this year, you might consider serving bite-sized portions to allow your guests to easily mix and mingle. I’ve gathered some of my favorite appetizer recipes that would be perfect passed around or on a buffet table. I also listed appetizers that can be prepared in advance so you're stress free and ready to enter the New Year in a good mood. Bon appétit!

Vegetarian Terrine Recipe (+Giveaway)

Terrine in French is a jellied dish. It's usually made of meat or seafood but today I made it exclusively vegetarian as an opportunity to experiment with the Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics products I recently received. Several of the people in my family are lactose-intolerant, so the combination of goat dairy products from Redwood Hill Farm and lactose-free cow dairy products is a real blessing. But the kefir, sour cream and yogurts are not just serviceable substitutions; these are some of the best dairy products I've ever used.

I created 3 layers respectively made with black beans and raw goat milk feta cheese, artichoke pesto; and sun-dried tomatoes and goat milk Cheddar cheese. I used agar agar, a seaweed substitute for gelatin, so the terrine would keep its shape together. To complete the dish, I drizzled it with tamarind chutney. Needless to say I've had a blast cooking with and tasting the products, and if you're lucky enough to win, you will too!

This is the last day of our 25 Days of Giveaways. Enter and you could win a prize valued at $100 (I picked my favorites from Redwood Hill Farm's selection of artisan cheeses also available for sale online at http://www.redwoodhill.com/shop, the full line of GVO products at http://greenvalleylactosefree.com/products/ and Redwood Hill Farms yogurts, kefirs and millk).

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page, Green Valley Organics and Redwood Hill Farms or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "$100 RHF & GVO #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom and @gvolactosefree: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".

PS: Also, the first 100 people to submit their address and the comment "Pham Fatale" on the Green Valley Organics contact page will receive a coupon for a free cup of yogurt! Hurry to get your coupon (the offer ends on 12/31)!

Ma petite poupée! (My little doll).

PPS: I have one other announcement to make today and it's that my husband Lulu and I welcomed our first child into the world recently. She's a very healthy little girl and she's quite a handful. The folks at Redwood Hill Farms were so sweet to send me a tee-shirt for her to wear, and I thought I'd share the picture with you. She will definitely be a Redwood Hill Farm kid. Merry Christmas everyone!

Shrimp Crostini with Saffron Aioli (+Saffron Giveaway)

This is a recipe that combines two of my favorite ingredients: shrimp and saffron. Specifically, I made a shrimp crostini with saffron aïoli. I flavored the mayonnaise with garlic and freshly ground saffron threads. I placed the shrimp on a bed of toasted bread to create a nice contrast of texture. The taste of the saffron is so intense in the aïoli sauce that it feels almost sinful.

Today's giveaway is an awesome combination of pure saffron threads & vanilla from Saffron.com. There are few things in this world as fragrant, exotic or luxurious as saffron. I love using it in drinks, savory and sweet dishes. It's as versatile as it is unique. Quality can vary greatly, and the saffron from Saffron.com is some of the best I've had, which is a tribute to the passion of the owner, Juan. For a chance to win, just enter on our 25 Days of Giveaways page.

We’re in the home stretch of the giveaways, and we have some really special ones in store for you, including a Zojirushi rice cooker, some very fine chocolates from John Kelly Chocolates, and a huge assortment of AMAZING goat dairy products from Redwood Hill Farms. Don’t forget to enter!

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "Win Saffron and Vanilla #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".