JANUARY....First, a Festive New Year's Eve; Then Enjoy a Family Dinner on New Year's Day; Later, New Year's Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Ring out the old, Ring in the New,

Ring happy bells across the snow,

The year is going, let him go,

                                  Ring out the false, ring in the true.     TENNYSON

Chinese Fried Walnuts

 Have plenty of these nuts on hand to serve with that champagne toast; a slightly sweet n salty snack that once you start eating you can't put them down.

This recipe was given to me by Mike T. from Conway NH,  who received it from his sister, Ann Marie from Albrightsville, PA. Ann Marie states she discovered the recipe from a Church group in Pennsylvania; apparently it was used in a very successful fundraiser.

 That is the way it goes with good recipes; passed on and on.

I suggest filling a pint jar with the finished walnuts, tightly cover, and wrap with a festive ribbon. Don't forget to attach the recipe.

 Ingredients:                                                                 

 6 cups water

4 cups walnuts

 1/2 cup sugar

 salad oil

 salt

     will need slotted spoon and thermometer  for heating oil

     Can be made up to 2 weeks ahead.

In a 4 quart pan heat water to boiling. Add walnuts and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Rinse walnuts under hot water. Wash and dry pan well.

In a large bowl with rubber spatula gently stir warm walnuts with sugar until sugar is dissolved. If needed,  let mixture stand 5 minutes to dissolve sugar.

Meanwhile, in same pan over medium heat, heat about 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees. With slotted spoon, add about 1/2 walnuts to oil. Fry no more than 5 minutes or until golden brown, (I find that 3 to 4 minutes is best). Stir often. BE CAREFUL, WALNUTS WILL BURN QUICKLY.

With slotted spoon, place walnuts in coarse sieve or strainer, over a bowl to drain. Sprinkle very lightly with salt. Taste, adding more salt if needed. The salt taste increases as the walnuts cool. If you want a more sugary taste, add more sugar at this time.Toss lightly to keep walnuts from sticking together. Transfer to paper towels to cool. Continue frying rest of walnuts.

Note: When ready to serve, you may want to toss with additional sugar and/or salt to freshen.

A QUIET NEW YEAR’S DAY

New Year’s Day is usually a “d0-very-little” day in my home.

The afternoon would bring on a football game on TV or we would get into a good movie. And quite often, friends or family would stop over and join us for dinner.

Most often I made a Baked Ham. To me, this is the easiest and quickest of a “Sunday dinner” meal; just glaze it and put  into a slow oven. Later in the early evening it would usually turn into a great ham sandwich.

The creamed onions & carrots, which I always made a couple of days ahead, is a perfect side dish to ham. If a potato was desired, I would add some white baking potatoes or sweet potatoes in the oven to cook along with the ham.

And a big bowl of fresh fruit salad is nice to have in the refrigerator for all day snacking.

These are a few of my favorite foods for my “do nothing day”, along with an easy dinner.

Add your favorites and make it the same for you.

Cider Glazed Ham

1 fully cooked ham of your choice (I like shank end, bone-in, about 5 pounds)

12 whole cloves

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 and 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/3 cup apple cider

Heat oven to 325 degrees. With a sharp knife, score top of ham; insert cloves. Place in shallow roasting pan. Bake at 325 degrees for approx. 1 and 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Remove ham from oven and spoon glaze over ham. Return ham to oven for another 30 minutes to continue baking.

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This creamy vegetable dish can be made a day or two ahead, and reheated at dinner time. The flavor is much better if you use fresh carrots.

Cut  in small pieces; either julienne, or rounds.

Creamed Onions & Carrots                   

Ingredients:  8 cups water

                        2 pounds pearl onions

                        3 tablespoons butter or margarine

                        3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

                        1 and 1/4 cups whipping cream plus 2 tablespoons

                        1/2 teaspoon salt -- 1/4 teaspoon pepper;

                        1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

                        2 cups cut-up carrots

In a large kettle, bring water to a boil. Add onions and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; peel and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add cream, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes or till thickened. Stir in carrots and onions. Taste-test for additional salt & pepper. Transfer to a buttered 2 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or till vegetables are tender.  Serves 10.

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January is the ultimate "new beginning".

What it means to me is that every year I get another chance to "let out the old, and set a new plan". Since I  wasn't successful last year on the resolutions that I made, I have  a fresh start.
To prevent my resolutions from being forgotten by February, I am just going to go with a few simple changes. What I seek is that great sense of relief that comes from just paring down. With that in mind, these recipes can help in doing just that.




                                                         Creamy Veggie Dip 

 Fix cut-up veggies for yourself and your family and mix up a batch of this dip to go with them. If you want to include crackers, look for crackers in the supermarket that are whole grain, reduced-fat, and low in sugar, and taste good.

The whole point is healthy, lighter snacking that tastes good.

 Ingredients:

1 carrot, 2 radishes (and/or 4 scallions), 1/4 each; red and green pepper, 1 celery stalk;
 all cut into chunks and pulsed in food processor or food chopper till fine.
3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
16 ounce low-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon each; salt & pepper

Mix until smooth cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, Worcestershire, lemon peel and salt and pepper. Add finely chopped veggies. Store covered in frig till ready to serve.

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Sauteed Chicken with Tarragon-Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

 8 small skinned, boneless chicken breasts

 1 teaspoon garlic salt

 1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup plain yogurt ( fat-free Greek yogurt  has a richer taste)

2 and 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

 1/2 teaspoon tarragon leaves

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

 Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

In fry pan,  heat oil to medium-high temperature. Add chicken and cook, turning , about 8 minutes or until chicken is brown and fork tender.

In a bowl, mix together yogurt, mustard, tarragon, sugar, and hot pepper sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and cook on low just till sauce is heated.  Arrange chicken on serving platter. Drizzle sauce over chicken.

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Don't forget plenty of salad!