We traditionally have the same meal every New Year’s Day:

Corned beef, brown butter braised cabbage and onions, black-eyed peas with hog jowl, and white rice.

 

However, the only part of the meal that I was aware had any meaning for the New Year were the black-eyed peas. When I was growing up the menu wasn’t as specific as it is today, but my mom always served black-eyed peas and hog jowl, which she claimed brought good luck in the coming year. So this year I did a little research on whether certain foods were supposed to bring good luck for the New Year and why. This is what I learned:

Traditionally, in the American South, pork, black-eyed peas, greens, rice (Hoppin’ John), and cornbread are served for New Year’s Eve. Pigs are said symbolize progress because these animals never move backward, they always root forward. Some say the richness of the pork fat will make you rich in happiness. Black-eyed peas are considered good luck due to their penny-like appearance, their abundance, the fact that they swell when cooked, and are therefore a symbol of monetary growth. People eat green leafy vegetables (collard greens, kale, cabbage) on New Year’s Day because their color and appearance resembles paper cash. The belief is, the more you eat the more prosperous you will be (and the healthier, too!). In many cultures grains like rice, quinoa, and barley represent abundance, and noodles represent long life. Cornbread’s golden color represents gold and wealth.

I personally don’t care for cornbread so I don’t serve it. And I prefer my “Hoppin’ John” deconstructed. I cook my black-eyed peas with hog jowl to incorporate pork into the meal but I prefer corned beef as my main protein. Its saltiness is the perfect accompaniment to the milder peas and rice and I add a dash of vinegar to my cabbage to heighten the taste experience.

Growing up in Indiana I never knew that our New Year’s tradition of black-eyed peas and hog jowl followed Southern tradition. But I guess it makes sense, as my parents were both raised in Arkansas. And when I added cabbage and rice to the meal, I was unaware of the traditional meal called Hoppin’ John. I can find no mention of corned beef bringing any luck to any nationality for the New Year, but it sure tastes good (maybe I can blame my husband’s Irish heritage for that one).

As you know I love the idea of eating the leftovers of a holiday meal in their entirety the following day, it’s a meal too good to eat just once. In the Southern tradition, on the day after New Year’s Day, leftover “Hoppin’ John” becomes “Skippin’ Jenny,” meant to demonstrate frugality and promote prosperity in the New Year. Who knew I was following southern tradition all along?

 

Well, it’s the day after Christmas and I think I’m still stuffed from that marvelous meal we had yesterday. But, for your sake, I will try to come up with some good meals for this week. I know everyone is still busy with holiday obligations so we won’t get to fancy with our cooking. There are certain foods that remind my sister and I of our childhood so one day this week we may just forget the menu and eat spinach dip, and bacon-wrapped smokies, and deviled eggs and watch a ball game. But here’s the plan for now.

 

Monday: Christmas leftovers. The day after a holiday is always easy to me. A meal so special that we only serve it once a year deserves to be savored, so don’t mess with a good thing, and we’ll just re-heat tonight.

 

Tuesday: Turkey Spring Rolls. I’m thinking of trying something new this year, and light vegetable laden spring rolls sound lovely after all the heavy food of the holiday. Dipping sauce made with soy sauce, sugar, and ketchup (of all things) will top them off nicely.

 

Wednesday: Tacos, garlic rice, avocados, and pinto beans. After the bacon-wrapped turkey on Christmas Eve and a delicious ham on Christmas Day, followed by two days of savory leftovers, I’m sure everyone is ready for a change of menu. So we’re going with a simple, easy change-of-pace that can be as light as it is quick to prepare.

 

Thursday: Elvis’ Potato Cheese Soup. This is a recipe I will have to share with you later in the week. As I’ve said before, my girls are huge Elvis fans and this was one of his favorite meals. It’s always a winner. Try serving it with giant soft pretzels. Yum!

 

Friday: Naan Bread Pizzas. This one is so simple. Even Wal-Mart carries naan bread now. Everyone gets their own “crust” and we lay out some combination of tomato sauce, Alfredo sauce, pepperoni, bacon, sausage, leftover chicken or turkey, mushrooms, red onion, spinach, diced tomatoes, black olives, and fresh mozzarella cheese. Everyone gets their favorite pizza with no arguments.

Christmas week is finally here and I know everyone is busy. I hope that maybe this menu will provide some inspiration for some quick and easy meals this week.

 

Monday: Bean and cheese burritos enchilada style. This is one of our go-to EASY dinners: a can of refried beans, a bag of shredded cheese, tortillas, and a can of enchilada sauce. Add a package of Mexican rice and some sour cream to top off the burritos and you have a great meal.

 

Tuesday: Chicken Spaghetti Casserole. We make ours with Alfredo sauce and a can of Rotel plus rotisserie chicken (or even canned chicken in a pinch). Add a salad and some good rolls and dinner is done! I always make two of these, one to eat and one to freeze so today is easy. I’ll just defrost my spare.

 

Wednesday: Chef’s Salad. We’ve got to get the refrigerator cleaned out before we leave for Christmas and my produce drawer is full. So I’ll boil a couple of eggs and use up the lunchmeat and cheese over lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and whatever else I come across.

 

Thursday: Fried Rice and Egg Drop Soup. I’ll just sauté up whatever veggies we have remaining in the produce drawer, add the last of the ham and a scrambled egg. I’ll stir that into 2 cups of cooked rice and season with soy sauce and Shanghai seasoning. The last of my green onions will top off the egg drop soup.

 

Friday: Vegetable beef soup. Start with a pound of ground beef or venison and add 3-4 potatoes, a few diced carrots and celery stalks and the last onion. Homemade beef stock out of the freezer makes it easy to finish.

We wish you a Merry Christmas from our family to yours. No matter how big or how small, family is still family and I hope you find a way to be with yours during this holiday season.