On the first day of 2011, our Facebook and Twitter feeds were glutted with friends' New Year's pledges to graze through hectares of leafy greens, ferry home wheelbarrows of winter roots and bunk down with Brussels sprouts and broccoli.

Celebrity chef and Meatless Monday booster Mario Batali publicly resolved to make and eat dinner with his kids, and "master more vegetarian dishes, like simple bruschetta, that are fun to cook as a team." By January 3rd, the Wall Street Journal aided George Ball, chairman of the W. Atlee Burpee Co. in dubbing it yea and verily to be the Year of the Vegetable.

Yet within days of the work week commencing (or the Champagne finally wearing off) that fervor wilted, giving way to an apologetic trickle of, "Yeah...I give up. Vegetables are too much work." "Too...cold...for...farmers...market..." "zOMG the organic stuff is sooooo expensive!" and "#resolutionfail Back to Lean Cuisine. I don't know what to DO with vegetables."
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

We're in the camp of thought that you should be drinking the sparkling stuff all year long, not just on New Year's. Lucky for us, Gary Vaynerchuk, the host of Wine Library TV, New York Times best-selling author and overall wine guru, gives his bubbly blessing.

Five "Under The Radar" Sparkling Wines: Gary Vaynerchuk
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

While many of us were cramming our gullets on January 1 with Hoppin' John and collard greens for wealth in the New Year, many folks of Chinese descent like Chris Yeo, the chef/owner from XINO|SINO and The Straits, will be waiting to get lucky until the first day of the Chinese New Year celebration.

Chinese New Year is a special time of year for many. "Chi fan le mei you?" or "Have you eaten yet?" is the most common greeting heard during the celebration of the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year throughout the West. Many of the traditions of Chinese New Year center around food either being cooked or eaten. To people who trace their roots back to China, the most important date in the lunar calendar is Chinese New Year - it’s a traditional time for feasting with family and friends that dates back thousands of years.

"Lucky" foods are served through the two weeks of the Chinese New Year celebration. The Chinese like playing with words and symbols so often homonyms, or words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings, are used. Names of dishes and/or ingredients that are served usually sound similar to words and phrases referring to wishes expressed during the Chinese New Year. Almost every dish has a symbolic meaning or name that sounds like a Chinese characters for fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity.

The offering of food serves to bring ancestors and other beings in the other world closer to oneself. The food offerings serve as a bonding tool to bring both worlds together. To ensure good luck throughout the year, the Chinese also give a special name to each dish. For example, a dish made up of five elements of the same kind (meat or vegetables) might be called "the five blessings of the new year," referring to longevity, riches, peace, wisdom and virtue.

Five Lucky Foods for Chinese New Year: Chris Yeo
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We mentioned earlier today that we've resolved to pop the cork, lid and casing on the edibles we'd been saving for a special occasion - especially if they are in peril of perishing. It's not about living luxe or overindulging, but rather appreciating what we have and honoring those who produced it.

Over at Salon.com, our friend Francis Lam has vowed to eschew cheap chicken. Chef and author Michael Ruhlman has dedicated the month to breadmaking, cookbook author and Meatless Monday advocate Kim O'Donnel calls our attention to a Wall Street Journal plea for 2011 to be The Year of the Vegetable and Epicurious Associate Editor Esther Sung has made a vow to live more simply, including making better choices at the market.

Read – Resolution 2011: Eat the good stuff

Per author and former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni, via Twitter, "Resolutions go in2 effect 2MORROW, yes? Since Jan. 1 and 2 fall on a weekend, Jan. 3d is the good-behavior starting point, RIGHT?"

I agree with the stave-off sentiment, but in 2011, I've got a particular "good behavior" mandate for myself that has nothing to do with incorporating more vegetables into my diet (if I do even more of that, I will actually become kale, and that'd make it hard to type), upping the cardio (that's a plan for a lifetime, not just a year) or cutting down on coffee (which would just make life suck for the people around me). It's not about self-deprivation - rather the opposite.

Call it carpe diem, gathering ye rosebuds or an ode to Erma Bombeck - I'm going to open some Amarone or olio novello on a random Tuesday, bust out the fancy Fortnum & Mason marmalade for a solo breakfast and eat that stunning tomato before it rots on the countertop. Good food and wine were meant to be consumed, it's a crime to waste them, and sorry to get all Stuart Smalley on you, but we're all worth it.
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We're well aware that y'all don't mind a tipple. Nearly 30,000 of you responded to a poll we posted waaaaayyy back in July of this year asking, "Do you drink alcohol? Not how frequently, why or any of that. Do you or don't you?"
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It's not like you didn't know this day was coming. Same date, every year, as long as there's been a calendar - it's just that the 364 other planning days just happened to flap on by, and you're left with nary a bottle of bubbles in the fridge, and guests set to arrive within the next 12 hours.

You don't need excuses - you have us.

We've got recipes, hosting tips and everything you need to know about buying, speed chilling and opening Champagne to get through tonight.

Your mantra - revised slightly from Thanksgiving
Remember how we said "It's just a meal...it's just a meal...it's just a meal?" It worked then and it works now - "It's just a night." Unless you've been running around talking up the tremendous culinary adventure upon which you will personally sherpa your guests this evening, you're in the clear.

No one's got far-flung food ambitions for New Year's Eve. They want to be with friends and loved ones, sip something with bubbles in it, and eat simple things that allow them to drink more bubbles. If you wanna get schmancier than that with the menu - mazeltov. We encourage embracing the low bar.
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

The irony of New Year’s resolutions is that typically, they don’t actually begin on January 1. Eat healthy. Drink less. Exercise more. All these popular resolutions make sense until we remember that New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest party nights of the year.

One way to start the New Year off right is by hosting a fabulous brunch, and regardless of your social calendar the night of, you can get a bulk of the work done before slipping into your favorite party dress and heading out for the night. Chef Anne Burrell, host of Food Network’s "Worst Cooks in America" and "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef," is here to help in the preparation of said delicious New Year’s Day brunch, despite any level of hangover.

Five Tips for New Year's Day Brunch: Anne Burrell
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5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe.

For amateur cooks, stepping inside the kitchen can result in an eclectic menu of anxiety, food in need of some serious salt, or potentially, a lesson in fire safety.

To all those home cooks seeking redemption in 2011, Chef Robert Irvine, host of Food Network’s "Worst Cook in America" and "Restaurant Impossible," is here to help the cause.

With just a handful of easy rules and techniques, Chef Irvine believes that even the most culinarily challenged can become more kitchen saavy in the New Year.

Now, go forth and show that risotto who's boss. (Hint: it's you.)

Five Things You Must Master to Become an Expert Cook in 2011: Robert Irvine
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