Happy New Year Food

Happy New Year!

For us traditional foods dominate New Year’s Day. Although sometimes we do put a twist on them, just for a change.

I was born in Rome, Georgia, a southern peach, and grew up throughout the south. While Gordon was born in Pennsylvania, up north.

One thing that I do love about the south are it’s traditional foods on New Year’s. For example, Collard greens are eaten so that you will have money all year long. Black eyed peas are consumed in order to bring you luck. And cornbread, well, that’s eaten just because we’re southerners.

So pull up a chair and sit a spell.

The ball game will be on in just a little bit. So sit back and relax while we get dinner going.

Glad Y’all are He’ah!

Julie and Gordon

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NOTE: A brief history on cornbread. It is known that the Native Americans shared their hoecakes, or pone with the colonists. The first cornbread recipes. It has evolved into the cornbread that we eat today. Cornbread has sustained many a poor southerner especially after the Civil War.

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Our Happy New Year Menu

Our Christmas Southern Cornbread Wreath

Blackeyed Peas with Ham and Onions

For Good Luck!

Julie’s Dinner Plate (the bowls are for the wet stuff.)

Gordon’s Dinner

And

Collard Greens

The Collard Greens

For MONEY!

And Tennessee Smokey Mountain Moonshine just for the Hell of it!

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The Day After New Year’s Food

We will also show you how to create an entirely different dish using your New Year’s Day leftovers.

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First Up, The Collard Greens

The Ingredients for the Collard Greens

Georgia Grown, just like ME!

Ingredients:

1 Bag Collard Greens (washed)

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Red Onion sliced into small pieces

1 tsp Hot Pepper Flakes (or to taste)

1 1/2 Qts Chicken Stock

1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Gordon Making our Greens

In a large pot add your vegetable oil and turn on the heat to medium.

Slice your onions into small pieces…

and then add them to the pot.

Cook over medium heat for about 5 min. or until slightly translucent.

Now, add your hot pepper flakes, and chicken stock…

next add your cider vinegar and brown sugar and stir well.

Add your washed collard greens a little at a time.

They will go down as they wilt from the heat.

Look for any large stem pieces which might not be very appetizing, and discard them.

I only found a few.

Cover and cook for about 1 hour or until slightly tender.

Be sure to stir occasionally.

Enjoy!

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Christmas Southern Cornbread Wreath

This beautiful pottery was a gift to Gordon and myself from my parents several years ago. It’s excellent for cooking cornbread.

This is a Stewart Pottery Cornbread Baker

Spray your dish with baking spray with flour added, so your cornbread will not stick to it.

Gordon Prepping the Kitchen

Ingredients:

3-4 Ears of Corn

3 T. Vegetable Oil

8-10 Strips of Bacon (cooked)

1/2 Vidalia Onion, large (Chopped)

3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 1/4 Cups Cornmeal

2 1/2 t. Baking Powder

2 T. Brown Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

1 Cup Milk

1 Egg

2 to 3 Peppers – Anaheim, Banana, Poblano (Chopped) and save some slices for a garnish

We cooked the bacon ahead of time and we used a really nice thick bacon.

Using your microwave, cook your corn on the cob for ~3 min.

Roll them separately in a paper towel then wet it.

Two cobs at at time in the microwave to cook.

Set the corn aside as they will continue to cook.

Slice your onions thinly and place in a large saute pan, add 2 T. of vegetable oil and turn on to a medium heat.

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Gordon Checking on the Collard Greens

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Add your chopped onions to your hot saute pan.

Saute the onions until slightly caramelized or about 8 min.

While the onions are cooking, combine your dry ingredients into a medium bowl, sifting as you add them.

We didn’t have a sifter so Gordon rigged this up and it worked just fine.

Sifting keeps the mixture light and will give you a better mixture as it breaks up the lumps.

Now Adding the Cornmeal

Bouncing the sifter off your palm will give you a controlled sift.

Adding the Baking Powder and the Salt

You don’t need to sift the brown sugar.

Whisk your ingredients together to keep them light.

In the Meantime……

Onions are Sauteing

In a different large bowl, Add the milk and egg…

and then add your oil and whisk them to combine.

Chop your peppers thinly saving some slices for a garnish.

Add these to the wet mixture and combine.

Chop your bacon, keeping them in large pieces.

When your onions are cooked, let them cool then add them to the wet mixture.

TIP: Using a bunt cake pan, slice your corn off of cob.

Place the large side of the cob in the hole.

Doing this will keep all the corn from going everywhere in the kitchen.

If you find a better way… let me know!

Place your corn in the wet mixture.

Combine by folding your wet mixture with your dry.

DO NOT OVER MIX!

This is a very thick batter.

Quickly get the mixture in the pan as the chemical reaction is starting with the baking soda and the liquid.

The reaction makes the bubbles form in the bread.

Spoon your batter into the dish.

This dish is started off cold.

Place your sliced peppers on top of the mixture as a garnish.

This pottery calls for a cold oven, then turn the temp on at 450 degrees.

Everyone else will Bake in a preheated 425’F oven for 20-25 min.

