An awesome New Year's Eve tradition

New Year's Eve has never been my favorite day of the year. I don't drink, so the champagne-drenched revelry doesn't appeal to me. I've worked on more of them than I can count, so when I get the rare one off, I almost don't know what to do with myself.

However, we have one tradition that I cannot end the year without. We get out the fondue pot and make a huge batch of chocolate fondue. It's a tradition that Aaron's family started when ages ago, and he wanted to keep it going after we got married. And there's almost no dessert I look forward to more than that one. And it's now one of Emma's favorites, too.

To ring in 2010, we had a small party at our house. Some good friends joined us for a mellow last few hours of 2009. The two girls played, the adults got a chance to visit, and everyone had a good time with the Nintendo Wii. But to top it off, we had to get out the fondue pot. And the chocolate fondue inside it was a total hit.

Fondue is one of those great recipes that you can alter to make your own. We usually opt for a pretty straightforward one -- melted chocolate, with fruit and other sweets to dip. The flavor of the fondue can be altered with liqueurs, or even the type of chocolate you choose. One simple way -- and inexpensive way -- to put a twist on it would be to use a flavoring extract. Some good options include almond, hazelnut or mint.

We served our fondue with five dippers: strawberries, pineapple, bananas, angel food cake and marshmallows. We've used other goodies before, too: oranges are a great choice; homemade pound cake is another. This is a good opportunity to stretch your creative wings. My only suggestion is something solid to dip. If your sweet treats are too flimsy, they'll easily get lost in the chocolate.

I know it sounds unromantic, but we have an electric fondue pot. The ones with the candles certainly are better for setting the mood, but they do a terrible job of keeping the fondue smooth. Some companies make them with kerosene burners, but they seem less safe to me, especially if there are children sharing in the fun.

The recipe I made for New Year's Eve was a new one for me. I will certainly make it again next year. I used dark chocolate and loved it; Aaron says he wasn't as crazy about it. Oh well. I guess I have 364 more days to get it right for next year.

This recipe is from Cooking Light.

Chocolate fondue

2 cups fat-free milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. dark corn syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 1 cup)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour milk mixture over the chocolate, and stir until smooth. Transfer chocolate mixture to a fondue pot. Keep warm over a low flame.