New Year's Day Lucky Food

Happy 2011!
I have to admit...I like the idea of getting good luck, simply from making a meal.  From what I've heard, black eyed peas and greens, on New Year's Day, is the ticket to having a good year. Well, that's just easy.  I'll do it!

Greens are said to look like money so they'll allegedly bring you prosperity.  An easy recipe:
Thoroughly wash your favorite greens (we are doing collard greens).  Cut them into bite sized pieces.  Put them in a pot with an inch of water.  Add ham (pork is another lucky food-apparently pigs symbolize progress).  I use Honeybaked ham left over from Christmas.  Some people prefer country ham pieces. Add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt.  (Omit the salt if you are using Country ham.  It adds plenty).  Bring the greens to a boil.  Then turn the heat down to low and let them simmer until tender.  Serve with hot sauce to spice them up!

Black Eyed Peas are a popular good luck food for two reasons.  One is they are said to look like coins.  Ummmm..... okay... that's stretching it a bit.  The second reason 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. We eat Black Eyed Peas in the form of  "Hoppin' John".  Here's how I make it:
1 can black eyed peas
1 onion
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped ham (I use Honeybaked ham)

Saute celery, green pepper, and onion in butter.  When vegies are tender, pour in can of black eyed peas and chopped ham.  Simmer for approx. 15 mins. to blend flavors. Serve with your favorite rice.

Apparently, donuts are lucky too.  Hmmm.... that one's tricky.  How can I eat donuts and be on the path to healthiness? Good thing John prefers cornbread!

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/newyearsday/luckyfoods#ixzz19f4yxeih

Happy New Year and Best Luck to you all!

New Year's Eve Celebrations

This will be the 11th year my husband, John, and I have celebrated the New Year together.  Each year has been special.  Most of the time we stay in, play games, and watch Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years.

Now that we have kids, I want to incorporate them into our celebration.  Last year, they included themselves.  Both kids were up at midnight, puking.  It honestly became a bit comical.  Here we were, watching the ball drop, with two ill kids.  After their midnight vomit, they quickly recovered, and we've had a great year.  This year, we have a different plan.  We want them to celebrate with us, just not at midnight.

My kids are 4 and three weeks away from 2.  I'm thinking midnight won't be a happy time for them.  So, I'm going to make their midnight 9 o'clock!  Which is late for them. We'll have bathtime and then come back downstairs for the festivities.  Usually after bathtime we have stories and then it's bedtime so this will be a special treat. I plan on making some of Jill's marvelous caramel corn, playing Wii (we just got Just Dance for Kids and Just Dance 2), and counting down until our midnight (9:00 pm for these kiddos). We bought horns, blow outs, and sparklers, which will all be part of our New Year's festivities.

After the big party and storytime, we'll talk about some things we'd like to work on for the New Year.  Hopefully, we'll make some resolutions together. I'm thinking GraciAnn may want to start listening better, the first time. Mariella may want to cooperate more when putting on her pajamas.  I'm not sure that's what they'll choose. I'm just thinking those would be excellent choices.

As for me, I plan on setting aside some me time to take care of myself.  2011 brings on a big birthday for me (much later in the year).  I want to be able to keep up with my kids, even though I'm getting older.  That means I need to really work on getting in shape.  That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!

Do you have any New Year's traditions to share with us?

Creamy Chicken with Egg Noodles

My Mom introduced me to this recipe and it has quickly become a family favorite.  Unless I make a double portion, there usually aren't any leftovers!  This is a delicious and easy meal to make.  I promise it will be gobbled up!

Creamy Chicken with Egg Noodles
4 Chicken Breasts
1 can of Cream of Mushroom
1 can of Mushrooms
1 1/4 cup of Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/2 bag of Wide Egg Noodles

Mix Cream of Mushroom, sour cream, salt and pepper, and mushrooms in a bowl.  Spray a ? ???? with cooking spray.  Place Chicken breasts in glass dish.  Cover with cream of mushroom mixture.  Bake at 350 for about an hour or until chicken is fully cooked.  Prepare Egg Noodles according to directions on package.  Serve chicken and over egg noodles.

