Beekman Cookbook Preview

This October, our Fabulous Beekman Boys (Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell) will release their first cookbook, filled with seasonal recipes, most of which were developed at their farm in Sharon Springs, New York, using only their best homegrown ingredients. To accompany the recipes, Brent and Josh asked brilliant photographer Paulette Tavormina to illustrate the book. Deep, painterly and teeming with the vitality only an artist could convey, Paulette's photographs give the book a rich sense of style that is a unique and refreshing departure from the standard cookbook. Brent says, "We were tired of all the cookbooks using the same old overlit, soft-focus photography. It was time to shake it up a bit." Paulette tells me she just finished shooting all the recipes for the book and says it was intense but fun. Below is a preview of some of Paulette's amazing work that will appear in the cookbook. You can see more by clicking here. They are truly works of art!

Fireside Good Things

Who among you is lucky enough to have a wood-burning fireplace? Each of the homes I grew up in had one and I have missed them ever since. None of the apartments I have lived in as an adult has had a wood-burning fireplace. They've had mantels and the shells of formerly-functional fireplaces, but none that actually burned wood. There is just something so irreplaceably cozy and homey about a crackling fire, especially in the dead cold of winter. Below are some fireside 'good things' from past issues of Martha Stewart Living that have always impressed me and increased my longing for that hint of wood smoke and that amber glow.

This idea was a 'Find of the Month' in February 2000. (Remember that column? I miss it!) The idea was to spare shapely garden urns from spending the winter months in some dark corner of the garage and repurposing them as vessels for fireplace fodder. Here they hold an assortment of kindling, but would be just as attractive standing empty, lending their classical forms to the ambiance of the room. The editors suggest placing felt pads on the bottoms to protect any wood or tile surfaces from scratching.

And I loved this gift idea from the November 1999 issue of Martha Stewart Living. It's a basket of fragrant kindling for the hostess with a fireplace or two. The galvanized bucket holds an assortment of chopped wood and branches from fruit trees, such as applewood. Dried citrus peels add colour to the presentation and will release their subtle citrus scent as they burn. (To dry them, place them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven on the lowest heat setting for about an hour. Check them often to see how they're drying.) You could also add pinecones and dried angelica. Complete the kit with a beautiful box of matches.

Coming Soon: Martha Bakes!

On January 31 the first episode of "Martha Bakes" will air exclusively on the Hallmark channel. The 13-episode, half-hour series will focus on a number of baking techniques. What distinguishes the series from other baking-related shows is that each half-hour installment, covering themes from pound cake to pâte brisée, will begin with a recipe’s basic foundation then explore how the addition of certain ingredients or the use of a new technique will help to create not one, but multiple dishes. The thoughtfully edited collection of Martha’s personal favorites, from savories to sweets, demystifies everything from how to make the perfect, no-crack cheesecake to how to create the ultimate devil’s food cake. The show is hosted by Martha, of course, and was filmed in Martha's home kitchens at Bedford. Below is a full breakdown of the episodes, courtesy of Hallmark. (Anyone else hoping for a DVD and book based on the series, or perhaps a similar series on decorating?)

SEASON PREMIERE

EPISODE 1: YELLOW CAKE

PREMIERES MONDAY, JANUARY 31 AT 11:00AM ET

Yellow cake might be thought of as the “everyman” of baked goods, but only because it’s so versatile; a great yellow cake like Martha’s is the foundation for many memorable desserts. In this show Martha bakes her father’s favorite birthday cake, one she often made for him, filled with orange curd and coated with a delectable chocolate frosting. She makes upside-down cakes with stone fruits, and strawberry cupcakes (baked with fresh strawberries) with strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream frosting. She also teaches how to create even cake layers, and the best way to frost a cake.

EPISODE 2: PATE BRISEE

PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7 AT 11:00AM ET

Martha’s pâte brisée (also known as “shortcrust pastry”) is a must for homemade pie. Martha demonstrates how easy it is to make her pâte brisée perfectly every time: tender and flaky. Then she uses it in her Mile-High Apple Pie, a mountain of apples flavored with cinnamon and sugar. She wraps sweet poached pears in pastry and bakes them for a rustic, yet elegant dessert. She also uses pâte brisée in a savory tomato tart with roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic and Comté cheese.

