Are you going to make a New Year’s resolution this year? If so, you are among the 50 percent of Americans who will do so. Of that 50 percent, I’m sorry to tell you, another 50 percent will fail within six months. However, those who make explicit resolutions are the most likely to succeed.

    The new year is a popular time to make resolutions, a time of fresh beginnings, a clean slate, a new date book! In the medieval era, knights took the “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season each year to reaffirm their commitment to chivalry. Romans would make promises to the god Janus. Ancient Babylonians would promise to return borrowed objects and repay debts.

    Resolutions have changed over the years, predictably becoming more superficial and appearance-oriented, especially among young girls. In the 19th century, a young lady’s typical resolution would be to become less self-centered, more helpful, a more diligent worker, and to improve internal character. Body image, health, diet, and possessions were rarely mentioned. By the end of the 20th century, the typical teenage girl’s resolution was related to body, hairstyle, makeup, and clothing.

    As the number one resolution among Americans is to lose weight and try to be healthier, I would like to offer some helpful tips. Start by emptying your refrigerator and pantry of unhealthy processed foods. Good job. You have also just completed the number two resolution, which is to get organized. Now buy or borrow some new cookbooks that will help jumpstart your commitment and offer inspiring recipes. That old “Joy of Cooking” won’t help you figure out tasty things to do with quinoa, freekeh, and kale. My current favorite book is called “Salad for Dinner” by Jeanne Kelley.

    Americans’ number three resolution for 2013 is to spend less and save more. If you begin by eating less meat and more whole grains and vegetables you are on your way. The number six resolution is to learn something exciting. Hey, learn how to cook healthy meals with your children! Resolution number 10: Spend more time with family. Done.

    It has been scientifically proven that those who vow to lose weight and start off with a punishing, puritanical diet are doomed to failure. However, those who vow to lose one or two pounds per week, a realistic goal, are more likely to succeed. That is another reason I love “Salad for Dinner.” The last recipe, and only dessert in the book, is for chocolate cream pie. Don’t deprive yourself; you had salad for dinner!

    When re­stocking your pantry, make sure to get brown rice, quinoa, wheat berries, couscous, etc. I store all of these items in the refrigerator to prevent them from getting rancid. Cook a big batch of the brown rice every week and keep it in the refrigerator. As it takes 45 minutes to cook, it’s hard to be spontaneous like you used to be with Minute Rice. Buy a variety of beans, canned and dried. Nothing wrong with popping open a can of cannelini beans to add to an Italian tuna salad, or black beans for your chili. And don’t forget short cuts! When I prepared the following recipes I cheated by buying already shredded carrots and a store-bought roast chicken.

    If you like making soups, make a lot and freeze in plastic pint and quart containers. Keep pesto in the freezer for a quick meal with whole wheat pasta. Of course your refrigerator should be full of the basics, celery, onions, carrots, and garlic. With these always on hand you can make stocks and vegetable soups. Oranges, lemons, and limes are also essential to have on hand to add zest and tang to fish dishes, chicken, vegetables, and fancy cocktails.

    So don’t disappoint yourself by setting an unrealistic goal. Set a small goal, and you are likely to succeed. Have salad for dinner, and perhaps a little sliver of that chocolate cream pie.

Click for recipes

   The New Year’s Eve options include, of course, a festive dinner out at any number of local restaurants. Here is the lowdown on what is being offered at some of them.

    At Cafe Max in East Hampton, an early option for dinner at 5 p.m. on Monday includes a two-course prix fixe for $35, featuring a choice among five appetizers and five entrees. At 7 p.m., the restaurant will offer a four-course, $65 special including a house drink, a choice from a list of 11 salads or appetizers, and a selection of one each of six entrees and desserts. A 9 p.m. seating will include a house drink, four courses with 12 appetizers and entrees and seven desserts to choose from, and a midnight toast. Both later seatings include the trappings of New Year’s Eve: hats, tiaras, horns, and other noisemakers.

