Traditional Americana New Year's Dishes

Happy New Year (in a few days)!  I took the liberty of researching some traditional American New Year's recipes and came up with some pretty interesting information.  First, I learned that Ham & Pork are traditional New Year's dishes in several countries around the world and the USA.

Marinated Pork Loin Roast

Why pork, you may ask?  Apparently, wild boar was often hunted, killed, and eaten throughout the cold winter months, right around New Year's, in Europe (think England, Germany, Poland) and thus became the staple feast dish at New Year's.

Cider Orange Ham

Also, pork and ham are customary New Year's main courses because pigs apparently root or dig with their noses to the ground moving forward, a preferred metaphor for approaching the new year.  This also explains why chicken, and birds in general did not make the traditional New Year's recipe list or tables.  Chickens and turkeys scratch the ground with their feet in a backwards motion, supposedly not bringing good luck to the eater of said chicken.

Salmon Cakes

Which brings me to the last bit of research.  I discovered that fish (all kinds) are considered quite lucky in most cultures (think Japan, Asia, South Pacific Islands, etc) to eat at New Year's, as they represent all sorts of metaphors for moving forward, swimming upstream and any other fish metaphor you want to add.  In North America, eating Salmon, Cod, Herring and Halibut at New Year's is considered to bring you good luck for the next year and signifies prosperity.

Hopefully you have enjoyed your little history lesson about New Year's dishes and found a recipe tempting enough for you to try!  We enjoy feedback and sharing photo results of recipes.

Who Needs Resolutions When You Have...

Such great recipes at your fingertips?  Put off the resolutions until January 2nd-ish, and try one of these delicious dishes from Alicia's!  These recipes are perfect for ringing in the New Year.  We'll pretend they are fat-free and calorie-free, just for now.

If you have some place to be New Year's Eve, or planning to hunker down at home with the family and board games...add one of these desserts to your buffet and listen to the sound of New Year's revelers saying "Mmm...Yummy!"

Enjoy!  And please submit pictures of your results to our site if you try one of our recipes.  We love to see what's baking in your kitchen!

Upside Down Fruit Cobbler

Tiramisu Bundt Cake

Swedish Chocolate Balls

Christmas Is Coming...

The Goose is getting fat...and probably so will we!  Here are some delightfully fattening recipes to get your holiday groove on with.  Feed them to your family, the neighbors, your co-workers, and anyone else you can think of!

Enjoy the season.  (Don't worry!  We can all start training for a marathon together, after January 1st!)

Buttermilk Lemon Cake

Cheesy Ham and Potato Bake

Cherry Peanut Butter Balls

Deck the Halls with Breads and Pies!

Fah-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...We're very near to Christmas Day now (4 days to go by my calendar) and our Christmas baking countdown is coming to a close.  We've shared recipes over the phone, googled easy oliebollen recipes on the internet, called our mothers in a panic to get their famous fill-in-the-blank holiday recipes, and sank into the nearest chairs spent and tired from compiling the perfect Christmas menus!

And we aren't done yet!  Hang in there my friends.  We are in the home stretch.  A few more holiday parties and Christmas carols to go and then we can relax with a tall cup of steaming hot cocoa and watch our kids dismantle every single package under the tree.

Speaking of relaxing, here are some bread and pie recipes we can make up ahead of time to have on hand when the kids and in-laws get cranky because their blood sugar levels have plummeted to a new Christmas low.

Enjoy!  Remember to submit a photo of your results to our site, because we love to see what's shakin' and bakin' in your kitchen!   

Almond Pear Bread

Apple Pie With Candied Crust

Banana Split Pie

More Christmas AM Ideas!

Let the countdown begin!  (No, I do not have all my shopping, wrapping, or baking done.) There are eight days until Christmas by my calendar, which means...you still have time to perfect your Christmas menu.  Are you in the keep-it-simple-sweetie (KISS) camp?  Or do you favor a more sophisticated approach to your holiday recipes?

Either way, here are a few recipes to get your holiday bake on...again!  If it isn't already very much on that is.  We've got plenty of tasty holiday recipes over at our site, in case your blow through our short list at the blog.  Please post a picture of your results if you do use one of our recipes, because we love to see what you've been shakin' and bakin'!