EPISODE 3: CHEESECAKE

PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 AT 11:00AM ET

There’s nothing like good cheesecake, and there’s no cheesecake like Martha’s. She demonstrates how she makes creamy, no-crack cheesecake that comes out perfect every time. She makes classic New York cheesecake with a graham cracker crust; a rustic ricotta cheesecake with orange peel; and individual cheesecakes with plump Bing cherries.

EPISODE 4: POUNDCAKE

PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 11:00AM ET

For the best buttery rich pound cake, look no further than Martha’s recipes. Her classic pound cakes rise to a beautiful golden-brown center, and they’re perfect for an easy dessert or even with breakfast. She creates a variation on the classic pound cake by adding Meyer lemon zest to the batter and topping it with a lemon glaze, and also makes a moist pound cake with cream cheese. Finally a recipe she learned while traveling through Asia: Semolina Cake, a unique twist on pound cake made with semolina, vanilla powder, almonds, and orange zest.

EPISODE 5: PUFF PASTRY

PREMIERES MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 AT 11:00AM ET

Few things intimidate the home cook more than puff pastry. In this episode, Martha de-mystifies this delicacy and demonstrates how anyone can make it with a minimum of fuss. Martha then uses the pastry in some of her favorite recipes: Pithiviers (a glorious round pie filled with almond cream), butterfly-shaped palmiers, cheese straws, and Napoleons layered with pastry cream and fresh berries.

EPISODE 6: ANGEL FOOD

PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 7 AT 11:00AM ET

Light and airy, angel food is a cake known for its delicate and sweet flavors. Martha creates a classic version served with fresh raspberries, then gets more creative with a Coconut Cloud: angel food cake filled with Swiss meringue and coconut, and frosted with the same. Finally, miniature brown sugar angel food cakes that have a hint of molasses flavor served with chocolate espresso ice cream and an easy homemade hot fudge sauce.

EPISODE 7: DEVIL’S FOOD CAKE

PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 14 AT 11:00AM ET

Martha’s recipes and techniques make it easy to treat yourself to devil’s food cake. She shows how to create it from scratch, moist and full of flavor. She makes the best chocolate cake even better by finishing it with the perfect topping: a delicious, creamy, homemade milk chocolate frosting. Martha uses the same batter for Hi-Hat cupcakes: chocolate cupcakes topped with a mountain of meringue that is then dipped in melted chocolate to create a hard yet delicate shell. Finally she shares her secret for the best brownies: fudgy with a crackly top.

EPISODE 8: PATE A CHOUX

PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 21 AT 11:00AM ET

Pâte à Choux is a light dough used for cream puffs and éclairs. It’s simple to make, using only four ingredients, and it is versatile. Martha uses it to create her version of a classic cream puff – filled with ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. She also demonstrates how pâte à choux can easily be turned into éclairs, piped full of sweet pastry cream and topped with maple-espresso icing. Finally Martha adds spices and cheese to her pâte à choux to make gougeres, savory hors d’oeuvres that are quite addictive.

EPISODE 9: MERINGUE

PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 28 AT 11:00AM ET

Fluffy and sweet, meringue can be crafted many different ways from just a handful of ingredients. Martha has three meringue recipes she loves – and viewers will love them too. First, a treat from Down Under: pavlova, a cake-like meringue which has a crunchy shell and a soft, moist interior, topped with whipped cream and passion fruit. Martha demonstrates the perfect (and easy) way to make the extraordinary French treat ile flottante (“floating island”): an island of meringue drizzled with caramel and served in a pool of crème anglaise. Finally, she makes Huguenot Torte, a crisp meringue baked with nuts and diced apples and topped with whipped cream.

EPISODE 10: PATE SUCREE

PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 4 AT 11:00AM ET

The sweet pastry known as pâte sucrée is what most people know as tart dough. Martha shows us it is easy to create elegant desserts by starting with a fully baked homemade tart shell. She creates the shells and uses them in two desserts: first, a lemon mousse damask tart in a fluted shell with candied lemon peel. Then, a black bottom tart made in a shell brushed with chocolate, filled with custard and whipped cream. Plus, Martha creates a chocolate tart shell layered with homemade caramel and chocolate ganache, finished with a sprinkling of sea salt.

