Auld Lang Syne & Blackeyed Peas

"Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

I sing it every year. Don't you? Right there at the stroke of midnight?? After laying your lips on the one you love, hoping to spend the next year with, singing those lyrics brings closure to the old year and brightness to the new one ahead.

New Year's Eve is one of the most fun nights of the year. Our family is known for having a movie fest after eating sushi at the Japanese restaurant in the neighborhood. We always reminisce about the year, the things we are ready to say goodbye to and most importantly the things we look forward to.

Ever wondered why we eat certain foods on New Year's Day?? Here's a little history, taken from several different sources, that I thought I'd share.

Luck, Prosperity, Wealth and Fortune, Fertility, Health, Long Life.....many reasons to celebrate a new year.

Traditionally New Year's foods are thought to bring luck. It's thought that what one does and eats on New Year's Day affects their luck throughout their entire year. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring symbolizes coming full circle, completing a year's cycle. For example, the Dutch eat donuts for good fortune.

Blackeyed peas are a tradition in the USA for luck, often prepared with ham because eating Ham on New Year's Day suggests prosperity.

Eating greens symbolizes fortune, which should bring money throughout the year. In other cultures, cabbage leaves are a symbol of prosperity. Rice is a symbol of luck. And noodles are a symbol of long life and health.

North America, Europe and Asian countries eat fish to celebrate. Fish are considered a sign of moving forward into another year since fish only swim forward. Others think that since fish swim in schools they symbolize abundance.

Pomegranates are eaten in Mediterranean countries for fertility.

At midnight on New Year's Eve, revelers in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries eat 12 grapes — one for every strike of the clock and month in the year. It celebrates the coming of a sweet year.

So there you have it.

I'm excited to embark on a new year. I always make my special Savannah Dip with lots of spinach for good fortune, blackeyed peas via the crock seasoned with ham and rice for luck with these pork chops for prosperity.

Happy New Year to all!!!

New Year's Day Pork Chops
2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.

Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees.

Buffalo Chicken in the Crock

I'm not a big fan of restaurants. We hardly eat out...except for the occasional pizza pie. But there's a great little "Irish pub" just down the street that has a fabulous buffalo chicken sandwich. I love a mild buffalo sauce, so that sandwich suits me perfectly.

When I make my own I like being able to modify the "heat" based on the addition of sauce vs. butter ratio and I like cooking this in the crock because instead of fried chicken like traditional "buffalo" I can use boneless skinless chicken.

Try it for yourself. It's great for a football party! Invite your friends over for the game and serve this alongside potato salad or coleslaw. YUM!!

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (17.5 oz.) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided
1/2 (1 oz) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
2 tablespoons butter
6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.
Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, and splash with the remaining buffalo wing sauce to serve.

Game Day Stew

This morning I was awake before the sun came up because it's soccer tournament day! It should be outlawed to rise so early on a Saturday when it's 43 degrees out. Tournament days are full of excitement!! The Hurricanes were ready to play; clothed in their bright uniform shirts and their red and white tie-dye socks. We are so blessed with a wonderful team of girls, the BEST coach, and an always-willing-to-help group of parents. Game 1 tied. Game 2 a HUGE win of 4 to 1. Game 3...sad loss. But that didn't kill our spirit...custom hurricane tattoos, a "tailgate party", plenty of snacks, drinks, and chill time made our day fantastic.

Check out this great shot I got of my sweet Izz!

We were all wiped out after a long morning at the field. On game days, it's so nice to come home to a simmering crock of stew with some nice crusty bread.

Here's a recipe for a hearty stew with great flavor and it's so simple. A hot stew in the fall is just the ticket whether it's soccer day, a football party, or just family night.

1.5 pounds of beef stew meat
4 potatoes peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper
1 can (28 oz) of bbq baked beans
1 cup of bbq sauce

Place beef, potatoes, onion, and water in the bottom of your slow cooker, season with salt and pepper, top with beans and bbq sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours or until beef is tender.

What goes better with soup or stew than a sandwich? I have an assortment of cookie cutters for all occasions. The kids are crazy about these little ghostly sammies :)

PBJ, Tuna, or cold cuts are perfect for cutting these cute shapes. And let's face it, shaped food is more fun to eat.

Chicken Ricardo

I had started making Chicken Rrrricardo (emphasis on the R...roll it for the full effect). BUT, when I got home and finally settled down to check on it, I realized the crock pot had become unplugged. Can you say....frustrating??

So, I dumped an entire dinner in the trash, because let's face it....chicken that sat in a crock all day is just uncool.

My emergency substitution is Chili and cornbread. Eh, it'll do.

