December 30, 2023

WEEKLY MENU 12.31.23

Menus for days and days during the Weekly Menu 12.31.23. All I’ve got to say is don’t get used to it.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already the last weekly menu of the year – the Weekly Menu 12.31.23 plans us well on into 2023. There are as many ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve and Day as there are people, and we’ve included two. You can plan an elegant and intimate cocktail party here:

New Years Eve Cocktails

Or you can follow along with the menu below for New Years Eve. When the boysies were little, we’d celebrate with a FRY OUT! Kind of a last gasp on bad for us foods that happen to be delicious. We watch a random movie during the fry out, and the items come out on a big platter as they are fried.

I’m not sure if we’re having a fry out this year (NYE is just Bert and I) but no matter what we’re eating, we always finish up watching Trading Places. Something about Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd screams New Years to us. Plus it’s educational. (Commodities trading is fascinating.) We slog through (with occasional naps) to midnight and watch the ball drop.

An Irish tradition that I love has snuck into our New Year’s Eve celebration.

Open the Windows

Irish superstition states that every door and window must be open throughout the home when the clock strikes twelve. This symbolizes letting the old year go and welcoming in the new, and it also represents welcoming in the spirits of departed family members, allowing them to take part in the celebration. Worth braving inclement weather for, no?
Vogue

Honestly, by midnight we’re all pretty pooped (barring nippy naps, of course) so we just open the front and back doors. We let in the new and let out the old. Thinking DOLD or Mom is watching the ball drop with us is a bonus.

Ginger ale subs in for Champagne. Keep it quiet.

Bedtime is almost immediately thereafter. We like to celebrate the New Year with some quality snooze time. I’ll make a big brunch on New Years Day and then have a lovely, traditional German good luck dinner New Year’s night.

I don’t do resolutions – and I don’t think you should either. Read this post to see why.

Evolve, Not Resolve

The New Years Day menu is full of Lucky Foods.

VIEL GLÜCK!

Germans have been eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s for generations because they believe it brings good luck (viel glück in German). As these kraut lovers immigrated to the Midwest, they brought their traditions with them, including this one. That’s why in Ohio and Pennsylvania, which received many German immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries, people are almost religious about this delicious duo.

Legend also says that pork is enjoyed because pigs look forward when they root for food, rather than chicken and turkeys which scratch backward, just as the Germans were looking ahead to the New Year. They also wished each other as many riches as there are shreds of cabbage in the sauerkraut they eat.
Wildbrine

Black-Eyed Peas, Greens, and Cornbread

Luck factor: Even folks who aren’t from the Southern United States go all in on eating black-eyed peas and leafy greens for good luck on New Year’s Day. Add a slice of cornbread, and you’ve got “peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.”
Allrecipes

And a cake – because round, sweet treats bring a circle of luck to the eaters. Sure, we scoff at superstitions in general, but a little jumpstart won’t hurt.

Weekly Menu 12.31.23 is full of variety – and some healthy add-ins. After the holidays are officially over, we’re going to cut the sweets and carbs a bit. If you want to do the same, check out How to Bring Awesome Variety to Low Carb for some ideas.