Food Review: Southern Good Luck Foods for the New Year

Set the table for a down-home New Year's Eve party. Give your family and friends the best of wishes with these Southern good luck foods for the New Year.

The Deep South of the United States is filled with good people, good times, and good food. Along with this goodness is an air of superstition and food symbolism. And, the New Year is no exception. On New Year's Eve, Southerners have three favorite dishes that are more than just good luck charms. These foods are plentiful and inexpensive.

Here are the three foods you'll find on a Southern table for New Year's Eve dinner. Serve these dishes to your party guests in the hope that y'all will gain wealth, health, and happiness in the coming year.

Serve black-eyed peas to grow your wealth

 

Don't go making the mistake of calling these dried packages of protein beans. Any Southerner will tell you that these are not beans, these are peas. Black-eyed peas, in fact, and they symbolize good luck.

It is believed that eating black-eyed peas will help expand wealth because the peas swell up and expand when cooked. Also, black-eyed peas can endure the rough spots. These peas grow in the harsh southern summer sun when many other plants wither and die.

Black-eyed peas are served often at our house. It's easy to cook black-eyed peas and there are so many ways to prepare these staple foods.  We make a simple black-eyed pea and vegetable soup with onions, carrots, and collard greens.

Patrick and Gina Neeley, from Down Home with the Neeleys on the Food Network, have an awesome recipe for Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon and Pork. Their recipe calls for chicken stock. If you are looking for a low-sodium and vegetarian soup stock, save your vegetable scraps and make your own homemade vegetable soup stock instead.

Add a side of collards to have hope for better things to come

 

Collard greens are the color of money, the color of hope, and the color of new growth. How can you go wrong with the triple crown of good luck?

This West Coast girl had never heard of collards until moving to the South. The bitter taste and tough texture weren't to my liking. Then we started growing collards in our garden and picking the young leaves for our dinners. The flavor is much milder and the leaves are much easier to eat.

Another popular Southern cook, Paula Deen, has a simple dish for a Quick Collard Green Saute that is delicious. If you don't like collard greens, you can substitute any of the cooking greens such as spinach, mustard greens, bok choy, or Chinese cabbage.

Clean your plate with cornbread to keep your good fortune

Leqenik by Violetamyftari. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

 

As my best Southern Gentleman would say, "Gotta slop up all those peas and collards, can't let the good luck go to waste." And a slice of golden cornbread is just the way to save your good fortune. The golden yellow of the cornbread symbolizes riches and because the cornbread rises as it cooks, it is a symbol of increasing wealth.

Add a touch of golden happiness to your New Year's meal with this Buttery Corn Bread Recipe from Taste of Home. This is a simple recipe that just takes a few minutes to mix together and 30 minutes to bake.

Sit back and enjoy your holiday get-together

After dinner, sit back and enjoy the Southern hospitality. Spend quality time with your family and friends. Share some laughter. Sing some happy songs. And, have hope in a prosperous new year.

Posted by Coletta Teske

About This Contributor

Coletta Teske writes reviews on books, business management, writing, crafting, cooking, and gardening. She is also an avid recycler and shares her tips on recycling. She delights in upcycling an old object, recycling or transforming discarded items into a new treasure.

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Bruno Mars Spectacular 2012 Grammy Performance

Bruno Mars Doo-Wops and Hooligans on Amazon

Years before Bruno Mars became a mainstream talent, I remember my 'anti-mainstream son' calling me over to his computer to watch 'this really talented guy'...named Bruno Mars. 

My son, who's in a pop-punk band, must have an eye for talent because he also introduced me to Jason Mraz and The Fray before both were really well known.

Bruno Mars & the Hooligans 2012 Grammy Performance

If you search YouTube, you'll find a few videos of the 2012 Grammy performance. I had a video featured here, but unfortunately, they come and go on YouTube, so it's best to search for yourself.

After the Grammys, I searched to listen to other song performances: Britain's The X Factor, 'La Maroquinerie in Paris, The Jungle Tour, The Today Show, and many more! Their performance on The X Factor has a severely respectable 4.7 million views,  and it's great! However, I really enjoyed the Paris performance of Runaway (there's a bit of 'language' in the beginning). It's more of an intimate setting, making you feel like you're crashing a private party!

Here's the Paris Performance!

(Warning: Language in this Video)

Bruno Mars is the best all-around entertainer since Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson!

He's the total package; wicked fierce talent, charismatic sex appeal, and can he dance! He also has a deep demographic reach. He's a multi-generational talent, and although the younger generation may not appreciate the value of being able to attract all ages, it's rare. It's one of the first signs that a star has the gift of 'staying power.

A little about The Song Runaway by Bruno Mars and the Hooligans
You'll find the song Runaway on the studio album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was released on October 4, 2010. The doo-wop sound of the album was chosen to appeal to a broad range of listeners from both genders. The album charted all over the world! If you remember the song, 'Just the Way You Are,' it was the lead single and stood at number 1 for four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. This album features numerous hit songs; Grenade, Just the Way You Are, Runaway Baby, and Marry You - every song on this album is a hit.

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Merry Christmas from the Review This Staff

Merry Christmas

From all of us at

Review This Reviews

May your hearts sing with Joy at the Wonder of the Season!

May you Delight in the Beauty around You!

May you enjoy the laughter and joy of family and friends.

