And Mr. X and I started the year off right. We rang it in at my friend Heidi Rotbart\u2019s fabulous New Year\u2019s Day PJ Party brunch. This woman is definitely the hostess with the mostess!!!<\/p>\n
Many of you ask why I don\u2019t throw my January 14th birthday extravaganzas anymore. One of the answers is that my own<\/em> celebration can\u2019t possibly be as wonderful as Heidi\u2019s parties that are just a mere two weeks before my b-day, so why even try?<\/p>\n The night before. The cheese puffs are what Mr. X and I “dined on,” and the brownies are what I baked for Heidi’s party the next day. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n We love this fete so much that we chose it over going out on New Year\u2019s Eve! We know that we could not party hardy until the wee hours on December 31st, and then go out the very next morning, so we stayed in the night before. But do not feel bad for us\u2014we love just being cozy and romantic at home, feasting on bad-but-fun food we would not eat any other night of the year, and watching the ball go down in several time zones. But poor Mr. X\u2014I<\/em> hate the taste of alcohol, so I join him in just the teensiest<\/em> bit of champagne. Which means he drinks most of the bottle himself.<\/p>\n Karen Salkin and Heidi Robart. (And no–Karen is NOT rocking that stuffed dog on her head–it’s on the shelf above.) Photo by Mr. X.<\/p><\/div>\n For her fab event, Heidi asks us all to wear pajamas, which makes this food fest extra fun. I give many props to us good peeps who do as asked. I love seeing the entertaining outfits we all come up with. But some people are grinches and show up in regular clothing. I told Heidi she should not let guests in next year if they show-up with not even a semblance<\/em> of bedtime attire! I wore an entirely new ensemble for it, except for my adorbs slippers (which would have won the contest had there been one. But, let\u2019s face it\u2014fashion is always<\/em> an un<\/em>official contest, especially to me<\/em>!) Mr. X even got into the swing of things with his PJ bottoms. When he saw how many males thought they\u2019re above the theme, he felt a bit uncomfortable at first. But when we got home, and he realized that he did not have to change, he was thrilled with Heidi\u2019s pajamas request! (And here\u2019s something fun\u2014as we were just walking down the street on our way to her house, a family walking towards us asked, \u201cAre you going to Heidi\u2019s?\u201d Mr. X was amazed that they knew. He didn\u2019t figure it out that it was because we were wearing our PJs!)<\/p>\n Just a teensy bit of the vittles! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n But no matter what anyone<\/em> wore, the main attraction there, as always, was the sumptuous buffet! (So<\/em> sumptuous, in fact, that it was actually served on four<\/em> buffets!!!) It was all just brilliant. Because it\u2019s a potluck, Heidi always has the perfect mix of hot brunch items, creative side dishes, salads, all kinds of interesting breads and such, and desserts. This time, there were even McDonald burgers and Kentucky Fried Chicken!!! And there was plenty of it all. She was even kind enough to put standing signs by each dish, which helps so much. I hate when people don\u2019t think to identify the food!<\/p>\n There was even an entire room dedicated to just beverages. It featured all kinds of drinks, from soda and OJ all the way to multiple bottles of champagne.<\/p>\n Part of the dessert table., featuring…my brownies! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I panicked at first when I found-out that my perennial favorite dish at Heidi\u2019s soiree, Grand Marnier French Toast, was not there this year. I had literally been craving it for the entire week before! But my yearning quickly faded into the background when I discovered incredible noodle pudding, blueberry blintzes casserole, maple honey bacon, and the second best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted! (I\u2019m sure that fans of Karen\u2019s Restaurant Revue<\/em> remember my love for the late lamented Butterfly Bakery’s cheesecake, which was like no other in the whole world. So to come in second to that<\/em> unique one is, indeed, very special.)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/81028726_2702625329821565_7611315332849860608_o.jpg\")
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