NYE Traditions & Such...

[gratus fermentatio]

So New Year's Eve is here again & many of us are planning some sort of celebration(s). Every culture has its own traditions & customs concerning NYE/NYD, especially when it comes to food. Having grown up all over the USA (I've lived in 12 states), I've picked up a couple of things here & there.

I've had the pork & kraut for NYD dinner and I usually have black eyed peas & collard greens in some fashion for NYD; usually with a smoked ham hock & cornbread. I don't always have those things on NYE/NYD, but usually I do. What are some of the culinary traditions you, your family & your region/culture observe on NYE/NYD?

BTW, here's an article you might find interesting:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/...raut-lentil-herring-collards-hoppin-john.html
HAPPY NEW YEAR HBTers! May this coming year be full of health, happiness & prosperity for us all!
Regards, GF.

 

[Hello]

This is my first year in the south where I am friends with a handful of folks who were pretty much raised in the south. Tomorrow I'll be going over to a friend's house for collards and black eyed beans. I've had collards, but definitely never had the beans.

 

[TheCADJockey]

We usually just drink ourselves stupid, so I'm not sure if it is tradition or just habit for such things.. There is always a massive amount of shrimp, cheese and crackers, and candied kielbasa. It has never been much about the eating for us, which means NYD is usually just easy comfort food to recover. Hot soup and sandwich. When we used to have the holidays at my grandparents house though, my grandmother would make these little cocktail weenies that were wrapped in like a very tiny biscuit. She still picks on me because as a kid I would go in and pull them all out of the wrap and eat them, leaving a huge serving tray of biscuits.

The only tradition, which I have never heard of but my father does... is on NYE he leaves the house when the ball is dropping, only to come back in once it is officially the New Year. It is supposed to bring good health and fortune on the family for the first person to enter the house to be a male. Never quite understood that, or found out where he got it from. Maybe it's time to ask.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Usually we go out for dinner with friends, then come back and play bored (spelling? NO!) games and whatnot. This year we are taking it real easy though: grilling up some Ribeye and opening a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon we grabbed from Sonoma about 3 years ago.

 

[unionrdr]

Those lil weenie things are called pigs in a blanket. We make them with lil smokies wrapped in crescent roll dough where the triangles of dough are cut in half lengthwise. Put the lil smokie on the wide end & roll it up. We usually have those with Cali onion dip ( sour cream & french onion soup mix). And cookies & such from Christmas with conqueso made from a block of Velveeta & nearly a quart of salsa. Might smoke something tomorrow if they finally pay me?

 

[TheCADJockey]

Those lil weenie things are called pigs in a blanket. We make them with lil smokies wrapped in crescent roll dough where the triangles of dough are cut in half lengthwise. Put the lil smokie on the wide end & roll it up. We usually have those with Cali onion dip ( sour cream & french onion soup mix). And cookies & such from Christmas with conqueso made from a block of Velveeta & nearly a quart of salsa. Might smoke something tomorrow if they finally pay me?

That's definitely what she made, the way you say it. It was even my job to roll them up, even though I knew it was waste of time with the impending dastardly acts I was soon to pull.

However, pigs in a blanket to us... was apparently what people call stuffed cabbage. Google just shattered my childhood. I guess my grandmother thought pigs in a blanket would sound more appealing to children than Galumpkis.

 

[Homercidal]

Pigs in a blanket were full sized dogs wrapped in crescent rolls when I was a kid.

We usually have finger foods and lots of alcohol at our parties. Probably less of both the older we get. I am not looking forward to a hangover, so I will be enjoying a couple of good beers, maybe a shot or two if the ladies can talk me into it.

The kids are old enough to know what's going on these days so we try to take it easier than we did when we were young and stupid.

 

[liquiditynerd]

Hell Yeah GF! I was about to start a post and searched instead, good job!!!!! Great minds and all that.......

So same here, we have a couple and I love how the thread is going, this should add to the conversation.

Starting in B-lo, we had a good mix of Irish, Polish, German, Italian, and Quebecois traditions. Moving down south to Savannah I learned a couple tricks. Now being in Seattle I figure I'll meld them and make it my own tradition.

So, tonight it's herring and rye and the stroke of midnight (Polish and German I guess?). I'm partial to red wine and onion myself unless I make my own. NYD is Hoppin John (black eyed peas) and Greens. (actually we eat this all the time anyway so I don't really understand why it's important today) That's the Southern. The next day the same Skipping Jane (leftovers).

