What Are You Eating New Year’s Day?

Black-Eyed Peas With Ham Hock and CollardsWhat Are You Eating New Year’s Day?

Maybe it’s much too early in the game
Oh, but I thought I’d ask you just the same
What are you eating New Year’s? New Year’s Day?

Maybe I’m crazy to suppose
BLACK-EYED PEAS be the one you chose
Out of a thousand recipes
You received

Oh, but in case they stand one little chance
Here comes the JACKPOT question in advance
What are you eating New Year’s? New Year’s Day?

Eat BLACK-EYED PEAS for luck and COLLARD GREENS for money. Add CORNBREAD for gold and PORK because pigs have long been a symbol of wealth and gluttony. Their forward rooting motion is a symbol of positivity. So here’s to a happy, healthy, delicious, and super lucky new year!

Black-Eyed Peas With Ham Hock and Collards Recipe

Continue reading “What Are You Eating New Year’s Day?”

Custardy Cornbread with Honey Butter

Custardy Cornbread with Honey Butter

Custardy Cornbread with Honey Butter

I awoke to another zillion emails, but one really caught my eye. It was for New Year’s Day Cornbread from Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo, a specialty food company known for their glorious Heirloom Beans.

Sando wrote, “This recipe comes from my pal Taylor Boetticher of the Fatted Calf Charcuterie. If you’re in the Bay Area, try making your Black Eyed Peas with their bacon or other pork treats. The recipe is true Texas cornbread and it’s perfect with your pot of good fortune. A huge thanks to Taylor’s mother, Star Boetticher, for sharing the recipe and keeping good conditions alive.”

I headed off to the kitchen to preheat the oven. Baking with available ingredients, it turns out that I had to replace the whole milk with 1% milk, and swapped low fat plain Kefir for buttermilk …hoping it would work. And it did! This Cornbread is perfect even with my substitutions, no need to look for any other cornbread recipe, ever.

The cornbread was served with room-temperature salted butter that was blended with honey…and a pot of coffee. ‘Twas a delightful December breakfast. The custard layer is simply genius. For good fortune, I will make it again on New Year’s Day to be served with Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens (recipe now posted here).

Black Eyed Peas are eaten for luck, Collard Greens are symbolic of dollar bills, and Cornbread is symbolic of gold. And we will add a Glazed Spiral Cut Ham to the menu because pigs have long been a symbol of wealth and gluttony. Sounds delicious and lucky, can’t beat that. Here’s to a Prosperous New Year!

Boetticher Family Cornbread Recipe

Continue reading “Custardy Cornbread with Honey Butter”