Out With the Old...and In With the New Year!

Savory Stuffed Cabbage Rolls- click on the link, for the recipe!

With the new year quickly approaching upon us, where as in Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, and Japan, already has celebrated the New Year 2012...we will be be doing the same, at midnight! I will be featuring some of my dishes from 2011 that in our Hungarian/Italian tradition we celebrate.Savory Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, or Sweet Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is our tradition, to start the New Year off. The ground meat stuffed cabbage, is made with beef, but the fresh sausage is pork, and pork is traditionally eaten, for good luck!

Italian Sausage with Grilled Cheddar Polenta-click on the link for recipe

Here's another suggestion: Italian Sausage with Grilled Cheddar Polenta. One of our very favorites, but if you're a vegetarian, you can omit the sausage...in fact, don't omit the sausage, just try the delicious polenta, filled with chopped jalapeno pepper, and grilled potatoes, onions, and zucchini, is sure to satisfy your hunger, and it's such a fabulous meal combination.

Garden Lentil Balls

No...these are not meatballs, they are actually Garden Lentil Balls and are packed with fresh gremolata, made with a combination of fresh herbs and fresh garlic, of course. Check for the recipe for the gremolata, as well. You can use lemon, in place of orange to make it traditional.You can also add Marinara sauce on top of these yummy lentil balls, and eat it as a main dish, with past

In Southern Italy, there is a tradition: OUT WITH THE OLD...meaning, on New Year's day, you throw out old objects, out the window, or over the balcony...just with caution!

Last...but not least, another Italian tradition, I don't know exactly which region it comes from, but listen to this one...WEAR RED UNDERWEAR!...yes, it's a tradition, but not just any old "ratty" red underwear, it has to be a new one!...most importantly, a gift from someone...LOL

...another suggestion for New Year's, is brunch... too early for breakfast, and maybe you want to chuck the suggested tradition, and go with BRUNCH!

Home fries-click on the link for recipe

There's nothing more comforting for a brunch than Home fries, bacon, scrambled eggs, or pancakes, waffles, and most comforting and so yummy, are the french toast!

Mark Bittman's Perfect Pancakes

 ...or how about these totally delicious and perfect pancakes...Mark Bittman's Perfect Pancakes. I was on a blueberry "kick, when I made these yummy pancakes! So amazing, really good!

It has been such a blessed year, with family, and friends, my life is fulfilled with such joy, you have all given me...by supporting my blog with all your sweet comments, love, and caring!

Wishing all of you a Very Happy New Year, in health and prosperity...with Love!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Savory Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

On New Year's Day, it's been such a tradition in my mom's and aunt's Hungarian kitchen to have a huge casserole of stuffed cabbage, I have such fond memories from Cleveland, every New Year's Eve was a celebration of family, and friends in our house for the New Year's Eve, in our full "party basement" which most northern houses have...I sure miss that. On New Year's Day, was a huge early dinner celebration at my aunt and uncle's, with our families, siblings, and cousins. Every 1st of the year, my aunt would roast a cute "little" pig...(uggghh) the thought of it now, scares me...I could not be staring the poor innocent piglet in the face...ohh yes, the face, and the poor little mouth with an apple in it!
Anyway, these were traditions of the sixties, and since then, we had our tradition for our children, and times, have changed and we keep moving on with time, moving on to a New Year, and hopefully, a better tomorrow for all!

I have not made Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in several years, simply for the reason that my dear departed aunt

who lived next door to us made it every years, here in S. Florida, as my children were growing up, keeping up with the traditions. It's been over ten years that she's gone, and so have the Hungarian traditions.

But of course, if you live near by here, in S. Florida, and  wish to eat authentic stuffed cabbage rolls, you can visit the Hungarian/American club here, locally, in Lake Worth, where they still keep up with the authentic traditions.

Well, for some reason,  when I saw a  spicy Korean condiment of cabbage called "Kimchi" in my daughter's refrigerator, which I thought was so bizarre, because she is so sensitive to hot spices, and that is one spicy side dish! Of course, I ended up with the Kimchi, but that's another story!

I happened to have ground beef, the 1 1/2 heads of cabbage (really need 2) ...2 lbs of authentic homemade Italian sausage from our favorite Italian market, called Mario's in Delray Beach. I did not use Hungarian sausage because smoked Hungarian, or Polish sausage would be perfect for the cabbage, or use smoked ham hocks, which all have so much sodium nitrate, that again, my daughter cannot have, which unfortunately causes extreme headaches for some people.