    Muse in the Harbor in Sag Harbor will host two New Year’s Eve seatings. An earlier seating will include a three-course prix fixe for $55 per person plus tax and gratuity. Those at a later seating will choose from a four-course menu, and then be offered a midnight champagne toast, and a D.J. all night, for dancing. The cost is $85 plus. Reservations for both seatings have been recommended.

    The Living Room in East Hampton will offer an a la carte dinner on Monday night from 5:30 to 7 p.m. followed by a $125, four-course prix fixe dinner beginning at 9 p.m., which includes a glass of champagne.

    At Almond in Bridgehampton, the New Year’s Eve celebration begins at 9 p.m. with a four-course dinner accompanied by a midnight champagne toast and party favors. The price is $85 per person. The restaurant will offer its regular a la carte service from 6 to 8 p.m. along with casual dishes to be served at the bar.

    On New Year’s Day, a brunch will be served at Almond starting at 11:30 a.m. Holiday specials will be included on the brunch menu, and diners will receive a complimentary Bellini, Bloody Mary, or mimosa.

    Also serving a New Year’s Day brunch will be the Plaza Cafe in Southampton. Starting at 10:30 a.m., those who arrive will receive a complimentary mimosa.

    In Amagansett, Indian Wells Tavern will have brunch on New Year’s Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., served along with regular menu items. On New Year’s Eve, Indian Wells will offer a two-course prix fixe for $22, or a three-course prix fixe for $25.

    Out in Montauk, O’Murphy’s restaurant and pub is taking reservations for New Year’s Eve, when dinner will be served from 5 to 11 p.m. Entree choices will include surf and turf, prime rib, grilled veal chops, roast duck, and Gaelic chicken. A children’s menu and the restaurant’s regular menu will also be available.

    The Shagwong will offer a four-course prix fixe dinner on New Year’s Eve for $30. A $60 version will include cocktails all night. A live band will perform. Shagwong will be open on New Year’s Day for brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Celebrating at Home

    Lucy’s Whey in East Hampton has a supply of its popular Montauk marlin dip, which can be served along with a cheese plate or other appetizers. It will only be available for another week before the supply is depleted until spring.

    At the Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone in East Hampton, the menu was changed at the beginning of the month to reflect a Scandinavian or Nordic influence, with a selection of dishes featuring seasonal items. Another section of the menu is devoted to items that are “always at the Living Room,” such as the Lojrom caviar served with a crispy potato cake and herring three ways. The seasonal portion of the menu will change approximately four times throughout the year.

    The Living Room’s Christmas Table menu items will be available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as a la carte choices.

    The restaurant’s new culinary team includes the chef, Mathais Brogie, who recently came from Stockholm, and his partner, Mark Saavedra. Adam Lancashire, formerly of Luce and Hawkins on the North Fork, is the new restaurant manager. 

Vegan Foods

    East Hampton Gourmet Food is now offering a line of ready-to-eat vegan gourmet dishes, available at its Newtown Lane takeout and catering shop. Items include a veggie burger, pate, meatloaf, crisp breads in five flavors, and three different spreads.

    The East Hampton Gourmet Food vegan line will also be available in retail locations including chain stores, as well as wholesale for restaurants, country clubs, caterers, schools, and more. They can be ordered through the distributor, Red Bell Foods, at [email protected].

    Another new offering from the shop is ready-to-bake cookie dough. Information can be found at the Web site, easthamptongourmetfood.com.

Foodie Gifts

    Those still seeking gifts to give will receive a bonus upon purchase of a $50 gift card for the Harbor Grill in East Hampton — a complimentary $10 gift card for themselves, or to give as another gift.

    Harbor Grill will open at noon on Christmas Eve and offer happy hour-priced drinks and free appetizers at the bar all day.

