Dutch Baby.

Once we started having children, our New Year's Eve celebrations changed to fit our kid's schedule a little more. We spent this past holiday in our cozy house eating a homemade chicken pie, staying up late, toasting in the new year, enjoying a picnic in bed with the kids, and watching a pile of movies. We did celebrate at noon with our two kids and friends by attending a "Noon Year's Eve" party. A great party idea to help children who might not be able to stay up till midnight celebrate the holiday. At the "Noon Year's Eve" party, our kids enjoyed making noise makers, confetti poppers, a special balloon drop at noon, and toasts with friends.

I love traditions, yet our family doesn't really have any established traditions when it comes to a New Year's Eve celebration. I recently started making "Dutch Baby" pancakes for our family. It seems so festive to bring the cast iron skillet straight from the oven to the table before the giant popover pancake collapses. This year I thought it would be the perfect breakfast to start out 2014. I use Martha Stewart's recipe when baking. It's super easy to follow and you can get the directions right here. It's also easy to assemble the recipe the night before and have it ready in the blender to pull out of the refrigerator the next morning. I'm not sure about you, but it's always a little difficult for me to function before I've had a good cup of coffee, so anything I can do to help speed things along while I wait for my coffee to brew makes me a happy Mama. Give this recipe a try. It's a huge hit in our home with both my husband and my two kids. It will be one of the fluffiest pancakes you've ever eaten.