I was 13 when I met my best friend, Melissa. It was the very first day of high school, and the peer ministry counselors had randomly put the freshmen into groups to help facilitate orientation. She and I somehow started talking about the Bahamas. She had spent the summer there, and I, because of my father’s business, spent a large portion of my childhood there. We instantly hit it off, and later that evening, she met me and my friends, and we went bowling.

Fast-forward 34 years. I am writing this on New Year’s Day after having spent New Year’s Eve at my home with my husband, her, her two children, and her parents. For almost four decades now, we have been an integral part of each other’s lives. She’s moved to all parts of Florida, Texas, Ohio, and back to Florida, and I’ve been there for all of it. I am the godfather to her firstborn child; she was the maid of honor at my wedding. When I went on my second date with my husband, I invited her to it. Odd, yes, but I knew right away Oscar was the one, and I wanted her to meet him.

On a side note, we would later find out about 20 years later that she and Oscar are distant cousins. The Lord knows what he does. 

When my father was nearly killed by a drunken driver in 2006, Melissa was the first person I called in the middle of the night. She got in the car and showed up at the hospital five hours later.

In 2016, when she was battling a rare form of bone cancer and required several surgeries over the course of six years, each time, I anxiously waited in the hospital waiting room for the doctor to come out and tell us how she had done. Thank God, she has been cancer-free for 8 years now.

I don’t believe there is anything we don’t know about each other. We often joke that at this point, we share one collective memory.

You may be reading this and wondering why this month’s column begins with the relationship I have with my best friend. Well, it’s actually an intro into the long-standing belief that the new year is a time for new beginnings and self-reinvention. New year, new you, no?

Yes, that is true, but there is no need to wait for the first day of January to become who you want to be. The opportunity to be the best version of yourself is available to you at any moment in your life.

In 2012, Melissa decided to finish her college degree and get an A.A. During her illness and while raising two small children, she continued her education and ultimately began law school in 2020.

I once saw her get ready for an interview for an internship just a couple of days after surgery. She needed a walker and wore loose-fitting pants to the interview as she still had drainage tubes attached. In all my life, I’ve never seen determination like hers.

In 2021, she unexpectedly lost her husband to COVID and became a widow and a single mother of two. The time after his passing was incredibly difficult for her and her children.

My husband and I still lived in South Florida at the time, and I would split my time living at her house in New Smyrna Beach for a week and then my home down south for a week. I did that for about three months.

In 2022, she was admitted to FSU Law and single-handedly moved herself and her children to Tallahassee to continue her education. Just this past month on Dec. 15, my husband and I, along with her children and her parents, saw her walk across the stage at FSU where she received her diploma and J.D. title. She will be taking the bar exam in a couple of months. When we met her outside after the ceremony ended, I could not control my emotion and began crying when she came out in her cap and gown.

After all the hugs, she took us to the rotunda in front of the FSU College of Law to an area where there are commemorative bricks. She had purchased one and wanted us to see it. It read: “Melissa Chapman 2023, for Mia and Ed [her children].” I don’t have to tell you that more waterworks ensued.

As we embark on this new year, take a look at your life and ask yourself, “Am I where I want to be?” If that answer is yes, congratulations, for that is not an easy task. If that answer is no, take stock of what you wish were different. Then, begin taking steps in that direction.

We need not wait for the first week of January to be all that we would like to be. A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, but first, you have to put one foot in front of the other.

Happy New Year; may health, love and happiness be your companions always.

For this month’s recipes, I am sharing a few of the items I made for New Year’s Eve. While they are perfect for the celebration, they can be enjoyed with family and friends that become family, any time of year.

First up is a quick and simple appetizer recipe for marinated olives. These are best made a couple of days before, and will keep in your fridge for two weeks at least.

Marinated Olives

2 cups large pitted olives

1 cup good-quality olive oil

½ cup of white wine vinegar

Peel of one orange sliced into strips

1 orange, seeded and cut into half circles

4 large sprigs of rosemary

8 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

1 small red onion thinly sliced

3 bay leaves

½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large jar with a lid. Shake it gently so that they are all mixed well.

