Another year has gone and my….doesn’t time go by quickly.  But, life is good if you look at it that way.  There are so many things to be thankful for, even times are not so great.  It’s all in how you look at it.

For New Years, we have ham or pot roast, rice, black eyed peas and my Mom’s cabbage rolls.  Always plenty to eat and lots of family and friends.  This is what memories are made of…

Mom’s cabbage rolls…Ground beef (sometimes pork too ) chopped onion and rice stuffed into steamed cabbage leaves and rolled up into these pretty little packages, and then baked until tender.  Mom doesn’t serve with tomato sauce, so I don’t either.  Great tradition to carry on!

Fresh or dried black eyed peas, with generously meaty, smoky ham hocks, simmered until tender and tasty.  Always for good luck!  Yum…

Hoppin’ John….One bag of cooked boil-in-bag rice; one can of black eyed peas, well rinsed; approx 1/3 cup each chopped green onion and celery; 3-4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped…toss all together with lots of seasoned salt and black pepper.  Microwave or serve at room temp.  Very, very tasty.

Baked potato casserole….Left over mashed potatoes?  Add a couple of dollops of sour cream, chopped green onions, chopped, cooked bacon and a generous handful of grated cheese.  Sprinkle with lots of garlic powder, seasoned salt and black pepper.  Stir together and pour into a shallow baking dish, topping with extra cheese.  Bake till bubbly.  Oh, so good.

Stuffed mushrooms….Mushroom caps stuffed with sausage, maple syrup, rosemary and cream cheese, topped with Parmesan and baked until brown.  Delicious.

I’ll post the full recipes if you want them… but I’d like to know what your new years traditions are?

Happy New Years Everyone!!!