New Years Celebration

[kimberly]

What did ya'll do to bring in the New Year? You know my exciting life. I was here!!! I did watch the son blow up his fireworks. He still thinks the simple good ole firecrackers are the coolest.

New Years day I helped my friend Barbara host her yearly party. There were 28 guests. For appetizers we served boiled shrimp, jalapeno pimento cheese and crackers, okra flowers, veggie tray and a fruit tray.

The lunch was collards, black-eyed peas, cheese grits, a sirloin tip roast with a ginger infused au jus, eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce, biscuits and corn muffins.

For dessert there was walnut fudge, shortbread cookies, coconut macaroons and chocolate cream pie.

And, yes, we cooked all this. We even made the crackers. Some foods were made a day ahead.

There is a tradition in the South on New Years Day. Eating collards means you will be blessed with financial wealth (collards are green and represent money) and eating black-eyed peas means you will have health. There are many many folks from every spectrum of life that adhere to this. I don't eat black-eyed peas. They taste like dirt to me.

Ya'll have any traditions?

[waysider]

Pork and kraut

Pork because a pig roots forward in search of food.

Never chicken because they scratch backward.

Oh, did I mention beer?

Yeah, the pork MUST be accompanied by beer.

Just because.

[oilfieldmedic]

I went to bed @ 1930, woke up at 0200...just call me MR Excitement!

Nothing had changed but the calendar.

Work is slow and I am enjoyably bored... that's a good thing!

[kimberly]

waysider...Jan. 2 we had braut's and kraut, all, of course, cooked in beer with onions, peppers.

They rest of ya'll must be fuddie duds!!! Funny..laughing!!!

[cheranne]

Chinese food and Football.

[mstar1]

I have no real traditions--every year its a little different--some years its just the Twilight Zone or Stooges marathon :) or a dinner with friends--This year I got invited to a potluck party at a house art gallery down the street. She's a cook and a painter and has a place she just opened called "Art In The Kitchen".

Low Key, a lot of interesting people that I had never met before --about 40 or so I'd guess--and way too much great food everywhere within reaching distance. I poked and prodded my way through a lot of food that I probably shouldnt have mixed and kibbitzed with the local artsy crew

The jambalaya was a big hit with me...as was the homemade pumpkin fudge made by a cookbook author who I hit it off with pretty well...I enjoyed my all too brief midnight moment with her. We'll see where it goes from here...

Next day was recovery day as usual..

I love the collard greens idea--If thats the key to wealth Im going to buy a truckload and eat them all year