EPISODE 11: YEAST DOUGH

PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 11 AT 11:00AM ET

Yeast dough requires a little bit of waiting, but as Martha demonstrates this doesn’t mean it’s difficult to work with. Martha will demonstrate her yeast dough made with butter and sour cream: it’s rich and tender. With whole pecans she turns the dough into sweet and gooey sticky buns. By adding cinnamon and sugar she creates simple but fun sugar buns. And she uses a Bundt pan to turn her dough into sweet, pull-apart monkey bread.

EPISODE 12: BISCUITS AND SCONES

PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 18 AT 11:00AM ET

Biscuits and scones are the perfect start to any day, and with Martha’s recipes they’re easy to make anytime. There’s plenty of variety to be had including flaky herb buttermilk biscuits with dill, chives, and rosemary; angel biscuits (made with yeast) which are light and airy; and tender and fluffy cream scones made with two types of flour and flavored with juicy currants soaked in orange liqueur.

EPISODE 13: MUFFINS AND POPOVERS

PREMIERES MONDAY, APRIL 25 AT 11:00AM ET

Muffins and popovers are comfort foods that are fun to make. Martha demonstrates why as she bakes some of her favorites: blueberry muffins studded with fresh blueberries; classic golden-brown puff popovers, perfect with butter or jam; giant cheese popovers, ideal for filling with her fried eggs, creamed spinach and bacon; plus, Martha will explain how to make the very best blueberry preserves.

Wheelers Pancake House & Sugar Bush

The province of Ontario, like the state of Vermont and the province of Quebec, is one of the world's biggest exporters of pure maple syrup. There is nothing like the scent, taste and texture of its golden sweetness. Not far from our family's cabin is one of North America's largest maple-syrup producers. Wheelers was founded in 1978 when Vernon and Judy Wheeler tapped their first maple trees on their 730-acre property. Their children (Mark, Angela, Kristen and Tracy) are still active in the production of maple-syrup here and help maintain the Wheelers family business. The pancake hosue and sugar camp was constructed in 1996 and it has been successful ever since, playing host to school field-trips, tourists and locals alike. We really enjoyed our morning here!

This sign welcomes visitors.We decided to park the car far from the entrance so that we could walk through the beautiful surroundings. We came upon many webs of hoses that connected all the maple trees we passed - clear signs of the maple-syrup production on the property.Plastic tubing winds through the forest, collecting the sap drippings from the maple trees. Sugar maples, red maples and black maples all yield the special sugary sap that eventually becomes syrup once it is processed. The trees are tapped and the sap feeds into the hoses. These smaller blue hoses feed into larger hoses that connect to large barrels where it is then collected and boiled down carefully to obtain the purest syrup. Spring is the busiest period for maple-syrup producers since the sugars and starches that the trees store during the winter begin to circulate again in the spring, which is when the greatest harvest takes place.Wheelers is open year-round for delicious pancake breakfasts that employ the use of their homegrown maple syrup products. This is the entrance, above. Notice the snowshoes stacked by the doors. These are available for rent for long winter hikes through the 14-kilometers of nature trails on the property. Cross-country skiers are also welcome to explore the property. All of the exterior logs are reworked from century-old hay barns that once graced the property but that were too insecure to remain standing. Adjacent to this building is a museum devoted to the history of maple syrup production in Ontario.We came for breakfast on a Friday morning. As you can see, it was not busy at all on this January morning, but during March and April, when maple-syrup production is at its peak, you are not likely to find a seat anywhere! We actually had the entire place to ourselves on this morning but the fire in the big stone fireplace was still burning and our hostess, Angela, was gracious and warm. The lumber that you see above was sawed and dressed at local mills from trees on the property. One full year of production went into the construction of the building , using over 50 thousand board feet of lumber, 20 kilometers of electrical wire and a quarter of a million nails!There were beautiful, handmade paper snowflake decorations in some of the windows. I really loved their three-dimensional effect. You will notice the larger collection tubes in the background outside the window. These feed into the production hut where the sap is collected and processed into syrup.

Mmmmmmmmmmm! The pancakes were light and fluffy and drizzled with light maple syrup. They were served with a slice of French toast and three small breakfast sausages.


