Starting the New Year Clean and Bright.

Recently I discovered there are various superstitions regarding what you should, or should not, do on New Year’s Day.  I have no idea where I must have been when these superstitions came about, but have not ever heard of them before.

Supposedly you should not shower or bathe, clean anything, or any room of the home, and not do any laundry as it will “wash away” all the good luck of the new year.  I, on the other hand, showered, did two loads of laundry and cleaned the kitchen.  I wanted any residue of lousy 2024 to be washed away, and start off 2025 with a poltergeist moment of, “This house is clean!”.   By the way, did you know that the color of your underwear, on New Year’s Day, brings a desired wish?  The color I was wearing?  Whoa there, TMI.

Depending upon which state you reside in, in the USA, a certain food or grouping of foods, eaten will bring good luck throughout the new year; same for many countries as well.  It was always lasagna when I lived in New York; and pork, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes in Pennsylvania.  For Utah, it is…nothing special; that is correct, there is no traditional food to be eaten for New Year’s Day.  So, each year, Roy and I do our own “tradition” of, “What are you in the mood for?”

2025 called for something easy, pleasing, and full of bright colors to warm every sense.  A stir-fry of shrimp, various vegetables and angel hair pasta; oh, not a traditional Asian stir fry, but one using Mediterranean influences.  Those influences are olive oil, garlic, parsley and Feta cheese; lemon juice does not have to be used for every recipe of this cuisine.  With Feta cheese being used as a topping, using lemon juice would make this dish too tart and tangy, and overwhelm all the other flavors.

Stir-frying is a cooking technique that originated in China about 1500 years ago during the Zhou period (771-256 BCE). Ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok.  A wok is a deep bowl-shaped pan with sloping sides which traps, and evenly distributes, heat for fast and complete cooking of all ingredients. There are many wok sets available for sale with varying prices dependent on “name brand”, metal used, and accessories that come with the set.  Otherwise, a deep, 12-inch wide, skillet will do the trick just as well, just make sure to keep the ingredients moving so as to not burn, or have semi-cooked items.

For my dish, the protein used was shrimp, but chicken, pork, beef or tofu will work; all depends on what you enjoy.  A mixture of brightly colored vegetables included broccoli, green and red bell peppers, sugar snap peas and carrots.  Do you have to use a protein?  Only if you want to, this dish can become purely vegetarian or vegan.  Instead of ramen or udon noodles, or rice, angel hair pasta was the main carbohydrate. Worried about gluten?  There are many varieties of gluten-free pasta products, and carb consumption, in general, is like anything else, ruled by moderation.

While this could be classified as one-pan cooking, sometimes there are stages when cooking with a wok, or a skillet.  Many ingredients might need to cook at different temperatures, or need a longer or shorter cooking time.  At the end though, after all stages have been completed, the result in the one-pan displays a masterpiece of colors, textures, scents and tastes.

 

Mediterranean Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz.) bags stir-fry mix (broccoli, carrots, red and green bell peppers, sugar snap peas)

2 lbs. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked and kept warm

¼ cup olive oil

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

1 (5 oz.) container crumbled Feta cheese

 

Preparation:

In a wok or large skillet, heat 4 Tbsp. olive oil, medium-high heat.  Add in vegetable mix, garlic, parsley, black pepper and salt; mix thoroughly.  Cook for 3 minutes, stir to keep from sticking or burning as this will keep vegetables crisp and colorful.  Remove to bowl.

 

Increase heat to high, add 4 Tbsp. olive oil; add in shrimp.  Cook for 5 minutes, but keep them moving so they can turn pink, and get a slight sear.  Remove to bowl.

 

Reduce heat to medium-high, mix 4 Tbsp. into pasta and then place into wok or skillet.  Leave pasta alone for one minute; sizzling sound will be heard. 

 

 

Add back vegetables and shrimp, combine well and let cook for 3 minutes, mix together once every minute.  Remove from heat.

 

Place serving into large soup/salad bowl; sprinkle crumbed Feta cheese on top.

Makes 8 servings.

No matter how your new year started, try to make the year bright, colorful, and clean of negativity.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 

Be An Open Book.

There are three ways to get to know what a book is all about.  Look at the cover only and form a conclusion based upon no factual information.  Read the tease on the inside, or back, cover and form a conclusion based upon rumor or gossip.  Read the entire book, beginning page to ending page, and form a conclusion on every point of factual information.

As a species, humans are comfortable when they can label each other.  That way, they can place an individual into a box or file folder, and know how to deal with them without stress.  It is also a form of protection; you know who is just like you, and who to be cautious of because they are different from you. This is what happens when only the person’s outward appearance is looked at, what is “heard” about this person, or garner facts by speaking, and getting to know, someone.

In cooking and baking, the same kind of “judgments” can be made.  Does the food look appetizing?  Many, if the answer is no, will not try the dish.  The same happens if only a little knowledge is known about the ingredients.  Who wants to put something into the mouth, only to spit it out again, and no one looks graceful doing that.  But, as I have stated before, life is an adventure, fear is the mind killer, and sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

Take, for example, the recipe I am about to give you, Mint Balls.  It is a small round cookie, very plain on the outside, but inside it is packed with mint and chocolate.  Sort of like Doctor Who and his Tardis; it looks like a small police call box, but inside it is immense.

Mint and chocolate are an enticing combination of coolness and rich decadence.  Remember the commercials for York Peppermint Patties, where someone bites into a patty and goes into another dimension of sorts.  This combination is not a 20^th century creation, but dates back to the 16^th century.  European explorers returned from the “new world” with cacao beans which were used to make a beverage by the indigenous people.  However, the drink was very bitter, so spices and herbs, one being mint, were added to make it more palpable.

The York Peppermint Pattie originated in 1940 at the York Cone Company, York, Pennsylvania, owned by Henry Kessler.  The concept developed due to consumers requesting a softer type of mint candy, but how to keep it from melting into a gooey mess.  The peppermint mixture was given a granular texture, then covered in a thick coating of dark chocolate.  Kessler’s company was eventually bought out by the Hershey Chocolate Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1988.

A rival candy to the Pattie was Junior Mints, developed in 1949 at the James O. Welch Company of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The idea was to make a peppermint patty that could be eaten in one bite, and had a creamier texture inside.

Other popular brands you may have tried, or simply heard about, are: Andes Candies, After Eight, Ghirardelli Squares, Lindt Balls, Dove and Palmer’s.  Ghirardelli, Lindt and Palmer’s also make peppermint bark which only comes out for the winter holidays.  So, if you do not have a clue as to what gift I will be expecting, you will not go wrong with peppermint chocolate candy.

Now here is the recipe for Mint Balls that I mentioned earlier on.  By the way, this recipe appeared in the Food for Friends cookbook, published 1995 by The Friends of The State Museum of Pennsylvania.  It was created to raise monies for the support of the museum, and my recipe was recreated during a PBS special about the museum, and the cookbook.

Happy Holidays!

 

Mint Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. salt

3 dozen “Junior Mints” candies

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract; slowly add the flour and salt to the creamed mixture.  Cover and chill till the batter becomes firm, but manageable.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Take the batter by teaspoon, place a candy mint in the center, and form a ball around it.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet (Air Bake is the best for baking), and continue forming balls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes; cookies will be lightly browned.

Let cool; can be eaten as is, or rolled in confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 36 cookies.

Note: before baking, the balls can be rolled in crushed nuts; and if you are seeing the pun, then have a great laugh.

Mary Cokenour