1. To fall in love with someone great.
2. To fall out of love with someone that isn't great.
3. To read one entire book.
4. To write one screenplay.
5. To run 5 miles (in a row).
6. To learn how to bake without sugar.
7. To be nicer to my mom.
8. To learn how to do laundry (but only if my mom does, too).
9. To drink more coffee.
“Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year… Rice for riches and peas for peace.” – Old Southern saying for New Year’s Menu
Collard greens, black eyed peas, cornbread and pork are the foodstuffs of the South, rich in legend, lore, and superstition. Money or not, every Southern family I know dines on these same vittles for their New Year’s supper. Not too poor of eating if I say so myself.
According to this Farmer, the New Year’s Day menu is a Southern supper at its finest. Steeped in tradition, flavored with history, and doused with a touch of superstition, this meal encompasses the South’s ebb and flow of classicism and eccentricity–a meal of our heritage. Here in America’s Deep South, the cultures of Europe, Africa and the Native Americans combine with their respected refinements and sentimentalities making this meal fit to usher in a new year.
Growing up in rural Middle Georgia, we knew our food’s legacy before it arrived on our tables. This Farm to Table movement of late has always been the custom for those of us raised in a more bucolic fashion. We know our farmers and growers. In his blessings before a meal, my brother-in-law’s father always gives thanks for “not only the hands that prepared the food but grew it as well...” whereas our New Year’s meal is of no exception.
Holiday time and the sipping is easy. As for the food—I have four words to help you take your New Year's Eve bash over the top: fire up the grill. Yeah, it's cold out there—especially if you live up north, but live fire and wood smoke add high drama and depth of flavor you just can't achieve on the stove or in the oven.
So what makes a great holiday hors d'oeuvre spread? Three words: snap, crackle, and salt. Appetizers should be small enough to snap up with your fingers and salty enough to drive you to drink. The appetizers offer a contrast of textures, the most important texture being crunch. (I'm thinking crisp bacon exterior with gooey cheese center.) The short list of world-class starters includes poppers and chicken wings, dips and chips, mini sandwiches and sates.
Here are 7 indispensible tips to help you take your New Year's Eve cocktail party over the top.
1. Variety matters and so does abundance: If hors d'oeuvres are the only food served at your party, figure on 6 to 8 pieces per person. Serve at least 3 to 5 different items—the more the better. Your reputation as a savvy host and accomplished grill master is directly proportional to the elaborateness of your menu.
I love the custom of Chinese dim sum because it brings friends and family together at the table. This style of food is enjoyed with small plates, which allows the diner the opportunity to enjoy many different dishes in small quantities. For me it's a way to find a favorite and stick with it. In every Chinatown in the United States you would be hard pressed not to find a restaurant offering dim sum or what I like to call Chinese brunch. I remember my first time at a dim sum place in New York with a group of Asian friends. I was lucky to have help in deciphering the menus and communicating with the waitresses, who brought out the food on trolleys and took orders by stamping slips of paper. It's truly an experience that transports the nonnative eater to China.
It's been many years since I've had good traditional dim sum and my longing for dumplings has increasingly grown since. With the arrival of Chinese New Year, there is no better reason to make my dim sum favorite, shu mai, at home. These dumplings are typically made of shrimp and pork, but they can also be made of pork and mushroom, and even mutton, depending on the regional cuisine. No matter the filling, shu mai always retain a characteristic look: they sort of resemble little volcanoes with filling erupting from their tops. They only need limited skill to form the shape and the best shortcut of all is using wonton wrappers instead of making the dough. It takes just minutes to bring together this easy dim sum, which also makes a fun party appetizer.
Happy almost New Year’s everyone! It’s so hard to believe this year has come to an end. I have a slew of wonderful memories.
I love New Year’s Eve, it’s full of promise and hope for a better year. A year filled with health, organization, great food and more balance in life. We’ll see how I do.
How many of you start the New Year with food known for good luck? I am not a superstitious person, but everyone could use a little good juju…right? Lots of different foods are considered lucky on this day as they symbolize the eater’s hopes and dreams for the coming months and years.
Pork is considered a symbol of “progress” by many countries. A pig’s feeding habits cause them to “root forward” with their snouts, never looking back. Pigs are also…rotund, a sign of prosperity in many places around the world. Enjoy your pork in any form you choose and then buy a power ball ticket?! Why not.
I’ve also added (lucky) black-eyed peas to these nachos due to their resemblance of coins, a symbol of abundance. (Go get on a slot machine I suppose). Cornbread is also considered lucky, but instead I’ve added just the corn itself, emblematic of golden nuggets. I know.