Bake until golden brown!

So Beautiful!

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Blackeyed Peas with Ham and Onions

Ingredients:

2 Cans Blackeyed Peas, drained

2 T. Olive Oil

1/4 Cup Vidalia Onion (Chopped)

1/4 Cup Red Onion (Chopped)

(We used our leftover onions from the collard greens and cornbread, above.)

3/4 Cup Ham Cubes

Fresh Ground Pepper

In a medium saute pan, place your olive oil and turn to medium heat.

Saute your onions until slightly caramelized.

Add your ham chunks and continue to cook.

Open your cans of blackeyed peas and place them in a medium bowl.

Turn the peas on to medium heat.

Add your onion and ham mixture to the peas and then simmer the mixture for 10 min.

Enjoy!

Now you will have lots of good luck!

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Greens are Done!

Let’s Eat!

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Ole Smokey Mountain Tennessee Moonshine Nog

I (Julie) lived in Sevierville, Tennessee for 3 years when I was in high school. Gatlinburg has very fond memories for me so when I heard about the fires, my girlhood memories came flooding back to me. When Gordon and I did a bit of shopping over the holidays, we saw this!

Ole Smoky Mountain Tennessee Moonshine and just knew we had to get some.

Here, we used about 3/4 Cup of the Nog Shine to 2 Tbsp. of the Chocolate Cherry Shine juice.

Place them in a ball glass. Here Julie used a clothes pins which had a tooth pick glued to one of the sides.

This was a good way to hold the cherries.

I used ~2 Tbsp of the Cherry juice.

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Happy New Year Y’all!

Julie and Gordon

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January 2, Dinner

Combining All Ingredients Above For A Totally Different Meal

Other than the cornbread, collard green, and the blackeye peas you will need:

3 T. Butter or margarine

1/2 Cup Vidalia Onion (Chopped)

3 T. Four

2 Cups Milk

1 1/2 Cups Cheese (Most any white cheese you have will do. We used our leftover from the fridge.)

1/2 t. Roasted Garlic Powder

1/4 t. Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 t. Mustard Powder

1/4 Cup Ham Chunks (Cooked)

Here are our New Year’s Day Leftovers

Drain your collard greens

Add your 3 T. butter to your skillet. We use a cast iron skillet as it holds the heat, distributes it evenly and will go into the oven.

Add your onions to the skillet and cook until translucent.

Add your 3 T. flour and turn down the heat to low.

Stir everything to combine and cook the roux for about 2 min.

Add your milk and stir to combine.

Shortly, the flour will absorb the milk to make a Bechamel sauce.

Slice your favorite white cheese and add about 1 Cup’s worth to the sauce.

Stir to combine and add your seasonings…

roasted garlic, red pepper flakes, and mustard powder.

Stir in well and add the rest of your cheese.

Now, fold in your well drained 2 cups of collard greens.

You need them well drained as the water in the greens will not mix well with the oil of the cheese.

Now, spoon in your blackeyed peas in a circle over the mixture.

Crumble over the top of the mixture your cornbread… about 1 1/2 cups worth.

and any left over ham chucks can also go on the top of the cornbread.

Garnish with some of the left over pepper slices.

Add ground pepper to taste and bake on the middle rack of your oven.

Bake at 425’F for about 15 min. or until the cornbread topping starts to brown.

This is comfort food at it’s finest!

Another Great Picture from Julie!

Enjoy

Leftovers taken and made into an entirely different dish.

Happy New Year!

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Some of our Past New Year’s Day Dinner’s

Traditional Southern Cornbread

(See the link below for the cornbread recipe.)

Corn Bread, Cast Iron Skillet, Dressing, and Tradition

Collard Greens

Hoppin’ John on Rice

Hoppin’ John

Recipe Ingredients:

1 link of Turkey Kielbasa, sliced (10 inch)

1/2 Cup Vidalia Onion (Chopped)

2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

1/2 Cup Green Bell Pepper (Chopped)

1 Can Blackeyed Peas (Drained)

1 Packet Goya Sazon (Without Annatto)

3-4 Cups Cooked Rice

Hot Pepper Sauce to taste

Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

Cook your rice as per directions on the package or if using a rice cooker, rinse the rice until the starch is gone and the rinsed water runs clear. The rice should be about one knuckle of your index finger below the water line. Turn the rice cooker on and move to slicing your vegetables. In a medium saute pan, turn the heat to medium high and add 3 Tbsp. olive oil. Saute your Kielbasa link until browned on all sides. Remove your Kielbasa from the pan and slice into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Add your onions to the pan and saute for about 6 min. or until translucent. Add your chopped green bell peppers and cook for about 5 min. then add your minced garlic and Kielbasa slices and cook for another 3 min. Finally, add your Blackeyed Peas and Sazon seasoning, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste mixing the mixture well. Turn the heat to low and simmer the mixture for about 10 min. to let all the flavors combine.

Using a large plate, spread a layer of cooked rice around to the edge of the plate. Spoon your Hoppin’ John into the center of the rice and serve hot.

Have some extra hot sauce available for those who like it Hot!