This is a very simple recipe, but one loved by our family.  It would also be a very nice recipe to take to a friend in need.

Enjoy!

Great Winter Printable

 We both love these printables from Bunch of Craft. 

 http://bunchofcraft.blogspot.com/2010/12/winter-subway-art.html

We bought an inexpensive picture frame from Walmart ($3) and we print these out every time a new one comes out.  Head on over and pick up a cute and inexpensive decoration for your home!

Peppermint Bark

Peppermint Bark is easy to make and delicious!  It was one of the treats we included in my daughter's teachers' gift tote.  You can alter the recipe by using any kind of chocolate chips you'd like.  We prefer teh semisweet.  You can layer with white chocolate too.  My girls don't like white chocolate so we made it just with the dark chocolate.  You can substitute Heath bits for peppermint.  Get creative!

What you'll need:

A Jellyroll pan or cookie sheet

Freezer Paper or Parchment Paper

Cooking Spray

A double boiler or two pots that fit together to create one

A spatula

A stove

Peppermints or candy canes

A bag of semisweet chocolate chips

A hammer

A Ziploc bag

I stacked these pans to make a double boiler.  I added a couple inches of water to the bottom pot and brought it to a boil.

This is my 23 month old, Mariella.  She's adding the chips to the pot that will be on top. Check out her cute apron Grandmommy made her for Christmas.

Hey!  I say you sneak that chip, little girl!

Mariella, don't eat them all!

There goes another one!  Lucky for us, this recipe doesn't need exact measurements!

In walks my four year old, GraciAnn armed with the hammer, ready to attack the peppermints.  We put four candy canes in a Ziploc bag and sealed it. Grandmommy made her cute apron too.  Matchy matchy!

Mariella's keeping her distance as GraciAnn makes powder out of the candy canes.

We've lined the jelly roll pan with Freezer Paper. We sprayed the freezer paper with cooking spray.

Here's the chocolate chips.  They've started melting.

GraciAnn's carefully stirring the chocolate chips.  Mariella's saying, "Chocolate!"

The chocolate chips are melted. It's time to add the peppermint.

GraciAnn's stirring the peppermint in.

...and stirring....

It's well mixed now.

We put the chocolate on the freezer paper.

Smooth out the chocolate mixture to a thin layer.  You could swirl in white chocolate, sprinkle peppermint pieces on top, whatever you want to jazz it up.  My girls are just happy eating it pretty plain. When it's spread out, put it in the refrigerator to harden.

They love liking the spatulas.

Waiting patiently for the peppermint bark to harden.

Oh my! After she's cleaned up, the bark may be ready.  Really, let it chill for about two hours. Take it out of the refrigerator and break it into pieces. Yum!

White Chocolate Bark

This is really good and rich! It makes a great gift and was included in my daughter's teachers' gifts.

 

 

Line a jellyroll pan with alum. foil.

Cover the bottom with graham crackers.

 

Melt 1c. butter in saucepan, add 1c. brown sugar then add 1c. chopped nuts (I use pecans). Make sure it's well blended boil just a little.

 

Spread mixture over crackers, making sure to cover them.

Bake @ 400 for 8 mins. until it bubbles.
Let it cool for 10mins.

 

While it's cooling melt 1 bag of white choc. morsels in a double boiler.

 

 

Spread chocolate over crackers.
Place in freezer for 20 mins.
Break bark and place in air tight containers.
ENJOY!!!!!

Chicken Tacos

What You'll Need:
Crockpot
Four frozen chicken breasts
Chicken Seasonings (I used McCormick Rotisserie Blend)
Soft Taco Shells
Taco Toppings of choice

Put chicken breasts in crockpot and season.  Cook at least four hours on low. When chicken is done, remove it from the crockpot. Shred chicken with a fork.

Top a soft taco shell with shredded cheese.

Put the warm chicken on top of the cheese.

Top chicken with lettuce.  Add any other toppings you'd like.  I added a little Frank's hot sauce.

This recipe is easy, healthy, and my kids will eat it! 

Free Subway Art Printable

Here's a cute printable.  Just stick it in a frame and you've decorated for the New Year!

http://customprintables.blogspot.com/2010/12/free-printable-happy-new-year-subway.html