Menus – Page 6 – Feed Your Kids

Sweet and Sour BBQ Chicken and Hasselback Potatoes

Adult plate. I was at a bit of a loss for inspiration for dinner last night, so I pulled this recipe out of my trusty old file folder. It was easy and was kid-friendly and actually, quite yummy as well. I doubled the recipe, but it wasn’t really necessary – I think that the amount … Continue reading “Sweet and Sour BBQ Chicken and Hasselback Potatoes”

Adult plate.

I was at a bit of a loss for inspiration for dinner last night, so I pulled this recipe out of my trusty old file folder. It was easy and was kid-friendly and actually, quite yummy as well. I doubled the recipe, but it wasn’t really necessary – I think that the amount of marinade/sauce in a single batch would be plenty, even for 4 chicken breasts.

As for the potatoes, I saw Paula Deen and Robert Irvine cooking appealing Hasselback potatoes on a recent Food Network Holiday special, but when I went looking for the recipe, I found that the reviews on their version of the recipe weren’t great and went looking for another version. I found one by Nigella Lawson that looked potentially bland and a few others that looked too complicated, but when I saw this one by Emeril, it looked like a winner. His recipes can usually be relied upon to turn out well. I (of course!) did add a bit of Baby Bam seasoning (it WAS an Emeril recipe, after all!). The potatoes took a little longer than the time stated in the recipe to be cooked through, but they were tasty.

I normally have a hard-and-fast “no TV during dinner” rule, but the kids have both been sick and have had a bit of a tough week, so we watched a bit of the new Harry Potter “Order of the Phoenix” DVD while we were eating last night. I do have these great “snack plates” that we hardly get to use, otherwise. Every once in a while, you have to know when to bend the rules, right?

Kid plate.

I popped an apple pie (recipe right off the box of Pillsbury pie crust) in the oven while the potatoes were cooking, so we had a warm dessert, too. It turned out a little messy (Hubby is a great pie crust “crimper” but he was working on another project last night, so I was in the kitchen alone), but it was yummy and was perfect for the rainy weather we had yesterday.

Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

This recipe, from Cooking Light magazine, is really easy and is actually pretty tasty. Gourmet, it’s not, and it’s not terribly picturesque on the plate, but it is quick, kid-friendly and pretty healthy. Let me say however, that this recipe makes an OBSCENE amount, so, unless you’re having a party or have 8 kids, you … Continue reading “Tex-Mex Pasta Salad”

I made a couple of adaptations:
– I added 1 cup of frozen corn, zapped in the microwave for a couple of minutes to thaw, and then drained.
– I used cappelletti pasta, because I had it on hand and the only radiatore that I could find was HUGE and not even close to being bite-sized.
– I used ground beef, instead of turkey (ditto – I had it on hand).
– I garnished with a bit of sliced avocado and a cilantro leaf.
– I left out the olives, because 3/4 of us don’t like them (Boy loves them, so I planned to add some as a garnish on his portion).
– I used halved grape tomatoes instead of the chopped tomato.

This was a big hit with Hubby, who will eat anything that’s even moderately “Tex-Mex-y”. Girl loved it, too. Boy was at a birthday party, where he had already eaten a burger, so he ended up not eating with us tonight. I think he’s also coming down with something, poor guy. If he makes it to school tomorrow, he’ll be having some of the leftovers in his lunch.

Chicken Lasagna Florentine, Green Beans with Browned Butter and “Jailhouse” Rolls

A friend gave me this recipe a ZILLION years ago, but I’ve never tried it, because, although it was delicious when I had it at her house, the recipe was four pages long and I was a bit intimidated. Recently, however, I was going through my recipe files, doing some culling and came across the recipe. As I re-read it, I realized it was just that long because it was handwritten in large (but lovely) script and wasn’t really as complicated as I was originally afraid that it would be, so I decided to give it a try. We all like spinach (and pasta), so I figured it would be a “go”.