Place in the fridge, and every now and then, give it a light shake.

Before serving, mix well; the oil may solidify in the fridge. It is best to leave them at room temperature for about one hour before serving.

For an extra-special treat, warm them up slightly in the microwave for about a minute-and-a-half, and serve them warm. These also work great in a martini!

For special occasions, Oscar loves to make lasagna. His recipe is as classic as it gets; it takes a bit of time as the pasta is made from scratch. If you don’t own a pasta maker, you can roll it out and cut the strips by hand. Alternatively, you can use ready-to-bake pasta sheets sold in the refrigerated section.

Yet, I highly recommend investing in a pasta maker. Ours is the Imperia one that is made in Italy. We’ve had it for over 15 years, and it works wonderfully!

Basic Pasta Dough

3 cups of flour

3 eggs slightly beaten

1 tsp of salt

6-8 tablespoons of warm water

Add all ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook, and blend until it is all combined and starts to form a ball of dough and there are no dry ingredients left sticking to the mixing bowl.

Wrap the dough in plastic, and let it sit for 1 hour before rolling/cutting.

If using a traditional, hand-cranked pasta maker such as ours, run the dough through the second-thinnest setting and lay flat on a large table covered with parchment paper or clean dish towels.

This recipe can be used for all types of pasta, from fettuccine to ravioli. Let your imagination run wild.

Oscar’s Lasagna

2 lbs. ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

1 15-ounce can water, use the tomato sauce can

1 12-ounce can tomato paste

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

24-ounce mozzarella cheese, shredded (can use more)

16-ounce ricotta cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic, and sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Add ground beef, and cook until completely browned. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. To assemble the lasagna, lightly spray a 14 x 11½ x 2¼ baking dish with cooking spray; then add a small amount of meat mixture in the bottom of the dish. Spread it around.

NOTE: If using fresh pasta, allow meat sauce to cool after it’s finished. Do not spread it hot, or it will precook the pasta.

Add the lasagna noodles to form the first layer (approximately 5; they will overlap onto each other).

Next, spread half of the ricotta cheese on top of the pasta.
Spoon ⅓ meat sauce on top of the ricotta cheese.

Sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese.

Next, add ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat with another layer of pasta, ricotta cheese, meat mixture, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.

The final layer is pasta, the remaining meat mixture, and the remaining cheese.

Spray a piece of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with foil, and cook for approximately 60 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Let it rest for about 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

This can be made up to 3 days ahead and brought to room temperature one hour before cooking.

Lastly, here is a wonderful recipe for classic vanilla pudding. This variation includes a bit of rum, but you can easily add any other liqueur, such as amaretto or Grand Marnier.

You could also omit the alcohol altogether and layer it with bananas and Nilla Wafers for a spectacular banana pudding.

Vanilla-Rum Pudding

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup sifted flour

3 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla

¼ cup dark rum

2 tablespoons butter

For garnish:

1 pasteurized egg

White sugar

In a saucepan, combine the sugar and sifted flour; stir with a whisk.

Turn on the heat, and slowly add the milk. Cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Lower the heat, and cook for 2 minutes more.

Remove from the heat, and drizzle 1 cup into the beaten egg yolks while whisking the whole time. Do this very slowly, and do not stop whisking or the eggs will curdle.

When incorporated, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the pudding.

Stir in the vanilla, rum and butter, and cook over a low heat while stirring for another 5 minutes.

Pour the pudding into small bowls or ramekins; I like to use antique teacups.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding surface while it cools, or a skin will form on the top of the pudding. I’m not going to lie, letting it cool is the hardest part. Eating this warm is like a little piece of heaven!

For the garnish, beat one pasteurized egg white with 2 teaspoons of water. Roll the berries in the egg, shake off the excess, and roll it in white sugar. This produces a beautiful crystalized effect.

White strawberries are in season now, and that’s what I used this time around, although any small berry works well. Enjoy!