Well the old year is gone and the new year is here. For some, they are happy the old is gone, for the fact that there is hope for the future of the new year to come. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. If you are one of the ones hoping for a better year to come, my blessing and prayers are with you in hope that dream comes true. For those who are happy the way last year went, I wish you continued blessings.
We generally like to avoid the craziness of going out, so instead we like to celebrate by ourselves at home. In the past however, we used to have a huge New Years Day brunch which I enjoyed hosting. Over the past few years, that has dwindled to having a few close friends for dinner. This year, they were unable to come, so we had a relaxing day to ourselves.
In many cultures, there are special dishes served on New Years Day in order to ring in prosperity and good fortune. For many who come from the south, it would be black eyed peas and rice, called "hoppin' john", in other cultures, such as Greece, Mexico, and Holland, a circular cake is prepared to symbolize the completion of the year, In China, Poland and Germany, Fish is served to symbolize a long and healthy life as well as the scales symbolize prosperity. In Italy, Lentils are served also to symbolize prosperity in the up coming year.
Since I am of Italian decent, I made Lentils with Parsley and Garlic Sausage over rice. A little combination of Italian and the hoppin' john tradition. Since the lentils are round they symbolize coins and to reinforce the wish for prosperity, I also cut the sausage in rounds and cooked them in with the lentils. Along with the tradition of the dish, it also happens to be extremely filling. It is a great dish to serve on a cold evening with crispy bread and a green salad. Check it out on my printable recipe page.
And yes, I did make this in my new Cuisinart Crock pot. I hope you have had the chance to check out the
Williams and Sonoma page.
Well, classes start up again this week. Another six weeks of grueling studying. We are also awaiting word of acceptance for private school for my daughter. So the next few weeks are going to be stressful but exciting.
What a way to start the new year!
