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!

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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.

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