Cheesy fondue

I got a fondue pot as a shower gift from my bestest best friend in the whole world.  We've been friends since 7th grade. 

I don't use it nearly enough, because I love fondue. It's not the healthiest, but you only get one go round, so enjoy it occasionally.

 We had it for our annual new year's cheese party.

It's also super easy. You need 

1 block Swiss cheese

1 block Gouda

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 cloves garlic (2 minced, 1 left whole)

1/2 c milk

Grate the cheeses and add to a sauce pan with milk, 2 minced garlic cloves & vinegar. Heat over low heat until the cheeses are melted. 

Rub your fondue pot with the whole garlic clove. Add melted cheese mixture and keep warm. Serve with bread, veggies or cooked meats.

Ya Ya

To kick off 2014, I am making black eyed pea gumbo. I saw a recipe on Pinterest, and liked the idea. However, there were a few ingredients my family won't go for, so I had to change things up. 

Black eyed peas are  a traditional New Years food. From Macon.com:

Eating black-eyed peas on the first day of the year is believed to bring good luck in the coming year. Although exactly how the black-eyed pea became associated with good luck and prosperity is in question, it is believed that the tradition began during the Civil War.

Black-eyed peas were the only food spared by Gen. William T. Sherman and his Union troops during their destructive march through the South. Union troops found the beans to be fit only for use as animal fodder.

Thus, black-eyed peas helped save surviving Confederates from starvation and were thereafter regarded as a symbol of good luck.

The tradition of consuming black-eyed peas in honor of the New Year may also be tied to Jewish culture. The Talmud lists the small white bean as a food to be eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, for good fortune.

Sephardic Jews arrived in the American South in the early 18th century. Their culture and traditions likely mingled with those of African slaves and other colonial residents to spread the practice of eating black-eyed peas in celebration of the New Year.

Since I want my family to have all the luck in the world, we are having our gumbo.

1 can black eyed peas, drained

8 c water

2 tbsp turmeric

3 tbsp red pepper flakes

3 cloves garlic minced

Dash olive oil

Dash salt

3 carrots chopped

1 c cooked pasta

1 pkg kielbasa

Day old bread

Sauté garlic in olive oil. Add carrots & water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add seasonings. Simmer 30 minutes. Add peas. 20 minutes before serving, add kielbasa, pasta & bread.

Serve hot.

Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/01/01/2855555/the-story-behind-traditional-new.html#storylink=cpy

My Heart Goes Bang

Our new Year's eve celebration was low key. We had food, tv marathons (twilight zone, 3 stooges, big bang theory), a botched excursion to a hockey game (sensory overload), more food and ended our night with a few smaller bangs and sparkles.
We even had noisemakers and champagne.
Marble race tracks and Mario.
Little man tried my famous party punch and declared it awesome. "it tastes better than fanta," he declared.
We watched the ball drop in New York with Dick Clark, who counted down every new year whilst I was growing up, had the honors. Even though we are in the Midwest, we celebrated on jersey time.
Went to bed, with dreams of sparklers and smoke bombs, and hope for a new year in my heart.
Welcome 2012.

Punch Drunk Love

For about 20 years, I've been making my special sherbet punch for special occasions. When I was single, I used to host dinner parties and this punch was always a part of them. I've never shared the recipe until now...
It's actually pretty easy

1 bottle Ginger ale
2 c sherbet, softened
1 can frozen pink lemonade defrosted

Put sherbet into a punch bowl. Add lemonade. Top off with Ginger ale. Let sit 15 minutes before serving

Another Auld Langs Eyne

We are rather boring folks when it comes to New Year’s Eve. I don’t like going out with a bunch of strangers and drunken idiots, I much rather watch Dick Clark and the ball dropping in Times Square. People are amazed when I tell them that I lived within an hour of NYC for most of my life and I never went there on New Year’s Eve. Most of the time, I can barely make it to when it’s the New Year in NJ, let alone in the Central Time Zone where I currently reside.




I have always been a big brunch fan, ever since I was introduced to it at La Caille in Salt Lake City many, many years ago. One of the great things about brunch is its so versatile-you can do so many different things, and they are all ok. If you want to offer more breakfast selections, that’s ok…if you want more lunch or dinner selections, that’s ok too. There aren’t any hard and fast rules about brunch, its up to you!



I love putting pictures on display from the past year (I also have my scrapbook albums nearby) because my son loves to look at them, and I think it’s a great reminder of how we’ve been blessed in the past year.



I also make “crackers”…which traditionally are given out at Christmas dinner, but there’s usually so much going on with Christmas, its easier to save them for New Year’s Day.



To make them, you need:

Empty toilet paper rolls

Wrapping paper

Ribbon

Small toys and candy



Stuff the toys and candy inside the toilet paper tube. I sometimes put a note in there too. Wrap in wrapping paper, and tie ends with ribbon.



My brunch menu this year features:



Banana bread French toast (recipe found here)



Bacon and sausage



Mimosa punch



Ham and cheese paninis





Mimosa punch:



1 2 l bottle ginger ale

2 c orange juice

1 can frozen pink lemonade, slightly defrosted



Mix all together in a punch bowl. You can garnish with sliced oranges if you like.





Ham and cheese paninis



Whole wheat bread (I love the honey wheat loaf from Breadsmith)

Black forest ham

Swiss cheese

Mango chutney (optional)

Cooking spray



Spray Panini press (or foreman grill) with cooking spray. Layer ham and cheese on bread, top with mango chutney and cook until cheese is melted and ooey gooey.
Note: you can fresh spinach before grilling for an added boost

My approach for decorating is pretty simple: a nice tablecloth, some confetti sprinkled around and dishes. For decorations, out of cardboard I made a clock and hat and used some other things from the dollar store and from friends.