Traditional Southern New Year’s Day Menu

New Year’s Day is right around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited. I rank this “food day” right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas because of the firm hold of tradition it has on me.

 When I was little, everyone in my family would head over to my Grandmother’s house every New Year’s day to eat black-eyed peas, collard greens, warm cornbread with butter, and enjoy a slow-cooked pork roast.  Now, mind you, that even if you didn’t like one of those dishes, too bad, Mama Swain made you at least taste it because of the meaning it held going into the new year. I grew to love that special meal and now my family does too.

For the past few years, we’ve invited friends over on New Year’s Day to share this meal and start our own tradition. I make all of the “required” dishes of the day and have added a few more. We’ll all gather sometime in the afternoon and the fun will begin. Not only will we be sharing a meal, but we’ll also be telling stories of the past year, playing jokes on one another and discussing plans for the future. I hope you will find at least one dish on my New Year’s Day menu to enjoy with your loved ones.