HOW MAPLE SYRUP IS GRADED:
Grading is based on the colour and flavour of the syrup, which can be influenced by many factors: the type of maple, the temperature of the winter air, the cleanliness and age of the equipment used to harvest and produce the syrup and how long the sap is boiled into its syrup form. Generally, the warmer the raw sap is, and the longer the sap sits in its collection vessels, the darker the syrup and the stronger the flavour. All maple syrup is the same density, despite its consistency and colour.


EXTRA LIGHT #1 SYRUP: The lightest in colour and the most delicate maple syrup.


LIGHT #1 SYRUP: Darker in colour with a distinct maple flavour.


MEDIUM #1 SYRUP: Even darker in colour with a slightly more robust maple flavour.


AMBER #2 SYRUP: Dark colour with very strong caramel-like flavour. Perfect for baking and cooking.


DARK #3 SYRUP: Very dark colour and an intense maple flavour. Generally only for commercial use (i.e. maple flavouring.)My mom and I look very happy after our delicious pancake breakfast! Time to walk it off!

See Amid The Winter Snow

Sprinkled like powdered sugar over the landscape, snow adds a definite sweetness to the outdoors during the winter months. It can magnify and accentuate textures and shapes we may not so easily appreciate in a snowless world. Visually it is striking, especially with its natural propensity to contrast anything darker that it may come into contact with: coniferous branches are particularly susceptible to its beautifying effects, but so are large rocks, tall grasses and ornate manmade structures, like fences and benches.

During a recent trip to my hometown in Ottawa, Canada, I took some snaps of the gorgeous winter landscape to share. It's my hope that people who live in snowy climes and struggle with the prospect of snowy days may find some charm and loveliness in the fluffy white stuff.
My parents frequently take the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors during the winter months. They are shown above hiking along the road to their cabin.
Red berries on this tiny shrub assail the mostly colourless backdrop and pop out at the viewer. Without snow to accentuate them, they may not look quite as enticing. This specimen didn't lose its leaves - and thankfully so! The variegated green patterns look stunning when heaped with a generous helping of snow. Ornamental grasses, pale and stunted in the winter gloom, take on the effect of fireworks when dappled with a touch of white.This bench, sitting lonely in my parents' backyard, still retains some element of its romantic charm and magic when shrouded in snow A farmer's old cedar fence in rural Ontario (much like the ones Martha imported from Canada for her farm in Bedford) looks like it belongs on a holiday postcard.

A series of coniferous trees - big and small - demonstrate the importance of planting trees with the seasons in mind. Coniferous trees (such as spruce, pine and cedar) lend depth, weight and structure to a winter landscape.

You can see the contrast between the grove of coniferous trees on my parents' property and the somewhat anemic maple, which loses some of its majesty during the winter.

The frozen lake takes on the effect of a blank canvas. Just three months ago this image would have been a painterly array of blues, yellows, reds and greens. It is now a pristine scene of stillness. (This is not a black and white image, by the way, which shows you just how desaturated the landscape becomes this time of year.)

Ah, but colour is always there, lying in wait! On sunny, clear days, the snow can take on the colour of the sky - almost reflective in its luminescence. In the image above, my mother escorts her dog Molly through the back field just before sunset.

Foreshadowing Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, MarthaStewartCrafts.com is leading up to the celebration with 20% off Martha Stewart Valentine's products. Simply enter promo code VDAY20 at the checkout page to receive your discount. There are plenty of new Valentine's Day punches, craft embellishments, food packaging and stationery so be sure to have a peek! The offer ends on Sunday, January 16th. The discount does not apply to wholesale orders, or other EK Success brands. It is valid online only, not at stores. Orders over $60 placed in the contiguous United States will receive free shipping also!

Heart and Love buttons

And since we're speaking of Valentine's Day, the February issue of Martha Stewart Living is now appearing on newsstands and in mailboxes. It's a great issue filled with all the Valentine's Day standbys (chocolate, sweets, etc.) but has enough fresh and fun content to make it unique and imaginative, such as articles on damask patterns, collectors and their beloved collections, seafood pastas and a feature on a fun group of women who meet to craft regularly at the New York Public Library. You can read more about the Handmade Crafternoon group at the organizer's blog and watch a video the editors put together for the i-pad version of the magazine. (Members of Martha's staff will be joining the group on February 5th at the NY Public Library for a Valentine's Day card making event, so if you're around, be sure to stop by.)