Here goes:
Chicken Lasagna Florentine
(from Cindy Zraik)

Ingredients:
– 5 chicken breast halves, cooked, skinned and boned then chopped coarsely or 3 cups cooked chicken meat
– juice of 1/2 lemon
– 1 10 oz package frozen spinach
– 3 Tbsp. butter
– 1/2 lb. mushrooms
– 1 1/4 lbs. fresh lasagna noodles or 1 package dried
– 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
– 1 lb. imported ricotta cheese
– 3/4 lb. imported parmesan cheese, grated

For the Balsamella Sauce (Bechamel?):
– 1 stick lightly salted butter
– 1/2 cup flour
– 4 cups whole milk
– pinch of nutmeg and salt to taste

For the sauce:
Melt butter in large saucepan until bubbly. Add flour, stirring well over moderate heat. Cook the roux (that is the flour-butter mixture) until bubbly and it begins to brown slightly, approximately 5 minutes. Add milk to roux while stirring with a wire whisk until well incorporated. Keeping heat on medium, stir often until sauce comes to a boil. When thickened, turn heat off, add nutmeg and salt to taste. Set aside.

Set chopped chicken meat aside and sprinkle with lemon juice and pepper.

Cook spinach according to package directions; drain excess water then add spinach to balsamella sauce.

Slice and saute mushrooms in 3 Tbsp. butter over high heat 4 – 5 minutes then add to balsamella sauce.

In large pot, boil fresh lasagna noodles 2 minutes then remove from water and set aside on a towel. You will have to do this in 4 consecutive batches. If using dry lasagna, cook according to package directions.

Assembling the dish:

– Place a thin layer of sauce mixture on bottom of a 9 X 13″ baking dish.
– Put one layer of noodles.
– Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese in a thin layer.
– Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
– a thin layer of sauce.
– Put one layer of noodles.
– Place all chicken meat.
– Over chicken, spread a moderate amount of sauce, reserving some for very top layer.
– Put one layer of lasagna.
– Spread the remaining ricotta.
– Sprinkle remaining mozzarella.
– More lasagna noodles.
– The remaining sauce.
– Finally, sprinkle all parmesan cheese on top.
– Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

OK, now let me tell you how I fiddled with it (not much, actually):

I sprinkled the chicken with Baby Bam before cooking (I grilled the chicken).

I added two extra layers of noodles (one of chicken, one of cheese), for a total of 18 noodles in the dish (6 layers of 3 noodles) and spread the ingredients a little thinner to accomplish this. This made the lasagna dizzyingly tall, but not a drop of it bubbled over in the oven – I was amazed.

I used unsalted butter and 2% milk, because that’s what I had on hand.

I cut the amount of Parmesan a little bit, because using 3/4 of a lb was just obscene – it was over 3 cups worth and I just couldn’t do it.

The verdict:
Both kids really liked this and Hubby LOVED it. I will make it without the mushrooms next time, because both kids balked at them a little, although they did try them. A huge hit all-around. One caveat: with all of that meat and cheese (and extra noodles), the completed lasagna was incredibly heavy. Hubby said that he almost broke his wrist trying to pull it out of the fridge (I had pre-assembled it early in day, because we had afternoon plans, so it was in the fridge until time to bake it) with one hand. It was a little “solid” (not very saucy and/or gooey), maybe because of the extra noodles, or maybe because I made the sauce a little too thick, but it was still yummy.

Green Beans with Browned Butter

This recipe is from one of those Betty Crocker recipe magazines at the grocery checkstand. Sometimes those are great, other times not so much, but this was really good. The kids both picked up the lemon flavor and may have liked the beans better without the lemon peel, but still really good.

I used frozen green beans (cooked in chicken broth) and toasted the pine nuts separately in the toaster, rather than in the butter.

3/4 lb. green beans
2 Tbsp. butter (no substitutions)
2 Tbsp. pine nuts
1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Place beans in 1 inch water in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, melt butter in 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in pine nuts. Heat, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown. Immediately remove from heat. Pour butter mixture over beans; toss to coat. Sprinkle with lemon peel. 6 servings (1/2 cup each).

The Jailhouse Roll recipe can be found here (time-consuming, but very yummy).