Blackberry Muffins

Breakfast Cookies

Egg (English) Muffins

Christmas Morning Breakfast...

With Christmas morning 11 days away, it's not too early to think about Christmas breakfast!  The shopping and wrapping and paper cuts and menu planning that go into building Christmas for your family should not be attempted on an empty stomach, and neither should Christmas morning!

Do you already have specific family favorites that you make for Christmas breakfast?  Or are you more of a brunch kind of person?  Do you like to get fancy with mimosas and streusel or keep it simple with black coffee and chunky gooey cinnamon rolls?

Whichever Christmas morning tradition you and your family enjoy, make it extra special with a simple and tasty Christmas morning recipe.  Try something new this year, or add a side dish to your signature breakfast fair.  Here are some recipes and ideas just to get you started...

All-In-One Quiche

Baked Donut Muffin

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Christmas Candy Invasion!

Apparently, I cannot escape the allure of chocolate and Christmas candy, despite how hard I fight it.  They are all lethal I tell you, lethal!  If I die eating Christmas Fudge...then I die a happy woman.  Where was I?  Oh yes, if you are still doing your holiday baking for Christmas and need some inventive tasty new candy recipes give one of these a try!

We have so many candy and cookie recipes just waiting for you over at Alicia's Recipes.  So many cookies, so little time...

Remember to submit a picture of your results to our site.  We love to see what's shakin' and bakin' in your kitchen!

Creamy Fudge

Easy Chocolate Turtles

Handmade Marshmallows

Tasty Treats For Christmas!

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, all the running around and preparations you are solely responsible, you deserve a treat today!  But how to treat you and your family and stay on budget for your holiday shopping and baking?

We have compiled a list of recipes that double as delicious gifts and delightful bites to keep your spirits high and your budget in tact.  Try one (or all four) on your family and see if they pass the Christmas treat test.

Be sure to post pictures of your results at our site.  We love to see what's shakin' and bakin' in your kitchen!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rocky Road Clusters

Chocolate Peppermint Truffles

Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Christmas Balls of Sweetness!

Back again with our baking theme in mind for the holidays, I seem to have focused on round shaped baked goodies this morning.  Here is what I am thinking: I'll make up several different kinds of cake balls, fudge, toffees, and other type goodies.  Then I'll fill some festive holiday tins with the goodies.

(I have started recycling empty aluminum coffee cans, the big ones, instead of holiday tins as they can get kind of expensive to buy new each year.  I use Christmas themed or other pretty scrapbook paper to cover the outside of the coffee cans with, maybe add some ribbon or stickers, a pretty gift tag and...Voila!  Up-cycled goodies containers for your holiday gifts!)

All you have to do is bake, fill, and give!  You are ready to knock the neighbors, your kids' teachers, soccer coaches, and family members socks right off with how creative, thrifty, and kitchen-savvy you are...Sounds like a win-win solution to me.  Now get to filling those tins!

Don't forget to post pictures of your results to our site.  We love to see what's shakin' and bakin' in your kitchen!

Buckeye Candy

Cake Balls

Chocolate Cake Balls

Let The Baking Begin!

On your mark, get set...BAKE!  It's hard to believe that Christmas Day is just around the corner. (Like 3 weeks, 5 days and 21 hours, but who's counting?)  It's tradition in my family to give the gift of sweets.  As we get older and start to produce families of our own, it gets more costly to give store bought gifts.  So...we improvise and BAKE!  We give fudge, cookies, candies and high dentist bills!  Seriously, there are some awesome Christmas Goodie Recipes over at Aliciasrecipes.com FREE FOR YOU to sample!

Please submit a picture of your results to our site.  We love to see what's shakin' and bakin' at your home!

Banana Fudge

Caramel Pecan Fudge

Cherry Peanut Butter Balls

Let The Gobble Go!

