Sunday, January 2, 2011

Bringin' in the New Year...Southern Style, YAWL !

As you may have figured out by now, ANY special occasion revolves around food here in the South.  New Year's Day is NO exception!

Yesterday morning, I had the sweetest treat from my husband!  I came out of the shower and, as he does MOST mornings, he delivered my fresh cup of coffee to me to drink while I dried my hair. That in itself would have been enough, but after I finished getting ready, he told me breakfast was ready and I came into the kitchen to this DELICIOUS goodness....


He had brought the new year in the night before preparing this traditional Breakfast Casserole with sausage, eggs, bread and cheese that we typically have every CHRISTmas morning, and boy was it yummy!  He was so proud of his culinary skills....the first thing he said to me was, "Take a picture!"... I said, "Really?" and he said, "Why not?...You take a picture of everything else!" HA!

So, be on the lookout...in addition to having  MiMi's Making Meals, we may soon be having Poppa's Making Meals, too! 

After we finished with our breakfast I began preparing our traditional New Year's Day meal.  For those of you who don't know....us Southerners have a tradition of eating black-eyed peas, cornbread, "greens" (collards, kale, turnips, spinach, etc.) and some type of pork on New Year's Day. This variety of foods are said to bring good luck and increase the odds that the new year will be a great one. 

The black-eyed peas are thought to look like coins so people consume them with financial rewards in mind. The hog, and therefore the meat from the hog, is thought to symbolize wealth and prosperity. The "greens" are also considered to bring good luck because their leaves look like folded paper currency.  It's widely believed that the more "greens" one consumes, the larger one's fortune for the next year.


My family joined us at lunch to partake of all this Southern goodness.... Marinated and Baked Pork Chops, Turnip Greens, Southern Buttermilk Cornbread, Black-eyed Peas with chopped onions and Chow-Chow.  Chow Chow is a relish that is a staple on  many Southern dining tables and is typically served with pinto beans and cornbread, or anything else you want to put it on. It's a mixture of sweet and spicy that really "perks up" the taste of about anything you add it to. It is something my soon-to-be son-in-law has discovered that he absolutely LOVES!


We also came to the realization in this new year, that not only does little Miss E no longer need a booster seat to reach the table, but she no longer needs a small little plate!  Girlfriend has really started eating so well!  
So....from now on she gets a BIG dinner plate just like the rest of us Southerners!  Oh..and a big ole' glass of Sweet Iced Tea....YAWL!



Wishing you much health wealth and prosperity in 2011 -
Happy New Year from my family to yours!

6 comments:

Love Being A Nonny said...

What a great post! You KNOW this southern girl knows all about that food!!!

I LOVE that your husband asked you to take a picture of what he made!! My hubs has just started cooking in the last two years. We will be married 36 years this year and all he had ever made was a scrambled egg and sausage!! Now, he is SO proud when he makes something...I'll confess, he has asked me to take pics too!! Hey, I love him cooking....I'll take a picture every night if that's what it takes!!

LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE...GOD'S GRACE said...

That was great that your hubby asked you to take a pic...but the special thing in itself is that he already had it made for you to enjoy!! That was special!!

Glad you had a great day celebrating the New Year in southern-style!

~Beth

Faith said...

Well, I'm just so proud of my bloggin' mama! You're on a roll. Keep it up =)

MiMi said...

I'm with you, Nonny...I'll take a picture every night if that's what it takes to get him cooking more! ( :


And, yes, Beth, it was VERY special that he had it all ready for me. Isn't it funny how much better something is when someone else makes it for you?!?!

MiMi said...

Awww...glad you're proud of me, Faith! Thanks so much for updating my blog for me and helping to get me motivated to start blogging again. I've missed it!

Love you so much!

valerie said...

First of all....kudos to your sweet hubby for bringing you coffee AND for making that delicious breakfast casserole. That's too cute about him wanting you to take a picture. It was definitely picture-worthy! :)

We have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day too.
We had steamed cabbage and cornbread to go along with it (and grilled deer steaks wrapped in bacon that my hubby fixed). When I went to the bank on New Year's Eve they were giving away cans of peas. LOL! I posted it on FB and my friend from California said "Why?" Guess they don't have that tradition in Calif. :)

You have a beautiful family. Miss E. is a doll & is getting to be such a big girl. She's too cute!

Blessings to you in 2011.

Love,
Valerie