Grilled Chicken Tenders, Buttternut Squash Risotto, Sauteed Spinach

The risotto recipe is from this month’s (Oct 2007) issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It was a HUGE hit with all of us, so I will definitely be doing more risottos this year, as the weather gets cooler. This recipe was really simple, too, very non-intimidating. The butternut squash were from my in-laws farm. In … Continue reading “Grilled Chicken Tenders, Buttternut Squash Risotto, Sauteed Spinach”

In the magazine, the risotto was served with crispy cornmeal-breaded shrimp, but that would NOT have gone over with Hubby or Girl. It’s a shame, because it sounded really good. We’re taking Boy to his favorite restaurant for his birthday on Friday, so he’ll get his seafood “fix” then.

The spinach was just sauteed in a little olive oil until softened and wilted and then sprinkled with a TINY bit of Baby Bam seasoning.

The chicken tenders were marinated in a little BBQ sauce and then grilled and served with more BBQ sauce (not the same as it was marinated in!) on the side.

Actually a very easy/quick dinner – surprisingly so.

Orange-Ginger Glazed Cornish Hens and “Eat Your Veggies” Orzo

This Cornish Hen recipe from October 2002 Cooking Light magazine is a favorite. I think the glaze would be good on boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, too, but I haven’t tried it. The orzo recipe comes from my best friend’s hubby, who makes it regularly for their family. I added the red bell pepper, … Continue reading “Orange-Ginger Glazed Cornish Hens and “Eat Your Veggies” Orzo”

This Cornish Hen recipe from October 2002 Cooking Light magazine is a favorite. I think the glaze would be good on boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, too, but I haven’t tried it.

The orzo recipe comes from my best friend’s hubby, who makes it regularly for their family. I added the red bell pepper, which isn’t in his original recipe, mostly just because I had some on hand.

Alan’s (“Eat Your Veggies”) Orzo

12 ounces orzo (rice-shaped) pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
a little minced onion
(Around 2 Tbsp. to 1/4 cup – just to your taste. I used red onion, but white would be fine, too.)
about a cup (or a little more) chopped baby carrots
one half of a red bell pepper, diced
about 3 cups chicken stock
about 2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
about 1/4 cup (or a little less) freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Saute the orzo in the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat, stirring and tossing constantly, until lightly golden brown and toasted.

Lower heat to medium. Add garlic, onion and carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent and carrots have softened slightly. Add red bell pepper and cook for about 2 more minutes.

Turn heat to medium-low and gently stir in the chicken stock, about 1/4 cup at a time, until pasta is al dente. This could take 2 minutes or 10, depending upon how hot your pan is, how large your orzo is, etc, so the best way to determine if the pasta is done is to taste it (using a clean spoon each time you taste). When the pasta is getting very close to done, gently stir in the spinach and another splash of chicken stock. Finish cooking until spinach is wilted and pasta tastes right. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.

You can add a little freshly ground pepper or a dash of your favorite all-purpose seasoning or herb, if you’d like a little more flavor. It’s not absolutely necessary, but if you’re feeling it needs a little more “kick”, go right ahead.

Chinese Snack Dinner for an All-American Holiday

Pot-Sticker Dumplings with dipping sauces and Edamame Dumplings are one of our favorite “fast and easy” light meals. We slept in this morning and had both breakfast and lunch late. We also had a parade of children and snacks through the house and were munching things like popcorn and lemonade (fresh-squeezed, the kids set up … Continue reading “Chinese Snack Dinner for an All-American Holiday”

Pot-Sticker Dumplings with dipping sauces and Edamame

Dumplings are one of our favorite “fast and easy” light meals. We slept in this morning and had both breakfast and lunch late. We also had a parade of children and snacks through the house and were munching things like popcorn and lemonade (fresh-squeezed, the kids set up a lemonade booth today to raise money for Save the Tigers) all day, so were looking for something simple and semi-light for dinner. I also haven’t been to the grocery store in days and we are out of milk, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, but we had a bag of frozen dumplings and some edamame in the freezer.

We like to pan-fry our dumplings a bit after boiling them. Sometimes we make our own dumplings, but these were store-bought, frozen ones. After boiling (usually about 8 minutes, but follow the package or recipe directions), fry them in a bit of canola oil (drizzle in a bit of toasted sesame oil, too, for extra flavor) until they are starting to turn golden on the bottoms.

