Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 
to all my blog friends
and families!

I've been reflecting on 
New Year's past,
on the traditions and superstitions.

Did you, as a child, have 
any of these?

My mom used to tell me
not to clean the house on New Year's Eve,
to leave some dust and dirt
to carry over into the New Year.
I assumed to leave the dirt
in the vacuum would be O.K. - right?

Another thing I remember as a child
was waking up on New Year's Day
to a small gift from the "New Year's Baby"
I don't know where this tradition
came from but it was fun at the time.

I've read about some other traditions
and superstitions such as:

Eating good luck foods:
12 grapes - 1 for each month
Black Eyed Peas and Greens - bringing good luck
and prosperity
Leaving bits of food on your plates to carry
over into the New Year to ensure never going hungry.
Pork is a good luck food while
lobster is not (because lobsters walk
backwards apparently).
Lentils which represent coins ensuring prosperity
in the New Year.

This inspired me to make
a Kale and Lentil Salad
for lunch today...
If nothing else, it sure will
be good for my health.





Other:
Kissing at midnight to ensure affection
over the next 12 months.
Not to cry on New Year's Day - this could
bring unhappiness in the new year.
Pay all your debts before New Year's Eve
to have a "clean slate" in the new year.
(I also like the idea of forgiving all debts?)
Open the doors at midnight to let the bad
from the previous year out.
It's super cold over here right now so
don't leave the door open too long!
Make loud noises to scare away any evil spirits.
Don't do the dishes in case you
would break something which is bad luck.
(I think I'll leave the dirty dishes in the sink - no problem with that one! Leave some dirt in the house - this is the easiest one! Make lots of noise at midnight, and kiss the farmer even though he has a bad cold tonight).

What are some of your New Year's 
traditions and superstitions?

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
I want to thank each and everyone of
you for your support over
this past year. 
I love reading your blogs and your
comments and it's been such an
inspiration to me on SO many levels!

Much happiness and health
to you and yours in 2014.....
The Lord is good!



Kale and Lentil Salad Recipe:
1 bunch Kale, stemmed and sliced
1 shallot - chopped or thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 Cup EV Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Cups cooked lentils
1/2 Cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 Cup dried cranberries
Whisk together the vinegar, honey and mustard.
Gently whisk in the Olive Oil and
season with salt and pepper.
Pour over the kale and shallot - tossing
and stirring roughly to gently bruise the kale.
Toss in the lentils, feta cheese and cranberries.
Cover and marinate for 1 hour before serving.



12 comments:

  1. I've never heard of some of those traditions, but I liked "Kiss the farmer". That would be an interesting one to do (and I'm good with leaving the dishes in the sink, too)! Happy New Year!

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  2. I have heard of a few of those...not the dirt one, which turns out to be my favorite! Have a Very Happy New Year!

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  3. well my dear ... you just saved me from vacuuming! Bless you :-D And your whole family. Here's to a year filled with Health & Happiness!

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  4. Most interesting...your new year's traditions! The only tradition that happened at our home year after year was the preparing and devouring of New Year's fritters (Portzelky).

    I'll leave the cleaning for next year...just to be on the safe side. :) Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  5. Happy New Year to you also Rosella. I went through your list...and I do not recall any of those myths during my childhood days. Anyways you have been through alot with your weather in the past week...It looks like you are all set for the New Year and I'll check in with you again next year.

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  6. Happy New Year to you and your's Rosella. I like not cleaning the house until next year, but I'll pass on the kissing the farmer tradition.

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  7. Wishing you and the Farmer a wonderful 2014. And thanks for that kale salad recipe! Happy New Year to you both. :)

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  8. I'm pinning your lentil salad to try...sounds delish. And I'm happy I can go to bed with a dirty house...thanks for that tidbit!!! You've made my day. Happy New Year, my friend.

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  9. Rosella, your new years salad looks quite delicious. I think I should go look to see how my kale has been doing over winter. The list of does and don'ts was quite amusing. The only thing we ever do for sure is share a kiss when the clock strikes 12 and eat some Portzelky!

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  10. I've heard of a couple of those, but not most. Thankfully I have fulfilled a few by chance, like leaving a little dirt, not doing all the dishes, and kissing at midnight. Happy New Year to you and yours, Rosella!

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  11. I've never heard of these, but I luckily have the dust one covered. There is sure to be some dust somewhere in this house. :D

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  12. Funny superstitions! I realized I posted pork meals today! Good thing it was not lobster! =)
    I was wondering earlier if you had lost power at all during the storms. Wishing you a Happy New Year!

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