Thanksgiving Dinner with my family is always fun and super chaotic!  If yours was half as crazy and filled with eccentric relatives as mine was...sit back, relax, and let the gobble go for another year.  While you're at, if you get tired of leftovers anytime in the next 10 days ;-) give one of these simple and scrumptious recipes a try just to change things up a little.  Breakfast for dinner?  It always goes over awesome at my house!

Please submit a picture of your results to our site.  We love to see what's sizzlin' at your house!

All-In-One-Quiche

Bacon Melt

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Still Searching for Thanksgiving Sides?

Over at Alicia's Recipes we have plenty of recipes that will fit perfectly with your Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner (or any other Thanksgiving Dinner!).  Whether you are looking for a nice fresh pasta side dish or the more hearty and traditional potatoes or stuffing, we have something that will fill your menu's bill.

Please submit a picture of your results to our website.  We love to see what's on the menu for your house!

BLT Pasta Salad

Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Holiday Turkey Stuffing

All Things Baked and Beautiful!

There is something so delightful about a beautifully browned and baked dish, hot and fresh right out of your oven!  It fills your home with an inviting aroma and the finished product appeals to all five senses.  Give one of these baked recipes a try this month and listen for the tell-tale mmm's and ahh's from your family!

Remember to post a picture of your results on our website.  We love to see what's for dinner at your home!

Baked Pork Chops

Baked Potato Wedges

Baked Stuffed Eggplant

Exciting Side Dishes!

Thanksgiving is officially just around the corner (next Thursday) and that means thawing the turkey, crafting a menu and pie design...just to name a few tasks at hand. You must also decide which side dishes to save and which to scrap in favor of something new. (Yes, use your family as guinea pigs!) Try one of these sides, they are sure to please the most discriminating palates.

Southwestern Macaroni

Slow Cooked Ham & Scalloped Potatoes

Onion Roasted Potatoes

Remember to post a picture of your results on our website.  We love to see what's for dinner at your home!

Grateful For Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving Dinner?  Or do you still need some ideas for easy recipes that will make your kitchen talents shine?  Over at Alicia's Recipes, we take the work out of preparing for your next big holiday meal, or preparing for family dinner tonight, (no really...check it out!).  Try out one of these this week or for Thanksgiving Day!  (Please submit a picture of your results to our website!  We love to see what's on the table from your kitchens!)

All-In-One Quiche

Bacon-Jack Deviled Eggs

Buttermilk Rolls

Three To Go! (Weeks until Thanksgiving Dinner!)

Now that Halloween is behind us, it's time to ponder what to fix on Turkey Day!  Whether you going to family/friends' homes for Thanksgiving Dinner and need a side dish to bring, or staying at home directing the whole dinner yourself...you might find these tasty dishes are just what you need to fill the bill!

Quick Chicken Pot Pie

Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Cookies

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Enter Our November Giveaway!

Alicia's Monthly Giveaway

This month, enter to win this Preserve Plastic Round Serving & Mixing Bowl- Set of 3, courtesy of our sponsor, Kid Smart Living!

• 2-Qt bowl is 8" dia, 4" tall, 5" tall at handle 3-Qt bowl is 9.25" dia, 4.5" tall, 5.5" tall at handle 4-Qt bowl is 10.5" dia, 5.5" tall, 6.25" tall at handle
• Preserve Plastic Round Serving & Mixing Bowl- Set of 3
• BPA-Free polypropylene plastic
• Durable, sturdy, deep bowls with handles
• Spout for pouring batter and sauces
• Made in USA from 100% recycled #5 plastic, also 100% recyclable
• Dishwasher Safe

Once these brightly colored nesting mixing bowls by Preserve join your kitchen, it will be difficult to imagine cooking without them. With easy-to-grip handles and funnel spouts, these colorful and durable plastic mixing bowls make stirring, mashing and pouring a snap. And because the bowls are made of heavy-duty recycled #5 plastic, they not only stay steady on the countertop, but also handle thousands of washings.

Rules: Must have a SHIPPING address in the continental U.S., 18 years or older. You may enter once per day. Entries will be accepted through midnight, CST on November 30th, 2011. Winner will be drawn at random and notified via email.  They will have 72 hours to respond or an alternate winner will be drawn.