News-Record.com

This was a plateful of the good eats my aunt and mom fixed in the Denton area on New Year's Day. In the South, a lot of people probably had this same menu -- there's a saying that if you eat poor on New Year's, you'll eat fat the rest of the year.

The menu:

Hoppin' John (or black-eyed peas and rice): There are complicated recipes out there for this, but the easiest way to make it is to simply mix your cooked rice in with black-eyed peas that have been cooked with a ham hock. My aunt made the peas in the crockpot. In my family, the peas are eaten for peace and the rice is for riches. It's never proved to be successful -- I'm still a poor journalist married to a poor teacher. I read somewhere once that you have to eat 365 peas to guarantee that you will have good luck each day of the following year -- too bad I really don't like black-eyed peas much at all!

Greens: This is another traditional food that is supposed to bring prosperity in the coming year. The more greens you eat, the more green dollars you'll find in your pocket. They should be cooked with hog jowls, which are supposed to bring joy.

Ham: I actually don't recall a tradition in my family associated with ham, we just always have it. But according to foodtimeline.org, we're doing it right. "For people of several nationalities, ham or pork is the luckiest thing to eat on New Year's Day. How did the pig become associated with the idea of good luck? In Europe hundreds of years ago, wild boars were caught in the forests and killed on the first day of the year."

Cornbread: Apparently this brings luck and wealth, too; I just always thought it wasn't a Southern meal without the cornbread!

I blogged about a prank involving horse recipes in early December, and since then, I've had at least a dozen people get to my blog by searching for horse recipes. That bothers me on so many levels.

When you're making cookies or other equally delicious recipes that call for molasses, honey or other sticky substances, the easiest way to measure them is to spray the measuring cup or spoon with a nonstick spray first. That way, your gooey ingredients will slide right out, no muss, no fuss!

Check out the latest Tar Heel Tavern over at Nothing Could Be Finer.

How did I ever go five weeks without a new episode of Lost? Luckily, the wait is almost over, as it and many other of my favorite shows return this week.

With the return of those shows comes the need (or at least desire) for some easy snacks to settle in with on the couch.

Popcorn is a classic, of course, but it can easily get boring. For a healthy variety, try mixing peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins and dried apricots or other fruit with the popcorn. For a bit of a different kick, try dusting plain popcorn with cayenne, garlic or cinnamon, or mixing it with warm pesto. For a ton of popcorn recipes, check out Popcorn.org.

If you're more into sweet than salty, Puppy Chow (also known as Muddy Buddies or White Chocolate Chex) is a great alternative to popcorn.

Puppy Chow
From the Chex Web site:
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Skippy peanut butter
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
1/4 cup margarine or butter
9 cups Chex® cereal (any variety)

Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine in 1-quart microwavable bowl, uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into large plastic food-storage bag; add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. 9 cups snack.

****

If you like a little spice in your life, a great seven-layer dip is the way to go. Traditionally served with tortilla chips, a healthy alternative is toasted pita bites.

Toasted Pita Points
From RecipesToday:

Cooking spray
3 no-added-fat pita breads, preferably whole-grain
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Separate top and bottom halves of pita breads. Slice each half into eight wedges. Toss pita pieces in a bowl with herbs. Spread on prepared baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Makes 4 dozen toast points, for 16 servings.

Seven-Layer Dip

1 can refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups salsa
8-12 ounces sour cream
8-12 ounces guacamole
1- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
3-4 ounce can of diced green chiles

Mix refried beans with packet of taco seasoning. Spread refried beans in the bottom of a (1-quart) shallow edged serving dish. Layer the salsa over the beans, the sour cream over the salsa, and the guacamole over the sour cream. Sprinkle the entire layered dip with cheddar cheese, followed by diced chiles. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips, or with the toasted pita points mentioned above.

OK, I realize it's not actually seven layers. I changed the original recipe, which added a layer of sliced olives before the chiles, because I abhor olives. Also, it's not the healthiest dish to begin with, but you can cut calories by using reduced fat sour cream and cheese. You can also alter the amount of each ingredient, depending on your tastes.

The Big Link is back! Check it out.

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it Your caffeine addiction level: high

Funnily enough, I don't actually drink coffee. I've never been able to stand the taste, even when I try my husband's coffee. (He's in the group that likes a little coffee with their cream and sugar.) However, I adore the aroma -- I love walking down that aisle in the grocery store, and I keep begging my husband to make it more often, even if I don't drink it. If only it tasted as good as it smells.

