Saturday, December 31, 2011

Weekend Cooking...New Years Foods

So, what are you doing New Years Eve, as the song asks?
Ok, that had nothing to do with food but I just liked it and wanted to share. So, on to  the actual question, what are you doing New Years, Eve and and New Years Day, food wise?




So what is traditional to eat at New Years? Well, according to an Epicurious article, here are a few suggestions... Grapes (does wines counts?), cooked greens, pork...
"Legumes including beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind.In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas or cowpeas in a dish called hoppin' john. There are even those who believe in eating one pea for every day in the new year. This all traces back to the legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered lucky."
Now I celebrated a bit early, because I am working today, New Years Eve and it seems Sunday, New Years Day, will be devoted to watching football and eating traditional football foods. So, Friday night, we had my New Years dinner. Ham..so the pork thing is covered. Mac and Cheese, because I love it and corn fritters because nothing in my opinion goes better with ham than corn fritters. I have spared the recipe before, but I used a slightly different one this time and I must say they were delicious.

 
We did better with the dessert, tradition wise.
"Cakes and other baked goods are commonly served from Christmas to New Year's around the world, with a special emphasis placed on round or ring-shaped items...Mexico's rosca de reyes is a ring-shaped cake decorated with candied fruit and baked with one or more surprises inside....In Scotland, {New Years guests}often brings symbolic gifts like coal to keep the house warm or baked goods such as shortbread, oat cakes, and a fruit caked called black bun, to make sure the household always has food."
We had some more of that Christmas fruitcake and the Niece made her own, slightly alcoholic take, on Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It's round, it has rings and it has fruit, round, ringed fruit.

Adult Pineapple Upside Down Cake

1 package Pineapple Supreme Duncan Hines cake mix
1 large can pineapple rings, reserve 1 cup juice
rum for soaking pineapple rings and for cake
3 large eggs
1/3 vegetable oil
4 TBS. butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Maraschino cherries

Drain pineapple rings and reserve juice. Place in a large shallow pan and cover with dark rum. Allow in sit overnight if frig. Reserve run

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a 10”cast iron pan melt butter. Add brown sugar to make a thick mixture and spread over bottom of pan. Place pineapple rings, each with a cherry in center hole, in pan.
In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, 1 cup pineapple juice, oil, eggs and 1/3 cup reserved rum. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Grease side of pan with Pam and then pour in mixture over pineapple rings.
Cook cake for 50-55 minutes. When removed from oven, while still warm, pokes holes in cake and pour 1/4-1/3 cup of rum in holes.When partially cooled but still warm, flip and unmold on a plate.
Very moist and rather rummy!



This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.


18 comments:

  1. Your dinner and the cake look delicious. I hope you have a wonderful 2012!

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  2. I've heard the ham, greens, and black-eyed peas traditions. I've also heard lentils were lucky.

    If rum upside-down pineapple cake is lucky, I may have to bring myself luck several times a year. OMG sooooo pretty and sounds delicious.

    I'm making cheesecake for tonight -- not lucky but definitely tasty.

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  3. I never knew what a black eyed pea was until we moved here. Your neice's cake looks and sounds delish!

    Happy New year!

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  4. Whoever came up with the idea of adding rum to cake should really have gotten a Nobel prize!

    Happy New Year!

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  5. Great looking dinner and cake, I'd love to ring in the year with a meal like that!
    Happy New Year!

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  6. Happy New Year-this looks like a lovely meal-although I may be done with dessert for the season.

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  7. What a lovely idea to research traditional foods for NYE :) Your meal looks very festive indeed. Wouldn't mind having a slice of that delectable pineapple cake. Love those maraschino cherries. Happy New Year, Caite :)

    Ps. Wine absolutely counts!

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  8. We have to have black eyed peas on New Year's Day around here.

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  9. never had one...would not know even where to find them.

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  10. So that's where the tradition of black-eyed peas on New Year's day originated. We have them every year, and now I know why.

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  11. Happy New year! I enjoyed your post! Yes we always have pork - and sauerkraut with dumplings and when I was kid we did the black eyed peas thing too. This year we are having kielbasi with the kraut as that is what my hubby's family always did.

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  12. For the third year running, we're hosting a dinner party this NYE. Always a great way to celebrate a new year!

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  13. I think you need to add rum to everything, not just cake. Just saying'. Tonight we are convening at our friends' house (they are New England folk you might appreciate) and having steamers, chowdah, and lobsters, all soaked in buttah. My stomach won't be right for a week.

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  14. I have heard the black eyed peas tradition.

    My mom said they always had pork and sauerkraut for New Year's but she was never sure why.

    She also reminded me that whenever she made corn fritters, they disappeared before she could get the next batch in the pan :)

    Hope you have a great weekend Caite.

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  15. that can't be true! (they are way too hot to eat for several minutes. believe me, I know....)

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  16. I believe in eating chocolate first thing in the new year.

    Wishing you a happy 2012 with lots of 5 star books!

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  17. Happy New Year. Your dinner and dessert look delicious. We do the black-eyed pea thing and I have them soaking right now.

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  18. I've never made a pineapple upside-down cake -- it looks wonderful! I wonder how a child's version (non-alcoholic) would go over with my kids.

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