Apple-pear sauce, Go CATS, everything yum

Go U Northwestern! The Cats won the Gator Bowl today- first Bowl title since 1949, yo! Great job beating MS State, Fitz and team- proud to be a Wildcat and to have never missed a game while an undergrad. We grazed on New Year's food all day which was no chore- that collard cobbler rocks, and the cow peas are nearly gone. Too, leftover chocolate cake and coconut cream pie made for the loveliest 1-2 bite treats throughout this, our first day of 2013. I saw many a friend on Facebook, exercising, hiking and so forth. Alas, I mustered no more than one nice, leisurely family walk, a good amount of cooking and a quick nap. We also taught Jack how to weave potholders on one of those plastic looms which was as fun for him as it was for Mom and me to revisit (each of us made lots during our respective youths). J has turned out two very nice ones and a third is in progress.

Quite a few of my pears were soft beyond good snacking so I made a lovely apple-pear sauce tonight which will make a terrific addition to tomorrow's breakfast.

New Year's Day good luck meal

I am stuffed, stuffed! Coconut cream pie made for a fabulous breakfast, and for lunch we enjoyed our traditional New Year's Day meal for health, wealth and good luck: greens (I used collards but you can use mustard, turnip, etc); cornbread; and black-eyed peas (I used cow peas).The collard greens cobbler I love knocks both the cornbread and greens off the checklist, and we like our peas boiled in water and a little bacon fat and then dressed with lemon, olive oil and lots of freshly ground pepper. Delicious!

Happy New Year!

NYE

The children are still talking. Fortunately they spent a few hours at T's parents' this morning. I was able to clean, start a coconut cream pie, put away some Christmas stuff and get ready for my Mom and Dad to arrive. The boys and I are at the airport now, eagerly awaiting them.

Mom has always been an enormous fan of New Year's Eve; she played the trumpet in high school (first female 1st chair in the band!) and still plays Auld Lang Syne every Dec 31 at midnight. Hopefully Jack's plastic, though workable, trumpet will suffice tonight. Hell, if T and I stay up until midnight, I won't care if Mom burps the song. We've not stayed up since Jack was born. In any case, tonight will be as festive as it can be with Tom and I snorting our way through. Mom's allergic to wheat so I'm going to make burnt eggplant with tahini and pomegranate, a middle eastern carrot-raisin salad, shrimp some way and other items TBD plus champagne, the coconut cream pie and a Reine de Saba!