May the peace of God surround you as you celebrate the birth of His Son!

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A Guide to France and a Review of It...Well, More Like a Love Letter!

Why I Love France! 

I'm traveling in Europe, and decided to spend a while in France. It's just as awesome as everyone says! Well not everyone thinks so, of course, and France has a reputation for being unkind to Americans, but my husband and I wonder why. Everywhere we go we are met with kindness and people go out of their way to help us.  This is a welcome change from our Italian experience!

Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Yes we loved Italy;  the ruins, the food, the art, the beauty, and everyone at all our hotels. But the average Italian on the street? Not so much. They all seem in a hurry, and not interested in helping anyone, let alone Americans who don't speak Italian. In fact they seem sort of angry. 

If we hadn't had our guidebooks, and my Google translator app for my phone, I think we would have been lost a lot more than we were. (We were totally lost several times in Florence and walked miles out of our way!) They are sort of rude, even to each other. Just not what I expected at all.

Like I said, the people in hospitality are generally nice. But don't get me started on the people at the train stations! (The ticket office people I mean.) At restaurants they can be either really nice, or really snotty. It's a toss up!

Florence, Italy

We Love France Even More Than Italy! 

But we love France! Everyone here seems generally happy and nice and they go out of their way to help, not just the hospitality people, everyone on the street. I had 4 different men try to help me with my luggage at the train station even when it meant they might miss their own train! And the station employees are also very nice and helpful. 

Our train to Lyon broke down so it was unavailable; a train employee cheerfully informed us they would find a solution, and they did!  20 minutes later a bus arrived to take us to Lyon and he drove like a madman to get us to the station on time to make our connection. (We barely made it!)  We were not even able to get to our correct car or we would have missed the train.  

I was worried after our Italian train experiences, but not to worry.  The French ticket agent just smiled and said no problem, you're on the train and that's what counts. So refreshing! All the people around us smiled and smiled. They even tried to talk to us and since I speak some French it was totally enjoyable. 

Saint Sernin Basilica, Toulouse, France

So here we are in Toulouse which is sort of like a mini Paris. It's called the Pink city because many if not most of the buildings are constructed from pink bricks. And it's breathtakingly beautiful too.  Since it's Christmas time, there are lights everywhere, and everyone seems to be in a great mood.  

But the difference between France and Italy  is that when French people hear us speaking English, they stop and tell us where to go for good food!  Ah, the French and their food. All I can say is the reputation is deserved. We love it! 

Jacobins Convent ceiling, Toulouse, France also known as the Palm tree ceiling

Before we left the USA, I checked out several travel books, and after my research I decided that the Fodor's ones are not only tried and true, but they are the most helpful for the kind of traveling we are doing; we don't have a schedule or a plan other than to stay where we like the vibe, and move on after we're done exploring. So if you're going on a trip, I highly recommend the Fodor's guides! We are using this one: 

 Fodor's France 2015 (Full-color Travel Guide)Check Price

But there are older ones available too, and of course guides for any country you can imagine.  So far every recommendation has been totally helpful and thorough. I don't think you can go wrong using a Fodor's Travel guide!

!  More countries coming up! Do you have a favorite European country? Let me know, as we are open to seeing new ones! 

All photos,© Heather Burns

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Reviewing Chicken Soup for the Soul

By now, it is likely that everyone has heard of the book series "Chicken Soup for the Soul". According to their official website, the idea of touching lives through telling positive stories began during Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's motivational speeches.  After some time, they compiled these stories into a book. A small publisher gave them a chance after they had been turned down by the big publishers. And so, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series began.

Over the years, I have read several of the books.  Then I had basically forgotten about them. Until recently.  

For several reasons, work related and writing related, I picked up newer copy of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. And I was again reminded of how down-to-earth and wonderful these books are.  

Living with Alzheimer's photo by Amazon

I am currently reading Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer's & Other Dementias.  As I read, I am struck by how educational and supportive the book is. It is quite a bit like being at a good support group but never having to get out of my pajamas or leave the couch.  I do not currently have any family members or close friends who are suffering from dementia. But I have learned a great deal from this book and believe it would be very helpful to the family members and friends of folks who are living with dementia.

Teenage Soul photo by Amazon

Because I work with special education students and am always on the lookout for positive messages for them, I purchased Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and took it to work. I understand that the kids will always listen to other kids before they listen to a boring, old social worker.  While many of my kids at the school are too young, I did have some teenaged students who read portions of this book. Some of the the students seemed to benefit from these stories.  In fact, my book disappeared. Which means, one of them related well enough that they borrowed it permanently. 



As I mentioned, there are 250 books in the series.  Some of the topics or themes you will find include:holiday:

• pets
• age-specific (teen, pre-teen, seniors)
• motivational
• dealing with illness
• religion (angels, miracles)
• self-help (empowering yourself, finding happiness)
• and much, much more

It's Christmas photo by Amazon

If you've never heard of the series, I strongly recommend that you find a copy on a topic that interests you. Because there is such a large variety of topics, I'm sure you will find a one that suits you perfectly.   If you've heard of the series, but like me, hadn't read any of them for awhile, I urge you to pick up a copy. 

Slow down during this hectic season and take time to feel good.  Soothe your soul with a little chicken soup.



Disclaimer: In affiliation with Amazon.com, Dawn Rae is a blogger and content writer who may earn compensation from the sale of Amazon products

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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