    The cheesemongers at Lucy’s Whey cheese shop in East Hampton have designed a variety of gifts, including a gift box featuring a selection of cheeses for dessert, along with dried fruit; another with “Lucy’s Favorites,” including 2.5 pounds of cheese and a selection of crackers, preserves, and charcuterie, and a “cheese of the month” subscription, entitling subscribers to receive three hand-selected artisanal cheeses each month.

Holiday Scheduling

    Indian Wells Tavern in Amagansett will close on Christmas Eve at 3 p.m. and be closed Christmas Day. They will be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with a special New Year’s Day brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    In Montauk, the Shagwong will be open Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

    A Christmas Eve prix fixe will be offered at Muse in the Harbor in Sag Harbor from 4 to 9 p.m. on Monday. Reservations have been recommended.

    At the Plaza Cafe in Southampton, Christmas Eve will bring the traditional Italian “feast of the seven fishes.” A seven-course prix fixe, to be served beginning at 5:30 p.m., will feature smoked salmon, sauteed calamari, barbecued oysters, Peconic Bay scallops, grilled seafood sausage, pumpkin lobster bisque, and seafood shepherd’s pie. The cost is $75 per person plus tax and gratuity. A limited a la carte menu will also be available.

Take-Home Holiday

    Art of Eating Catering in Amagansett has a menu of takeout items that can be ordered for festive holidays at home. Although today is the last day to place Christmas Eve orders, the deadline for orders for New Year’s Eve is next Thursday.

    Among the organic and local winter menu offerings prepared by Cheryl Stair, the company’s executive chef, are hors d’oeuvres and appetizers such as a relish tray, chicken liver pate, buratta with grilled figs and burnt orange marmalade, homemade potato chips and dip, and filet of beef and crispy vegetable rolls served with horseradish cream. Seafood choices include oysters Rockefeller, smoked Faroe Island salmon, baked salt cod and potato spread, and monkfish osso bucco. On the entree list are paella, stuffed loin of pork, pepper-crusted beef filet, grilled vegetable lasagna, whole grilled salmon, and a slow-roasted North Sea Farms turkey, among other choices. Soups, salads, vegetable dishes, and desserts are available as well.

For a Break

     A new happy hour at Almond in Bridgehampton will provide a chance to order $5 glasses of wine, a New York State microbrew beer, or a specialty cocktail. A bar nibbles menu includes pork terrine, cheeseburger “singles,” a brussels sprout Caesar salad, prosciutto with dried fruit and grilled bread, hand-cut fries with truffle oil, or a cheese plate, for $8 each, or shrimp cocktail for $2 a piece.

    It’s party season! Chances are, you are going to a bunch and may be having one or two or your own. But this is the time of year when we are already spending a good bit of money on gifts and travel so throwing a holiday party could put some additional strain on your wallet. This is also the time when we are faced with rich eggnog, frosted holiday cookies, massive cheese platters, and adult beverages at all times of the day, putting a strain on your waistline, too.

     When hosting your own party, it’s okay to ask guests to help by bringing a bottle of wine or contributing one of the appetizers. A lot of my friends are awesome cooks so I always accept their offers of an additional dish. When my friends who don’t know how to cook offer to bring something, I politely decline while thinking to myself “No, thanks, I can buy Pringles and Frito’s ranch dip on my own.”

    When it comes to cocktails, I like to make one special drink to serve in a big pitcher. However, I never drink these concoctions at other people’s houses. Why? I don’t like not knowing how much alcohol I’m consuming, or the quality. So if you’re going to make a big cranberry punch or spiked cider, please use a decent brand of booze and have seltzer nearby so your guests can tame it. I also have mixed feelings about Champagne. It’s so expensive I usually opt for Spanish cava or a California brand, perfectly delicious and half the price of mediocre Champagne.