Serve with your choice of dipping sauces. Usually the frozen dumplings come with either a soy sauce based dip or a sweet and sour sauce, or both. We also like to make our own dipping sauce, but it’s a bit spicy for the kids. Hubby LOVES it.

Dipping sauce for eggrolls or dumplings:
1 Tbsp. minced green onions
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. duck sauce
1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
Stir all ingredients together until well mixed.

The Way to a Teacher’s Heart is Through Their Stomach

Every year since Girl was in Kindergarten, I have prepared this meal as a “thank you” to the teachers. I usually prepare it for the last field trip of the school year (so they don’t have to worry about lunch packing in addition to trip-planning), but this year, that date got away from me, so I made it yesterday. Boy and Girl have both had a fabulous year (and Girl is leaving this school next year, so this was also a “goodbye” for her), so I expanded the list from just the classroom teachers (as I’ve done in the past), to include coaches, music and drama teachers, spanish & art teachers, etc. By the time the list was done, I found myself cooking for 21 very deserving educators. The entire menu was printed in the June 2000 issue of Bon Appetit and is also great for picnics. Click on the foods for recipes.

Deviled Eggs with Tarragon & Capers

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken
This recipe calls for bone-in breasts, which are more flavorful than boneless, but are also more difficult to eat, especially in a “picnic”-type lunch where you might not have a proper plate, fork and knife. I prefer to use the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can marinate, bread and bake them according the regular recipe directions, or you can cut the breasts into smaller pieces and flatten them gently (like this), for even smaller (easy to pick up and eat with your fingers, like chicken strips for grownups) serving pieces.

Green Bean, Yellow Bean & Cherry Tomato Salad

Macaroni Salad with Peas & Ham

I always serve this lunch with “Triple Chocolate Peppermint Brownies” and Homemade Lemonade. This year, I served the lemonade in special water bottles that I purchased (and ran through the dishwasher beforehand) that have a freezable ice stick inside to keep the drinks cold.

For the brownies, I use Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix (it comes in a box from Costco, with 6 individual mixes in it – 2 mixes makes a 9 x 13 pan) and add 10 chopped (quartered) York Peppermint Patties (the small ones that are about 1.5 inches across) and 2 or 3 drops of peppermint extract per bag of mix. Bake according to the normal package directions.

For Homemade Lemonade: Mix together 2 quarts of water, 1 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice.

Strawberry Lemonade Variation:
During strawberry season, I’ll run some fresh strawberries through my juicer and add about 1/2 cup of the juice to the the lemonade – Boy and Girl LOVE this!

I packed the lunches in individual bags with an ice pack, with little containers (from a restaurant supply) of each food. The chicken is in foil. The brownies were packed in little ziplocs, with one of my favorite mints (Perugina Glacia) taped to the side (this menu has lots of onion, so I thought the teachers might appreciate that after eating!). I also included a small, disposable plastic plate (better than eating out of containers!) and one of those packets with napkin, plastic knife, fork and spoon and some salt and pepper (also from the restaurant supply). Next year, I’m going to try to find some individual lunch boxes or inexpensive coolers, because the cold lemonade bottles and ice packs made the paper lunch sacks disintegrate a little as they got wet from condensation.

Leftovers Supreme: Stuffed Peppers, Pesto-Polenta Loaf, Asparagus

These peppers were reconstructed from the leftovers of this dish. They’ve been in the freezer for a couple of weeks, waiting to be pulled out, thawed and baked on a busy day like today. They were a big hit with both Boy and Girl. The Pesto-Polenta Loaf is left over from a party that my … Continue reading “Leftovers Supreme: Stuffed Peppers, Pesto-Polenta Loaf, Asparagus”

stuffed%20peppers%2C%20polenta%2C%20asparagus.jpg

The Pesto-Polenta Loaf is left over from a party that my mother had this weekend. Apparently, it was a big hit with her guests, but she still had a bit left over. It was very messy, but very rich and yummy (a bit too rich for Boy and Girl, but Hubby and I loved it – thanks, Mom!). It has pesto, sun-dried tomatoes and bleu cheese in it. I need to get the recipe, but I think I will likely to try adapt it to be made in ramekins or muffin tins, so it’s not so complicated to unmold. The idea of pretty layers in a loaf pan is nice, but comes up short if it self-destructs upon unmolding.