Beginning with the February issue, all Martha Stewart Living issues will now be available in digital versions for the i-pad with bonus features.

A Toast to the Grooms!

I was so thrilled when I picked up the Winter 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings today . Not only is the issue overflowing with amazing ideas for gorgeous winter weddings, but page 290 boasts a fairly historic feature for the magazine - and all weddings magazines! The marriage of Martha Stewart's nephew Christopher Herbert to his partner Tim Long is celebrated beautifully in this 10-page feature with photographs that illustrate every beautiful detail of their special day, which took place last August at Martha's farm in Bedford. After tying the knot officially in a legal ceremony in Massacheusets, Chris and Tim invited guests to Martha's farm (at her suggestion) to celebrate the union in style. It's all detailed in the current issue, including how their touching romance blossomed over a decade.

I think this issue is so special to me because it represents a change in attitude and an increasing awareness of the boundless possibilities of love, commitment and togetherness. As someone who married his partner three years ago in a legal ceremony in Canada (where gay marriages are recognized legally on a federal level, from coast to coast) it is heartening to see others embracing the opportunities that change and understanding can bring to a democracy. Congratulations, Tim and Chris! (And congratulations Martha Stewart Weddings for this, the second gay marriage to be featured in the magazine. I know it's not political. It just feels wonderful to see the mainstream embracing people like us.)

Chris and Tim pose by a pasture on Martha's property after tying the knot.

The ceremony took place in front of the stables.

Aunt Martha, the hostess, with the guests of honour.

The palette for the decorations, flowers and favours was neutral: browns, greens and creams. Here, a centerpiece brims with Japanese beautyberry branches and peegee hydrangea. Vintage inkwells and twine-wrapped bottles display jasmine, dahlias and yellow zinnias.

Gorgeous displays could be found around the property. The event was primarily designed and arranged by David Stark, Ann David and Nicky Reinhard.Throughout the afternoon, guests could sample mini pies and mini vanilla-milkshakes with tiny chocolate-chip cookies as garnishes.And here I am (left) with my husband Tomás on our wedding day, October 13, 2007. Ours was a low-key ceremony and reception at my parents' home, but the meaning and importance of that incredibly special day was beyond imagining and resonates with us both to this day.

Power Foods Cookbook

New from the editors of Whole Living (a Martha Stewart Living publication) is a cookbook with 150 feel-good recipes that use only the healthiest ingredients. The book is the first for Whole Living magazine and is called "Power Foods." It was released on December 28th in the U.S. and Canada and has a foreword written by Martha Stewart. Beyond the recipes, the editors include research-backed information about the health benefits and disease-fighting properties of 38 power foods, along with nutritional data and helpful tips on storing, preparing, and cooking them. In this one-stop resource, you’ll learn all about stocking a healthy pantry, eating seasonally, understanding food labels, and when it’s best to splurge for organic ingredients.

Remembering Genevieve

I want to thank so many of you for your words of condolence, here on this blog and through email. All the kind wishes have certainly brought a smile to my face. I thought I would share with you some of my memories and photographs of Genevieve Ritchie, my Great Aunt, who passed away recently. Thank you again for your kind words.

____________________

It’s amazing how memories come pouring back into consciousness when a loved-one passes away, little memories filled with the most minute of details, designed to comfort us, blanket us and guide us into a new sense of reassurance.

Genevieve was the oldest of six children, the daughter of Lebanese immigrants to Canada. She worked her whole life for the Government of Canada in the Department of Public Works.

My Aunt Genevieve passed away on December 15th at the golden age of 94. She was born and raised in Ottawa and spent her entire life there, with most of her adult life spent living with her beloved sister Ann, who is now 89. They shared a home together and spent their lives loving their extended families with an energy and generosity that will never be forgotten. I always saw them as a unit – as one entity – as “Ann & Gen.” It will be difficult to think of them apart.
Genevieve, far right, photographed with her brother Alfred and her sister Ann.