What CAD is talking about is a little different yet the same around the region. Up there it was called whistling pigs. Tiny Winny wrapped in dough (Vienna Sausage I guess?) Pigs in a blanket were stuffed cabbage (Galumpkis in Polish)


HAPPY NEW YEAR! May you have the best ahead and the leave the worst behind.

 

[vanishingpint]

Always do pork roast and kraut. About 2:1 kraut to pork.Served over mashed potatoes on NYE.Might not bring in a good year but always sends the old one out in delicious style. Happy new years to all.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

So, tonight it's herring and rye and the stroke of midnight (Polish and German I guess?). I'm partial to red wine and onion myself unless I make my own.

Ya, herring @ midnight is apparently quite popular in eastern Europe & scandinavian countries, and in places with large populations that immigrated from those regions. I actually finished a jar of herring just a little while ago, sooooo TASTY! Eating herring always makes me happy.
Do you pickle your own herring?
Regards, GF.

 

[liquiditynerd]

Do you pickle your own herring?
Regards, GF.

We've been pickling and canning more and more. The pickled herring was an experiment, I couldn't find the pickled so I bought the smoked. Wife found the pickled and since the smoked was WAY to salted, we served up the pickled on rye and chopped up the smoke and stuck it the pickled juice with some homemade vinegar. *shrugs shoulders

I intend to pickle some for next year.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I was wondering where you found fresh or frozen herring, can't get it here in MT.
I wonder if pickled trout or pike would be tasty?
Regards, GF.

EDIT: Just googled pickled trout & pickled pike, apparently they're both fairly common. I'll have to try it!
Regards, GF.

 

[liquiditynerd]

You know, I thought there were more different traditions out there. Maybe were all more alike than we think eh?

 

[BikerBrewer]

I was wondering where you found fresh or frozen herring, can't get it here in MT.
I wonder if pickled trout or pike would be tasty?
Regards, GF.

EDIT: Just googled pickled trout & pickled pike, apparently they're both fairly common. I'll have to try it!
Regards, GF.

I've had pickled pike from the salad bar at a few supper clubs in Wisconsin before, it is really tasty. Just as good or maybe better than any pickled herring I've had, I bet the trout would be good too. Making me hungry for it just thinking about it.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I'm going to have to go fishing soon!
Regards, GF

 

[Jacob_Marley]

When I was a kid we did have some New Years Eve and New Years Day traditions.

On New Years Eve, sometimes my parents would have about 6 or 8 other couples over from a club they were members of, so a tradition for us kids was to get the leftovers (awesome).
But otherwise for just my immediate family it was just different foods.
An example would be for on New Years Eve ... "Berliner Ballen", a sort of deep fried risen doughnut, coated in sugar, sometimes filled and sometimes not. This was when they were not having guests and was made and served at midnight in part to keep the kids occupied.
And on New Years Day, for breakfast we'd have something called "Bauernfruhstuck" which was a sort of scrambled eggs made with fried potatoes, onions, bacon, ham and green onions. It was often served with Grutzwurst (kishka).
Smoked eel (and smoked fish in general) was also eaten both Eve, and Day. All traditions from the old country.

On my dads side of the family; one tradition brought from the old country (Italy), at the stroke of midnight my grandmother used to throw an old dish (or dishes) etc out the front door. Other women in the neighborhood would do it too. I suppose a bit like the US custom of shooting off a gun or ringing a bell.

Also with my dads side of the family for New Years, certain red articles of clothing were worn. I was told it was for good luck ... However, according to my great uncle Piero it was to ward off the "evil eye" <eh, Marone a mi>.
I remember people with red socks or a red tie. Though around my grandmother, anyone discussing the wearing of red "unmentionables" around us kids was running the risk of getting the wooden spoon.

 

[unionrdr]

The last couple mornings, I've been making my own version of the bauernfruhstuck with diced potatoes, sweet onions & a stalk of celery heart with the leaves. Didn't have any meat to add though. Sea salt, pepper onion & garlic powder & 6 whisked eggs. The interesting part is, my wife being a type 1 diabetic, it actually made her feel better. Diced bacon & chicken seems like it'd be good too. Pop's side being from Upper Bavaria, it seemed appropo.