    It’s also a good idea to have some options for your friends who have gluten allergies or are trying to stick to a healthy diet. Have rice crackers and tortilla chips, plenty of crudites and lower-fat dips. I have found that the thick Greek nonfat yogurt is an excellent substitute for sour cream. When I make homemade hummus, I use plenty of chickpeas, garlic, and lemon juice but very little tahini. Sometimes I just add a few drops of toasted sesame oil, same nutty flavor, less calories.

    For ease of entertaining, setting out a big cheese platter with grapes and sliced apples takes about 10 minutes. Get already prepped carrots and celery sticks from the supermarket or gourmet store. Have bowls of nuts and sliced dried sausage set about the house so people have something to nibble on no matter where they’re sitting or standing. One of my favorite go-to party snacks is Snyder’s honey mustard pretzel bits.

    Most important, get as much work done in advance as you can so you can be relaxed and welcoming when your guests arrive. Take a bubble bath, sip one of your signature cocktails, put on the holiday music.

    Here are some recipe ideas to inspire you, some naughty, some nice!

Click for recipes

For Hanukkah

    Stuart’s Seafood Market has homemade latkes available for Hanukkah, along with house-made apple sauce. Advance orders are appreciated, though latkes are on hand in the shop. They also make a great accompaniment for holiday caviar, according to Charlotte Sasso of the market. The shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Holiday Plans

    The annual list of restaurants that will welcome guests for Christmas Eve and Christmas meals begins here.

    The Living Room, which is at c/o the Maidstone inn in East Hampton, will have a “Swedish Christmas table” menu for lunch and dinner on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, from noon to 3 p.m. and again from 5:30 to 10 p.m. It includes four courses, for $36 per person, and includes herring three ways, an assorted cold meat plate, roast loin of pork or codfish as an entree, and a trio of desserts. The restaurant’s a la carte menu will be offered as well.

    Almond restaurant in Bridgehampton will have its 11th annual Christmas Eve roast suckling pig dinner this year. The main dish is served with cabbage, caramelized apples, and spaetzle, and costs $31. A portion of the proceeds from the evening will be donated to the Pajama Program, which provides new warm pajamas, along with books, to children in need in this country and around the world. Almond will also serve its regular a la carte menu on Christmas Eve, with service from 6 to 10 p.m. It will be closed on Christmas.

Holiday Cooking

    The East End Chefs program at the Whalers Church in Sag Harbor will feature festive dishes and drinks for a holiday buffet at its next session, on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Sandra Wolge of East Hampton will demonstrate holiday table decorations, and Bill Bertha of the Red Horse Market in East Hampton will show how to prepare baked goods such as Stollen bread and spice cookies, and how to decorate a gingerbread house. Lillian Woudsma of East Hampton, a caterer who organizes the East End Chefs series, will discuss meal items and refreshments. Holiday music will be played, wine served, and the gingerbread house raffled off at the end of the event. The cost is $30, which can be paid at the door. Space is limited, so advance reservations have been requested; they can be made by calling the church.

Bites at the Bar

    At Muse in the Harbor restaurant in Sag Harbor, a “bar bites” menu offered from 5 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday includes barbecued pork spring rolls, chicken wings, fried calamari and mild banana peppers, and tuna sliders.

Holiday Food

    Tanya Tracy, who was born in India, will draw on her culinary heritage, blend it with Mediterranean cuisine, and demonstrate the preparation of a holiday spread at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton on Wednesday at noon. The program is free, but reservations must be made by Monday by calling the library or registering online at myrml.org.

Dinner Under the Tree

    A “Swedish Table” prix fixe will be served at the Living Room restaurant in East Hampton on Sunday following the annual tree-lighting festivities at c/o the Maidstone inn, taking place from 4 to 6 p.m.

    Service will begin at 6:45 p.m. The meal includes a choice of roast pork loin or codfish as an entree, and starters including herring three ways and a Swedish cold meat platter. The cost is $36 plus tax and gratuity. A la carte items will be available as well.

