It’s still not too late to celebrate the year of the Dragon.

The year of the dragon started on January 23, 2012 and it will end on February 9th, 2013.

These recipes are tried and true for an entire meal at home with friends.

Each menu item has a symbolic meaning.

And, don’t forget the oranges because they represent wealth and good fortune!

Year of the Dragon Chinese Feast Recipes:

• Red Lotus Cocktail Recipe with Lichido Liqueur or Lychee Liqueur
• Lychee suggests that future success is likely.
• http://cocktails.about.com/od/vodkadrinkrecipes/r/red_lotus.htm

• Wild Mushroom Spring Rolls with Chinese Mustard Dipping Sauce (Killer mustard sauce)
  
• Spring rolls represent wealth and fortune.
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/wild-mushroom-spring-rolls-with-chinese-mustard-dipping-sauce-recipe/index.html

• Hot and Sour Soup Recipe
  
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hot-and-sour-soup-recipe/index.html

• Szechuan Style Spareribs Recipe
  
• http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/szechuan-style-spareribs-recipe/index.html

• Vegetable Chow Mein Recipe
• Noodles symbolize longevity.
• http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ching-he-huang/vegetable-chow-mein-recipe/index.html

• Zesty Chile Tiger Prawns Recipe
• Shrimp are believed to bring happiness and joy.
• http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ching-he-huang/zesty-chile-tiger-prawns-recipe/index.html

We were invited to a SoUp sWaP party last weekend which was a lot of fun AND we came home with six different soups to fill our new chest freezer with (+ one extra that we made).  We had to face it, soups are healthy and are perfect for the winter, to get one back to healthy eating.

Each person invited makes:

• 6 quarts of soup (4 cups in a quart, 32 ounces • About a large pot full)

Tips:

• Label the soup and include an ingredient list (for those folks with food allergies and dietary restrictions)
• Apparently, cream soups don’t break down well when frozen, and potatoes don’t fare well either. So you may want to test your soup with a deep freeze.
• Freezing the soup before the party is a pretty good idea so that it stays cool while you eat and chat at the gathering.
• Nice labels can make a difference on how desirable your soup is (of course). You could put dried beans or a rosemary sprig on your label or get fancy with designed and printed labels.
• Have a good Story about your soup ready to go

At the Party:

• Each Soup Swapper presents their soup with a story (the more appealing, the better = marketing).
• Each guest is given a number and you go around the room and pick one soup each time until you have the number of soups that you came to the party with.
• Can have a contest on the first and last soup chosen OR have folks bring canned foods for charity

Check out this blog for SoUp sWaP TipS.

Soups that Freeze from Soup Chick

Thanks for introducing us to this & inviting us Santa Cruz – Life of the Mouth Blog – Gluten Free: http://lifeofmymouth.blogspot.com/

It’s winter, it’s cold, it’s finally raining … brrrr..

On Sunday I am going to a Soup Swap at a food blogger’s house in Santa Cruz. You bring 6 quarts of frozen soup and the recipe to swap with others.  So I’ve been thinking a lot about soups and we also just got a huge chest freezer that we need to fill up.  Soup is the best thing to freeze and eat on weeknights.  This soup is hearty and healthy.  We served it with varied toasted bread slices topped with cheese, spinach, and tomato, broiled to deliciousness.

John’s Sweet Potato and Greens Soup Recipe

• 1 c. canned pinto beans (or white beans)
• 2 qt. chicken broth (or veg. broth)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 large celery stalks (optional)
• 2 cups chopped greens or kale (any, or mixed) cooked to soft with olive oil/lard but don’t brown
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled, and cubed in big chunks
• 1/2 to 1 lb. Polish sausage, sliced 1/4″ (or any sausage you have in the freezer)
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Cook the greens in olive oil or lard in a saute pan first, until soft (don’t brown). Combine beans, chicken broth and bay leaves. Simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours until beans are soft. Remove bay leaves when beans are cooked.

Saute the celery (if using), garlic, onion, bell pepper in oil until onion is translucent.  Add sauted veggies to beans and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the sweet potatoes and sausage.  Simmer 10-20 minutes or until the potatoes are barely tender. Stir in the thyme, red pepper, and pepper; simmer 10 minutes.

Eating Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day is a Southern Tradition for good luck for the New Year.

• For Getting Lucky & Rich: Serve Hoppin’ John with rice, a bottle of hot sauce, and Collard Greens on the side.