I still wanted to share it with you, even if it's not tonight's dinner!!
Chicken Ricardo
1 package of boneless Chicken Thighs (You can use breast meat or a mixture, whatever your family likes.)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilis
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of black beans (drained)
2 cups of shredded cheese
1 cup of sour cream

Place everything in crock pot except for the sour cream. Cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in sour cream. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. This is a great filling for tortillas if you shred the chicken, you can serve it with Spanish rice and a salad for a great meal.

Enjoy!!

Cheesy Crock Pot Ravioli

This couldn't be easier! You want the taste of lasagna without having the time to put it all together?? Try this quick slow cooker version of this Italian favorite!! This is a great recipe for a pot luck or a family dinner.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan, saute 1 clove of minced garlic and 1/2 finely chopped onion until the onion is tender. Add 1 can/jar of your favorite prepared pasta sauce and a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce. Season with Oregano, Basil and parsley.

Spray your slowcooker with nonstick spray, place 1 cup of sauce mixture in the bottom, add 1 package (25 oz) of frozen cheese ravioli. Top with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and dollops of ricotta cheese. Top with more sauce and layer another package of ravioli, cheese and the rest of the sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Mojito Fiesta Chicken

Imagine a hot summer day, lounging in the clear water of a pool on a Swimways float wearing a big straw hat, killer French pedicure, polkadot bikini, and a delicious Mojito.

Now, imagine that you don't even have to cook dinner, because simmering in the deliciousness of the crock pot is the most flavorful and fabulous chicken! And even if you're not into the bright flavors of mint or lime, you'll probably still love this easy and delicious recipe! It's perfect for those hot summer months and you don't have to put much heat in the kitchen.

Here's what you need:

1 pound of Chicken Breasts, Thighs, etc. (whatever your family prefers)

Juice of 2 limes

3 dashes of hot sauce (more if you like a bigger kick)

3 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbl oil (olive or veg.)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

Zest of 1 lime

Mint (3-4 leaves)

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbl minced garlic

½ small onion finely chopped

1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped)

Here's what you do:

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix all ingredients and pour over chicken. (If it seems too dry, add a little chicken stock or broth) Cook on low for 5-6 hours. I added a few slices of lime to the crock pot too and let the flavors develop.

My family loves this with rice and a fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad.

This low key salad is made with a can of black beans

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1/2 chopped red bell pepper

1/2 chopped red onion

juice of a fresh squeezed lime

few dashes of hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving. The frozen corn will continue to thaw and it keeps the salad nice and cold!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Cantonese cooking is probably the most common of the chinese cuisine. It offers low key flavors, a contrast between textures and it's just simplistic!

Here's a common recipe that's been adapted just for slow cooking!

4 chicken breasts

8 oz. canned pineapple, reserve juice

½ c. orange juice

2 Tbl. Cornstarch

2 Tb. Brown Sugar

2 Tb. Vinegar

2 Tb. Soy Sauce

½ tsp. Ginger

2 tsp. Garlic or 2 cloves minced

chopped red, green peppers

½ small chopped onion

Chop peppers and onion.

In a medium bowl, mix orange juice, cornstarch, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

In crock pot, place chicken top with onion, peppers, pineapple and sauce. (if the sauce isn’t “juicy” enough, add some reserved pineapple juice) Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve over rice.

Crock Pot Wednesday--A tradition

I am addicted to my crock pot. It has become my best friend! Is that wrong?

It seems like I can always get a lot of things accomplished in one day each week. For me, this is Wednesday, For example, after picking up the kids from school, it's homework, maybe an appointment, and then soccer practice. Then the 3 boys arrive and are finishing homework while hanging out with dad, but they're growing kids so it's hungry time. Then, we get home from soccer and it's bathtime, girl's dinner, clean up and since not all of our kids eat at the same time, I like to have something healthy and tasty and ready to go whenever they decide to eat!

Well, my crock pot Wednesday tradition has become a favorite and friends are always begging me for the recipes I use. I am kind of a one pot, 5 ingredient kind of girl. Anything that can be served simply, but beautifully...I'm all about it.

So, I am preparing Tuscan Chicken in the pot...crock pot that is.

Tuscan Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
1 can/jar prepared spaghetti sauce (or homemade if that's your thing)
1 package of italian herbs (oregano, basil, pepper, etc.)
Fresh Garlic (I love Christopher Ranch organic minced garlic in olive oil...saves me some prep time)
Mozzarella Cheese
pasta (your pick)

I recommend the crock pot liners! start with your onion and pepper, then top with your chicken. Add your spaghetti sauce, herbs, and garlic.

Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken and serve with prepared pasta (per package directions), top with your chicken and cheese and voila! Dinner is ready and you're tongue vacations in Tuscany!