Wine, Tasting, and Books

    Silvia Lehrer will read from her book “Savoring the Hamptons: Discovering the Food and Wine of Long Island’s East End,” on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m., at the Lieb Cellars tasting room in Cutchogue. She will also sign copies, and share a taste of hors d’oeuvres from recipes featured in the book.

Warm and Cheery

    The Hampton Coffee Company in Water Mill has opened its “holiday cafe,” featuring seasonal gifts, including gift baskets, holiday music CDs, teas, coffee-making equipment, and more. Between now and New Year’s, the company is offering free samples of its limited edition Hampton Holiday Blend coffee, and can fulfill orders of fresh-baked pumpkin and apple pies, for pickup through Christmas Eve.

    Catering for breakfast and lunchtime holiday parties is being offered at a 10-percent discount, through New Year’s, with free delivery. Special seasonal hot drinks on the cafe menu this season include eggnog latte, peppermint mocha, and peppermint hot chocolate.

Year Round, With Fireplace

    Race Lane restaurant in East Hampton is open nightly on Wednesday through Sunday, from 5 p.m. A three-course prix fixe is available all night on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and all night at the bar on Friday and Saturday or until 6:30 p.m. in the dining room. Happy hour drink specials and bar bites are offered every night from 5 to 6 p.m. at the bar.

Out in Montauk

    Sammy’s restaurant in the dock area of Montauk is open through the end of this month, serving lunch and dinner on Tuesday through Sunday. The space is available for parties.

    Also in Montauk, Bliss! A Montauk Kitchen, is offering a $5 breakfast special with coffee and juice and an $8 lunch special, including soda or water and chips. A new dinner menu can be found at the restaurant’s Web site, blissmtk.com, and dinner delivery service is offered in Montauk. Healthy lunches for school kids can be delivered to the Montauk, Amagansett, and Springs Schools.

Cupcakes

    The Hamptons Cupcake Lounge is now among the vendors at the Fair Foods Market, held indoors at Bay Burger in Sag Harbor on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The company offers a range of flavors from classics like red velvet to unusual ones like lavender lemonade, at $25 a dozen, and also sells lightly booze-infused “cuptails,” in such flavors as Bourbon Blast, Cuparita, Bananas Foster, Pina Cupalota, which cost $4 each or $44 per dozen, or $18 per dozen for the mini version. The company’s Web site is hamptonscupcakelounge.com.

    The market will be held Saturdays through the end of the month and then resume on Feb. 16.

Old Stove Pub

3516 Montauk Highway

Sagaponack

537-3300

Seven days, from 5 p.m.

   There are some very appealing aspects to the latest reincarnation of the Old Stove Pub in Sagaponack. The ramshackle, long-in-the-tooth building has been cleaned up, but not to the point of newness. The charm of the old farmhouse with wraparound indoor porches remains. The atmosphere is cozy. There are also some delicious, classic Greek dishes being served here.

    However, there is also a degree of plainness, on the menu and on the tables. The menu is brief, there are two meaty Greek specialties, two fish offerings, and three steak choices, listed by size but not cut. The china is of the bulky sort you find in diners, the salt and pepper served in cafeteria-style shakers. Either the restaurateurs cleaned out a Fishes Eddy to provide tableware or perhaps these items have been collecting dust upstairs since the Old Stove Pub’s heyday . . . about 30 years ago.

    Upon entering you are surrounded by the aforementioned wraparound porch. Further in, there is a piano to the right, and an attractive new bar to the left. The space has been opened up a bit, and there are some large Leroy Neiman prints around the restaurant.

    We began our meal with taramosalata, saganaki, and melitzanosalata. All three were excellent. The taramosalata was a mixture of carp roe, bread (or potatoes), lemon juice, onion, and olive oil whipped into a light, fluffy mousse. This is one of my favorite Greek appetizers and this was a super version, tart and salty, not too fishy or rich. Saganaki is another classic dish of Halloumi cheese baked to ascalding, bubbling temperature and topped with lemon juice and olive oil. The Halloumi retains its firm, almost squeaky texture. It was a delicious, chewy appetizer. Melitzanosalata is a roasted eggplant dip with parsley, garlic, and in this case, a bit of goat cheese was mixed in. The eggplant was nice and smoky. The bread served at the table and with the appetizers was a good rustic bread, but we felt that some warm slices of pita would have been better.