I will post a photograph tomorrow but had to get the recipe out to you today!

• Hoppin’ John, Emeril’s Recipe w/ Black Eyed Peas, Ham Hock, and Chicken Stock Recipe (we’ve made this one, very good, rated well)
• Hoppin’ John w/ Black Eyed Peas, Collards, and Kielbasa Recipe
• Hoppin’ John w/ Black Eyed Peas, Tomatoes, and Bacon Recipe (least amount of ingredients, serve on rice)

This is a family holiday tradition food gift.  You can freeze the cake and serve it on Christmas but it is hard to resist for that long.  I baked the one in the photograph in a Bundt cake pan with no middle section out of it.  It baked at 325F for about 50 minutes instead of an hour.  It came out perfectly!  The versions below are some we’ve made in the past with regular Bundt cake pans.

Bacardi Rum Cake Recipe

Cake:

• 1 cup chopped, pecans or walnuts, toasted
• 1 18-1/2 ounce yellow cake mix
• 1 1-3/4 ounce (4-serving size) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Dark Rum

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Dark Rum

Preparation:

Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and flour pan 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all cake ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of Bacardi Rum Cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

Glaze: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Note: The rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Start out the holidays right by gathering your friends for a December Holiday Party!

What: Family Food Traditions Holiday Party

When: December

Number: 10 people (1-2 dishes or a drink per couple), or 5 couples

Wear: Holiday Sweaters

Bring: Tell each friend/couple to bring a Family Food Holiday Tradition to Share

* Get an idea of what everyone is bringing so you don’t have 5 meat dishes or 5 desserts (or maybe that is OK).

Gifts: White Elephant (humorous) under $15 per person

Cocktails: Traditional Wassail Holiday Cocktail Recipe & Evan Williams Eggnog ($10 @ Bevmo)

If you do this, let us know how it goes!  We are going to try it out too … recipes to follow.

In the meantime, you can see some of our “Tried & True Family Recipes for the Holidays”: Appetizer, Gift Munchies, Cookies, Breakfast Pastry, and Grits.

Having a huge cocktail party?  Tips for $310 Cocktail Party for 30 People!

What does your Thanksgiving plate say about you?

• Large Portions: Big Personality, your an extrovert, and like attention from the amount of food you put on your plate
• Small Portions: Self Controlling, aware of consequences, shy, polite
• Average Plate (sides are touching and it isn’t overloaded, just enough): Logical and well-adjusted (maybe predictable)
• Messy Plate: Easy-going, friendly, not high maintenance, a little aloof but you don’t care, because you didn’t notice anyways
• Super Neat Plate: Precise, many boundaries, controlled, need to let loose a little, I mean, come on, it’s Turkey Day!

Two Favorite Thanksgiving Salads with Persimmons:

• Asian Pear, Persimmon, & Almond Salad Recipe

• Persimmon & Pomegranate with Endive & Sherry Dressing Recipe

& Don’t forget this Thanksgiving Cocktail Recipe and to make this tasty thing the day after Thanksgiving with your leftover turkey!

When mom is out of town or dad is out town, breakfast for dinner!  But when Gourmet group meets, is brunch for dinner off limits? Absolutely not. Come on, you can wear your pajamas.

Breakfast for Dinner, Menu for Ten:

• Mango Bellinis
• Tomato Basil Quiche Recipe Baked in cute Quiche pans from Target (For the brave, try Bouchon Quiche Recipe, out of this world, but check out our tips!)
• Individual Parmesan Hash Brown Cups (Super simple, super tasty, have two!)
• Granola, Yogurt, & Berry Parfait Recipe (w/ Homemade Pecan Maple Granola Recipe)
• Maple Pecan-Crusted Bacon Recipe (well, the meal centers around this)
• Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe

Homemade Bat Shaped Tortilla Chips accompany this great Vegetarian Chili recipe!  It is a good one to put in the crock-pot and serve to your friends all night long.

You will need a Halloween shaped cookie cutter.

• The Best Vegetarian Chili in the World Recipe

&

Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips Recipe

• 12 Flour Tortillas
• Butter & Minced Garlic, melted
• Cookie Cutter (for whatever holiday you desire)

Preheat oven to 350F.

With your cookie cutter, cut out the pieces and then lay them as a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Brush the melted butter and garlic on both sides of the tortillas.  Then bake in the oven for 12-15minutes.