Christmas has long been my favorite holiday, probably because of all the cooking and baking that come with it! It was also my mom’s favorite holiday and we would always bond over the 10+ cookie varieties we would make, the 7 fishes, decorating the tree, some Mariah Carey Christmas tunes and of course wrapping gifts… Since my mom passed it has been my honor to carry on her Christmas Eve traditions for our family. It is definitely a lot of work, and not done alone, but I would not have it any other way!

Today we had one last family dinner to close out the 2014 holiday season and celebrate the new year… It had long been a tradition to have a pork roast on New Years Day and I thought it was just some crazy Italian excuse to have yet another dinner. Finally, after all these years, I decided to research it and who knew but there are a lot of foods that people eat on New Years Day to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year ahead.

Pork – The pig symbolizes progress, rooting forward into the ground. Also, thanks to it’s rich fat content, the pig is a sign of wealth and prosperity.

Legumes – beans, peas and lentils look like little coins and are thought to bring good luck to those who eat them. Since beans grow as they cook, it is believed that those who eat them will “grow” with good fortune.

Noodles and Grains – long noodles are believed to be a symbol of a long life and grains such as rice, quinoa and barley mean abundance.

Our dinner today was a pot luck which was lots of fun and of course easier on our host. We had lentil soup to start and the star of the show – a pork roast! My contribution to our feast was a sweet potato casserole that my mother always made. It was often the hit of the meal and I was so happy to learn my sister-in-law had the recipe… I couldn’t wait to make it!

Food brings people together and warms the heart. Below I share a recipe with you that is near and dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always have!

Happy New Year to all… Hope 2015 brings lots of health, happiness and love!

Xoxo
K

Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:

2 (40 ounce) cans bruce cut yams, drained
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Directions:
Butter a 13×9 baking dish and Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash yams in a large bowl and add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, egg, and melted butter. Mix well with electric mixer. Place mixture in baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with marshmallows, add as many or as few as you like!

Bake for another 10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.