    For entrees we ordered the moussaka, pastitsio, shrimp tourkolimano, and Sagaponack steak. The moussaka was one of the best and freshest versions I have ever tried. It was a layer of tender eggplant topped with spiced ground meat, usually beef and/or lamb, and then a layer of rich, cheesy béchamel sauce. Inexplicably, there were cubes of cheese all around the plate as garnish. Every flavor came through — nutmeg, a hint of allspice, and a bit of hot paprika or red pepper. The pastitsio was also beautifully prepared. A layer of pasta was topped with a tomato meat sauce and topped again with béchamel; it was creamy and rich.

    The shrimp tourkolimano was three large shrimp served in a tangy tomato sauce, topped with feta cheese and served in a piping hot gratin dish. Some rice on the side would have been a nice accompaniment. The Sagaponack steak (sirloin) was very good, cooked rare as ordered. As the entrees are all a la carte (as in, if you want a starch or veg with your steak you have to order separately), we asked for a side of the creamy spinach. This, too, was delicious, it consisted of briefly sauteed spinach leaves with a hint of garlic, diced mushrooms, and sour cream.

    The service on the night of our visit was friendly and knowledgeable. It appeared that our server may have also been the manager on duty, doing double duty. It was an apres-holiday weekend night and there were few other diners and no music, which made for a very quiet evening.

    Some of the prices are quite reasonable, some frightfully expensive. You can get one of the Greek specialties for a mere $18, but if you want the “classic” steak and two sides, you are up to $68 for a fairly simple meal. Appetizers and salads are $8 to $18, specialties and seafood are $18 to $34, meats $20 to $80. (The $80 price tag is for a 32-ounce steak for two.) Sides and desserts are $10.

    The wine list is appropriately heavy on Greek wines, features a few Wolffer selections, and, as your eye travels down the list, gets quite expensive, most bottles being in the $100s and a few over $2,000.

    As they were out of most of the desserts on this visit, our waiter/manager George treated us to some tiramisu and baklava. The tiramisu was okay. It looked and tasted commercially made. The baklava had delicious flavor but suffered the fate all baklava does after a day or two or three of sitting around: The phyllo dough was flaccid from age or humidity.

    On the whole, we enjoyed our meal, especially the classic Greek dishes. I would totally go back for all of them. I do not, however, understand the pricing for the pretty good steaks, served all alone, on a diner-style platter.

    Sustainable winemaking paired with seasonal food is a way of life for David Page and Barbara Shinn, one that “keeps the community of food and wine intact,” said Mr. Page on Sunday afternoon. Whether it’s breakfast at their Farmhouse Inn, or an organic wine dinner offered about 10 times a year at their Shinn Estate Vineyards, the couple is committed to offering the best of the best when it comes to wine and foodstuffs, grown in their garden or greenhouse or procured from someone they know.

    Shinn Estates’ premier wines, produced on Oregon Road in Mattituck exclusively with solar and wind power, have been acclaimed both locally and by national publications. One of just three wineries in the country to be “third-party certified” (by professional inspectors) for sustainable practices, the vineyard is also one of only two that lists all its ingredients. There are some 30 commonly used ingredients in wine that are not disclosed, Ms. Shinn explained, including preservatives, color extracts, sugar, glycerin, wood chips, nitrates, and even monosodium glutamate (MSG). “Just like a bag of Doritos,” she said.

    Doing “everything possible to shorten the list of ingredients” is part of their mission, said Mr. Page. Successful recent batches contained exactly one ingredient — grapes.