My early memories of Aunt Genevieve sketch a woman in overalls and gardening gloves, big glasses and lots of chunky jewelry, kneeling in the earth of her front yard surrounded by bulbs and uprooted weeds. I remember her waving to us as we pulled into the driveway, her smile beaming, her bracelets jangling. (Gen was always glad to have a visitor.) I remember her bringing in tomatoes from the side garden, and lugging in big tote bags filled with the pottery she had made at her class that day. I remember her calculating and tabulating at her desk in the hallway (she was an accountant for a while) working on the household finances and I remember her always being in charge.
Genevieve made strikingly creative pieces of pottery throughout her lifetime. This 'bouquet' of clay flowers that she made in 1950s using pottery and heavy-guage wire was in the front entrance hall of her house for as long as I can remember. The flowers stood nearly four-feet tall.

As children, during the summer months, my brother and I would sometimes spend a day with Ann and Gen while my parents were at work. These were always fun times for us since it usually meant lots of treats and lots of activity. They would make us a big breakfast and listen to us go on and on about school. Gen was the most inquisitive of the two, always finding time to listen and inquire about what we were learning and what our dreams for the future were, quick to offer advice and insight – even to a ten year-old!

After breakfast, Gen would disappear into town, running all kinds of errands, attending all kinds of classes, from pottery to aqua fitness. She was never idle. In the evening she would begin preparing a huge Lebanese feast for all of us and my brother and I would leave feeling more full than we had ever felt before.

Gen was an artist and a traveler. During her lifetime she saw nearly every continent on the planet. Each year was marked by at least one big trip, often two or three, and she would send back postcards from all of the places she had visited. I was given boxes of these postcards several years ago and I treasure them. Her curious nature kept her on the move constantly and she loved having a good time, eating good food and making good friends.

It’s hard to imagine that I will never see her face again, see that smile, hear that big laugh (which would often be accompanied by clapping hands) or feel those warm hugs that were always musical. It is selfish of me to still want those things, given how full and long her life was. I always thought she would live forever somehow. She was one of those constants in our lives, an example of a person who lived every single day to its fullest and who proved that you are only as old as you feel. But, after 93 years with us, it was her time to go. The last year of her life was a difficult one and I know she is in a better place now. I feel a sense of peace now knowing she is at rest.

At this moment, I see her sitting in her chair by the window, looking elegant as always in a big scarf, silk blouse and trousers. I see Aunt Genevieve smiling: Loving. Comforting. Brilliant.

Genevieve Ritchie: June 20th, 1916 - December 15th, 2010

Petkeeping Debuts

Be sure to tune in to the premiere episode of "Petkeeping With Marc Morrone" Tuesday at noon on the Hallmark Channel. The show is taped at Marc's famous pet shop (Parrots of the World) on Long Island, New York, and follows Marc as he interacts with customers, veterinarians, animal behaviorists and his trademark menagerie of fawning creatures, big and small. Viewers will get expert advice on how to care for the animals they love and cherish and learn about how to solve common problems associated with petkeeping.
Last year, Marc was kind enough to contact me and send me an advanced copy of his book, shown above, which I highly recommend. (You can read my review here.) The book examines how he started his pet business and explores his lifelong love of animals. It's filled with wonderful anecdotes and humorous tales of his animal adventures. (Turns out Marc is the Indiana Jones of the pet world!)

Expect Good Things

My New Year's resolution (personally and professionally) can pretty much be summed up in these three words: Expect Good Things. It's what will guide my outlook and the direction I will take this year, and beyond. I found this postcard below on Etsy a few months ago and its message has been resonating with me ever since. Given its close resemblance to Martha's favourite tag-line I sent the card to Martha a while ago with a holiday greeting on the back. Its meaning, however, is important for all of us, I feel. Expecting good things in life means having the desire to start each day with a positive outlook: "What will my good thing be today?" If we 'expect' them, we are more likely to invite them in. It doesn't mean it will come easily or that we should take good things for granted. (Sometimes finding the good things is a challenge, but the rewards are great and it makes the search well worth it.) It's more about attitude. It's about knowing you deserve good things and then setting about trying to encourage more of them in your life, sharing good things with friends and loved-ones and appreciating each and every one of them that comes your way. Happy 2011 everyone!