Beef Broccoli Lo Mein with Eggrolls & Spicy-sweet dipping sauce

Lo%20mein%20meal.jpg

I have served this delicious (and REALLY easy) Beef-Broccoli Lo Mein recipe from Cooking Light magazine before and we have really enjoyed it. The beef takes on the ginger-garlic flavor nicely (even though it’s not marinated) and the sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. I substitute wide Udon noodles for the spaghetti for a little more authenticity. The only drawback to this recipe is that it calls for a lot of ingredients that most people do not routinely have on hand (oyster sauce, fresh ginger, Thai chile paste, etc.). Of course, around here, we ALWAYS have sriracha on hand. Hubby loves that stuff and put it on his breakfast casserole this morning.

lo%20mein%20mise%20en%20place.jpg
I don’t “Mise en place” for everything that I cook, but I do think that it is especially helpful for anything stir-fried.

When the recipe was originally published (in 2002 or 2003?), it featured a whole “menu” complete with Egg rolls and “spicy-sweet dipping sauce”, but that feature is REALLY hard to find on their website now, even with a link (it’s buried in a long article on weekday menus and it’s hard to find that specific one), so I’ll just give you the instructions for that here:

While you are cooking the pasta, bake 6 frozen white-meat chicken egg rolls (we actually prefer vegetable, but it’s up to you) according to package directions. While egg rolls bake, combine 1 tablespoon minced green onions, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons duck sauce, and 1 teaspoon sriracha. Serve sauce with egg rolls. This sauce is DELICIOUS and is also great on potstickers. (Hubby and I learned how to make potstickers at our Chinese New Year cooking class last week – check back later for more info.)

This sauce is DELICIOUS and is also great on potstickers. (Hubby and I learned how to make potstickers at our Chinese New Year cooking class last week – check back later for more info.)
Hubby and I LOVE this sauce, but it’s a little too spicy for Boy and Girl; they usually use the “sweet and sour”-type dipping sauce that comes in the package of eggrolls.

Lo%20mein%20plate.jpg

We also ate some in-the-shell edamame with this dinner.

Cooking Light suggests that you serve fortune cookies (natch) for dessert. When I was a kid, my mother and I made fortune cookies from scratch once (I cannot, for the life of me, remember WHY), but I do remember that it tough to get the cookies stuffed with a fortune, folded in half and rolled around a wooden spoon in time before the cookies hardened into unflexibility. This has been a running joke with Hubby and me. I told him once MANY years ago, when we were finishing dinner and having fortune cookies at a Chinese restaurant, “My mom and I made fortune cookies from scratch once when I was little”, thinking that he would be terribly impressed. In typical understated Hubby fashion, he said “cool” and went about eating his cookie. When I told him of my disappointment, he corrected his reaction so appropriately “Wow – fortune cookies – really? That’s great!” that I now remind him of my childhood Chinese baking pursuits EVERY time that we eat fortune cookies – so much so that he will now sometimes say, “Wow – fortune cookies – really?” when he sees the server coming with the check and cookies at the end of the meal.

New Year’s Day Menu

New Year’s Day Menu Click on names below for links to recipes. “Texas Caviar” (Black-Eyed Pea dip), served with Fritos “Scoops” chips (served as an appetizer, recipe below) Hickory Ham with Jezebel Sauce and Sweet Potato Biscuits (I made the Jezebel sauce in the blender to get it really smooth and set aside a little … Continue reading “New Year’s Day Menu”

new%20year%27s.jpg

New Year’s Day Menu
Click on names below for links to recipes.

“Texas Caviar” (Black-Eyed Pea dip), served with Fritos “Scoops” chips
(served as an appetizer, recipe below)

Hickory Ham with Jezebel Sauce and Sweet Potato Biscuits
(I made the Jezebel sauce in the blender to get it really smooth and set aside a little bit of it, before adding the spicy hot horseradish, for the kids.)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

Potato Gratin with Creme Fraiche and Gruyere
(too delicious for words and VERY easy)

Winter-Spiced Molten Chocolate Cakes with Rum-Ginger Ice Cream
(Last year, my sis-in-law said this was the best dessert she’s ever eaten.)