I was out of town all last week for a newspaper conference, and I had a fabulous time. I want to share a bit of it with you. So here's a photo from a recent lunch experience -- this isn't my plate, but it was my favorite photo I took :-)

Your job? Guess what location it's from. One hint: It's in Washington, D.C. I'll post another couple photos from the same place every so often, either until someone guesses or until Wednesday's edition of Mel's Kitchen comes out, when you can read all about it. (No fair guessing if I told you about it already!)

Here's a second photo clue in the contest.

Some housecleaning to do ... Tar Heel Tavern #48 is up. If you'd like to host the Tar Heel Tavern in the near future, shoot Bora an e-mail.

Also, while you're hanging around, check out the Big Link.

OK, this is a gimme. The last two clues.

This photo is your final clue, since there is a Coming Wednesday promo in the paper in the morning about Mel's Kitchen this week.

Yesterday, one of our copy editors approached me to ask how to toast almonds, as he wanted to try a recipe his mom had given him.

Somehow I've become the food expert in the newsroom now that I do the blog -- which is fine, but I don't really think I know any more than the next person. I just like to write about discoveries, experiments, successes, and failures in the kitchen. Most of you have them, I know you do -- the only difference is I put mine in a public forum.

In any case, like I said, I don't mind answering questions when I can, or finding the answers when I can't. I have toasted almonds in the oven before, but I had to google to get exact temperatures for him.

There are a few methods -- the pan method, the microwave method and the oven method. There might be more, but these are the ones I'm aware of.

The reasons to toast almonds? It gives them a more intense flavor, which I knew, and toasted nuts are less likely to sink in cake and bread batters, which I didn't know. Thanks, Homecooking.

Oven method:
Spread almonds on an ungreased cookie sheet -- you can use almond halves or slivers. Place in 350 degree F oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes or until almonds are light brown, stirring once or twice to ensure even browning. The almonds will continue to brown slightly after removing from oven.

Pan method:
Place your almonds in a heavy, ungreased pan. Stir over medium heat until golden brown.

Microwave method:
Place 1/2 cup of slivered almonds and 1 tablespoon of butter in a microwave-proof pie plate or shallow dish. Microwave on high, stirring every minute until brown, for 4 to 5 minutes.

For those two of you who have been waiting with baited breath for the answer to the contest, the answer to where I ate last week is Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe. It's a wonderful cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian, one of the newest offerings in the Smithsonian group. My column talking about my experiences, along with more photos, can be found in today's paper, or here.

Sounds like the beginning of a joke, right? My husband and I were eating at Big Ed's in Raleigh for lunch, and Al Roker just happened to walk in. I got this picture with him, and I got to say, those fries on his plate don't look very healthy to me, nor did the big plate of biscuits just out of sight :-) Nice guy, though.

Oh yeah, Big Ed's was good, too. Really enjoyed their saw mill gravy, and the sweet tea was perfect :)

I made this cake for a going-away party recently for a co-worker who will sorely be missed.

This has to be one of the easiest things in the world to make. First, get a cake mix from the store -- I used Betty Crocker's Devil's Food chocolate cake mix. Prepare the mix according to instructions, using either two 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. Once the cakes are done, cool them in their pans on wire racks for five minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans by flipping them over and cool completely.

Mix one block of cream cheese, softened, with a half cup of sugar. Stir in 2 cups of Cool Whip and 12 coarsely crushed Oreo cookies. I used a plastic bag and a rolling pin to crush them, then re-used the bag to keep the remaining cookies fresh.

When the cakes are cool, spread the Cool Whip mixture on the rounded top of one layer, keeping the edge even with the side of the cake. Place the other layer on top of the mixture. You may need to use a knife to even up the mixture at this point.

I then used a whipped chocolate frosting from Betty Crocker to spread on the top of the cake. You won't need to ice the sides. And voila! An easy (and impressive-looking) cake.

This is a slight variation on a recipe I got in my Kraft Food & Family magazine, which I adore. And it's free! Sign up here. They wanted me to make my own glaze, but I didn't because I'm lazy, and I used mini-Oreos to decorate the top, too.

So I came across this Web site today called TrackerTrail.com, which has detailed instructions on how to make a fire using a chocolate bar and a soda can. Interesting tutorial, if it works. I'm going to have to remember this for if I ever go camping again -- I'll be able to impress everyone with my MacGyver skills.