These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Friday, January 01, 2010

Happy New Year!

Good morning, all! Welcome to a new year and a new decade.

Wow, 2010. Hard to believe, for me, anyway. I'm not even sure why, but it is. I suppose it might be because for someone who was born in the first half of the last century, as I was, the change of century was something that seemed to far away that I rarely thought of it until it was here. Now with every year, I'm surprised anew. And now it is especially stunning to realize that a whole decade has passed since the arrival of this century. Trust me, the time goes faster with every year, just as all us "old folks" say! It really does!

I didn't do anything last night. Stayed in, read a couple books while listening to some really nice classical music. I had planned to have some friends over last night for cards or games, food and chatting, but we decided to move everything to today. Mostly, a few wanted to avoid being out on the highways for the obvious reasons. Secondly, we thought about driving on the snow and ice packed roads off the highway, and a few weren't keen on doing that at night. Can't blame them. So we moved our party to today. We will get together this afternoon and have our fun while the drunks are sleeping off hangovers!

Another change is that the numbers of people coming to the party grew and grew, and with the cold weather, we can't use my nice big deck, leaving my smallish house to be very cramped. A friend had talked about doing something, and her house is much larger, so we have simply moved it to her place.

I'm still doing what I planned: a large pot of posolé, black-eyed peas with ham, and a baked brie. The hostess, Lynne, is fixing a ham, and everyone is bringing something .... a side dish, a dessert, or a snack. We're not sure how many are coming, but it looks to be upward of 20. That means, lots of good food, great company, games to play and fun for the day. Woo hoo!! And I didn't have to clean house before they got here! Best deal yet!! LOL!

For those of you who will probably ask, posolé is a Mexican/Native American dish made of pork, red chili, onions, posolé or hominy, and seasonings garlic and oregano are traditional, but I also add cumin and cilantro). It is a traditional New Year's dish for many people in New Mexico. My daughter-in-law is Mexican and she taught me to add shredded cabbage and lime juice just before serving, and it is excellent with that garnish. I almost always fix a pot of posolé for good lulck to start the new year, but I also do black-eyed peas, a tradition before posolé, thanks to my Southern roots. After all, one can't have too much good luck in a year, right?

I did the posolé and black-eyed peas yesterday, and I just began warming them in the crockpots for later. I still need to fix the brie, shred cabbage and cut limes, so I'd better get crackin'! I also have to put a card table in the truck and pick out a couple games to take along. It's gonna be a busy day, a happy day with much fun and good friends. I hope your day is good in whatever way you want!



13 comments:

  1. You certainly know how to bring in the new decade with appropriate flair!

    Thanks for reminding me of posole. I knew about it from spending some time in Santa Fe attending operas one summer! I haven't even heard of posole since that summer.

    Happy New Year!

    Hugs,
    Betty

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  2. Posole is soooo perfect. What a great way to start a new year. We are having same along with other typical Mexican fare. Hopefully, we will all have a great 2010.

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  3. Betty, if you plan to make some, here's a tip: some people use canned hominy. I don't like that because it cooks apart too quickly. I always use the dried and/or frozen kind. The reason is that for posolé to be really good, I like to cook it at least 8-10 hours. If you do that with the canned type, it becomes mush. If you can't find that kind in your area, let me know and I will send you some. It's more trouble & time consuming,but much better, trust me!

    The first few years we lived in KC, I couldn't find it there. So every time we made a trip to see my parents in Denver or my MIL in NM, I bought several bags and kept them in the freezer. And they all knew to bring us a few bags when they came our way, until the Hispanic population became big enough that the stores began carrying it.

    Moni, since we are pot-lucking it, I'm sure there will be more Mexican foods there. My friend Linda is making some jalapeño-cheese cornbread to go with the black-eyed peas and ham! And yes, how can anything be less than great with foods like these?? :D

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  4. Happy 2010!!!! Your get together today sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun!!! And your dish sounds wonderful.

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  5. Sounds like a happy day awaits you. What a nice a way to begin a new year. Take pictures of the food.

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  6. Caroline, I'm back and it was very much fun! Talk about a ton of good food, OMG!!! The posolé turned out awsomely delicious! Maybe the best I've ever made.

    Linda, I took my camera, but the food was gone before I even thought of it!! Yeah, we're just a bunch of pigs, what can I say!

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  7. It sounds like it was a fabulous party to ring in the new year!!

    And thank you for the recipe. I totally intend to try it sometime!

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  8. We has a great time! And you're most welcome. I hope you enjoy, Cheryl!

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  9. Sounds like you had a great time. Happy New Year! --Cheryl

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  10. What a smart idea to wait until daylight and sobriety (of others) to have your party. Sounds like it was tons of fun.

    I've been thinking of you a lot during these past days and praying for your health situation.

    Hope the New Year brings health and joy to you.

    ~hippo hugs~

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  11. I did, Cheryl! Happy New year to you, too!

    Hippo Chick, I'm glad we did the part as we did. It was the right thinking. Thanks for the prayers. I really appreciate it. I think 2010 is gonna be just great! happy New Year!

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  12. You always know how to throw a great get together! I'm glad it turned out so well and everyone had fun and yummy food.
    Happy New Year!!!
    XXXXXXXX

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  13. Hey, Cheryl, Happy New Year to you, also!!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!