    Soil nutrition is key in reducing additives, Ms. Shinn said. Long Island Sound seawater is used for its trace minerals, as well as compost.

    Wines offered for tasting, purchase, and on the menu in many restaurants include Malbec, merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc, Sauvignon or Pinot blanc, rosé, chardonnay, and a sparkling brut, as well as brandy and grappa.

    After meeting in California, the chef and viticulturist created Home, a restaurant in Greenwich Village, pairing New York State wines with local culinary treasures. The couple operated the restaurant for 15 years and it is still in existence. The farm-to-table restaurant has since given birth to “Recipes from Home,” an award-winning cookbook, as well as the Drovers Tap Room and Home Away from Home, a take-out shop.

    Seeking to reconnect with nature, the couple purchased a 20-acre historic North Fork estate, sold the development rights to the town of Southold, planted vines, and became just the second family to inhabit it since the Tuthills, its original owners in the 1880s. Joining them on the farm is “a dog, a cat, and a bunch of chickens,” not counting the many who visit their Farmhouse Inn annually to enjoy sunset over the vineyard, walk or ride to a nearby beach, or explore the neighboring communities.

    With “no lack of culinary creativity,” Mr. Page said he and Ms. Shinn serve inn guests a breakfast with eggs from their own chickens, home-cured local bacon, and cheese courtesy of a local cow. Wine dinners might include smoked duck leg, leafy greens, potatoes, and carrots from their garden.

    Weekly tours of the vineyard and winery led by Ms. Shinn are popular year round with visitors, who learn about her progressive farming techniques. A popular lecturer on the subject as well, she has spoken at such institutions as the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian.

    The vineyard tour features the custom-designed solar panels and wind turbine, “perfectly implemented,” said Mr. Page, to supply the 50,000 kilowatts of power required yearly. With rebates, tax incentives, and a federal grant, the sustainable power is expected to save $10,000 per year over its 25-year expectancy and pay for itself in five years.

    “Just like the English settlers who started farming on Long Island in 1640 and the Native Americans 10,000 years before that,” Ms. Shinn has a mission to sustain agricultural use of the land for many more generations, working with 14 other vineyards as part of the Long Island Sustainable Winegrowers. The group guides others in returning to traditional conservation methods that avoid soil erosion, runoff, and the overuse of nitrogen fertilizers known to have a negative effect on Long Island’s bodies of water. Techniques include biological control of insects as an alternative to chemicals, which, Ms. Shinn remarked, “kill everything.”

    It’s “almost impossible” to get a room at the Farmhouse Inn in the summer, said Mr. Page, theirs being the only place to stay within a vineyard. Weekends are often booked year-round as well. Whether from New York City, New England, California, or Japan, guests seek peace and quiet away from the highway and just a mile from the beach. The couple has traveled extensively, but, said Mr. Page, there is “nothing like this.”

    As cold weather sets in, guests may choose to read or enjoy wine and cheese in a cozy sitting room heated by a wood-burning stove, while day visitors fill a warm, wood-filled candlelit tasting room within the expanded 125-year-old barn.

    The next wine dinner will take place on Dec. 15, when a maximum of 34 guests will be served from a wood-burning oven in a venerable dining room. Mr. Page said the menu will likely include Long Island duck from Crescent Farms, local fish from the Southold Fish Market, vegetables from the couple’s greenhouse or their winter share at Sang Lee Farms, and maybe even persimmon pudding. A friend has a tree.

   The Montauk Brewing Company is open every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Those who stop in can pick up growlers of the company’s Driftwood Ale, an American-style extra-special bitter beer.

Breakfast at the Diner

    The Highway Diner and Bar, which opened recently and has been drawing a crowd for lunch and dinner, has added breakfast hours. The doors open daily at 8 a.m., and breakfast is served all day. The new eatery is in the building on Montauk Highway in East Hampton most recently occupied by Rugosa.