“Big As Your Head” Cinnamon Meringues
(adapted from this recipe – I made a batch and a half, with 12 egg whites, and used 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. McCormick’s new cinnamon extract, plus a couple of shakes of ground cinnamon.)

Ever since we’ve had kids, we have preferred to stay home on New Year’s Eve and watch Dick Clark (ever tried to find a babysitter for New Year’s Eve? Impossible!). We leave the crazy partying to the youngsters and celebrate the next day. This has become our traditional family New Year’s Day meal. We also tape a dime (Boy and Girl usually do this) to the bottom of each dinner plate before we put them out on the buffet (keep reading to find out why).

I first made these chocolate cakes (cover recipe of January 2004 Bon Appetit magazine) for a potluck going-away dinner party for some friends that were moving to Hong Kong (will be great to have you back stateside soon, Neaglis!). I didn’t cook them long enough the first time and they ran all over the plates – we had to rush them out to dining room to make sure they wouldn’t drip off the edge, but they were so tasty, I knew that I had to try them again. I made them again last New Year’s and they were a huge hit. I knew then that we had a new traditional New Year’s dessert. MANY MANY MANY thanks to Hubby, who went out on New Year’s Eve at 10:00 pm to buy more chocolate, after I mistakenly bought sweet instead of bittersweet – couldn’t have done it without you, Honey! Recipe tip: You have to work REALLY quickly to get these unmolded, garnished and served. The ice cream is softer than usual (it doesn’t freeze as “hard” as regular ice cream once you add the rum) and the cake is warm, so the ice cream will melt if you don’t move fast. Definitely slice the thin pieces of crystallized ginger for garnish ahead of time. Toss them with a little bit of plain, granulated sugar to coat them so that they don’t stick together and keep them in a small, airtight container until you’re ready for them.

The meringues were an afterthought – after using all of those eggs and yolks for the cakes, I couldn’t bear to throw away 12 egg whites, so I whipped up a batch of meringues. They finished baking right as the clock was striking midnight (but, of course, had to stay in the oven overnight afterward). It turned out that I didn’t bake them QUITE long enough and they were pretty chewy, but VERY tasty. They were a big hit with Boy and Girl, so I will probably try them again. Of course, then I’ll have to throw away egg yolks…..guess I’ll have to make Hollandaise or Zabaglione.

“Texas Caviar” Black-Eyed Pea Dip
(adapted from the GREAT Junior League of Austin cookbook, Necessities and Temptations.
I forgot to take a photo of this, but it looks more like a relish or salad than a conventional, smooth dip, since the peas remain whole. It is pretty and colorful, though, and is fairly healthy.

***REQUIRES ADVANCE PREPARATION***
This warning is for my BF, Eileen, who routinely starts to prepare the evening’s dinner without reading the recipe in advance, only to find that she’s overlooked a step that says “marinate overnight” or “allow bread cubes to sit overnight to dry” or “refrigerate overnight to completely cool”. It’s a charming little quirk that has the side benefit of giving us (me, Hubby and Ei’s hubby) lots of amusement at her expense. XOXO, Ei!

2 packages fresh black-eyed peas
(don’t remember how many ounces were in the bags of peas that I bought, but I think they were each about 2 cups)
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 medium to large-sized white onion, finely chopped
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
4 bay leaves, torn in half
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of chopped fresh Italian parsley or cilantro, if desired

Cook peas (I cover them with water and microwave them for 20 – 30 minutes until softened, but not mushy) according to package directions. Drain. Combine all ingredients and pour into an airtight Tupperware-type container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving, stirring once every 8 hours or so, if you think about it. Serve cold or at room temperature with Fritos “Scoops” chips.

It is also a family tradition to have someone (Girl, this year) read this as we are loading up our plates, so that we’ll remember what each item is supposed to “do”:

New Year’s Day Reading:
It is considered bad luck to wash, sign contracts or cry on January 1st. So, settle back with a serving of black-eyed peas for luck, cabbage for money, a slice of ham to look ahead (pigs root forward), and a dime under your plate for wealth and health all year long. No questions today, just answers to make the rest of the year as merry and bright as the holidays.