Fudge Company Contends

    Donna McCue and her company, Fat Ass Fudge, will be among the contenders on an episode of “Shark Tank,” the TV show on which entrepreneurs seek to convince investors to back them, airing on ABC on Tuesday. Ms. McCue, an East Hampton resident, who has been an intuitive or psychic, a stand-up comedienne, and an author, said her company was chosen from a pool of more than 31,000 applicants, and that her appearance on the show will highlight her “effervescent and no-holds-barred attitude.” Fat Ass Fudge makes gluten and lactose-free organic fudge that is sold on the company Web site and at East End farmers markets.

Holidays at the Living Room

    On Saturday, the Living Room restaurant at c/o the Maidstone inn in East Hampton will begin serving a special Swedish “Christmas table” menu, featuring four courses at lunch or dinner for $36 per person plus tax and gratuity. The menu will include herring three ways as a starter, followed by an assorted cold meat plate, with Swedish Christmas ham, gravlax, and country pate, and, as an entree, roast pork loin with gravy, braised red cabbage and potato puree or codfish with horseradish, potato terrine, winter kale, and brown butter. A trio of desserts will include mini waffles with lingonberry cream, saffron cake with candied hazelnuts, and “Ris a la Malta,” a traditional Swedish holiday dessert.

Holiday Dessert

    Double ginger crackles will be prepared during a free cooking demonstration at the Loaves and Fishes Cookshop in Bridgehampton from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday. The recipe is featured in this year’s holiday issue of “The Best of Fine Cooking.”

Fireside at Bostwick’s

    Bostwick’s, which features fireside dining, is now open Friday at 4 p.m. for dinner, and serves lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

   The tiny Sag Harbor Baking Company on Division Street is about to celebrate its one-year anniversary, and Mimi Yardley and Margaret Wagner, who have known each other since kindergarten in Sag Harbor, couldn’t be happier with their first year. With hands full of orders for their first Thanksgiving, Ms. Yardley said last Thursday that there has been a “great response.”

    Royal iced turkeys and leaf-shaped cookies, which Ms. Yardley described as a “simple, rich and delicious butter cookie,” topped with vanilla or chocolate icing, were popular items for Thanksgiving.

    And naturally there were many orders for pies, too, including apple crumb, pumpkin, apple cranberry, and pecan, one of their most popular. Pumpkin cheesecakes are also available.

    Their baked goods are “the real deal,” Ms. Yardley said, made with no preservatives and real butter.

    After opening their doors for the first time on Dec. 3, 2011, Ms. Yardley said that the mild winter was the perfect way to begin, giving them a chance to develop relationships with the customers who have become regulars.

    The summer, she said, was “just bananas.” Operating as a “two-girl show,” Ms. Yardley said that her mother or Ms. Wagner’s daughter occasionally fills in at the counter when it is very busy. In addition to custom cakes for birthdays and special occasions, “summer was fantastic with weddings.”

    Responding to popular demand, the ladies began baking some gluten-free products, too, although Ms. Yardley said their kitchen is not gluten-free because they bake other products in it. They bake at least one variety of gluten-free muffin per day, as well as gluten-free brownies, macaroons, and cookies. They also make gluten-free cakes by special order, using a flour blend of organic brown rice flour, tapioca, and potato starch.

    Their homemade granola, a simple honey-vanilla flavor, has developed a loyal following — they even ship it to New Jersey. Scones are very popular, too, she said, and the shop’s coffee is a special blend roasted in Brooklyn.

    Both women left Sag Harbor after attending Pierson High School together, Ms. Wagner for San Francisco and Los Angeles, where she became a pastry chef after attending the California Culinary Academy.

    Ms. Yardley became a certified public accountant in New York City. Now, both married, with seven children between them, ages 9 through 16, they are once again residents of Sag Harbor.

    Winter hours for the shop are Thursday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. During the summer season, they close only on Tuesdays.