NEW YEAR's EVE RECIPES

Well, New year's Eve is here and it is also my Birthday! I am really grateful I am alive. In 2007 I found out I had cancer and I could have been dead today. So, although I hate to be older, I also realize it is a blessing to be alive and be here to help others and be with my little girl.

Romanians always make such a big deal of New Year's Eve. My dad used to tell me, and I think this is what most Romanians believe, that we needed to make a major cleaning on this day outside and inside our house because whatever or whoever you are on the last day of the year, that is how you are going to be the next year. But, this silly belief doesn't just work for cleaning, but also the way you managed your money; also they believe that if you have no money on the last day of the year, then you will probably have no money all year next year. Of course it is just a silly belief to me, but I will tell you that people really make such a big deal of this and everybody is trying to get their life and house in order from every point of view. It is basically this saying, " Do not let the year year find you...blank...blank..because that is how your next year will be".

But, one of my favorite things on New Year's Eve is allt he cooking that is going on on that day. So, here are some traditional foods we cook on that day and I am going to do this on Dec 31, 2010...that is tomorrow! :)

1. The main traditional meal is CABBAGE ROLLS. Yes! No, they are nothing like American cabbage rolls ..at least in taste. They taste differently. Here is the recipe:

1 lb of ground beef

1/2 lb of ground pork

1 onion

2 small cans tomato sauce or one big one

salt to taste

1 cup white rice ( I like basmati because it cooks faster-do not use brown rice)

1 tablespoon paprika

about 1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon black ground pepper

1 big cabbage

1 small cabbage

deep pot -half filled with water

Preparation:

CLEAN onion and chop it in really small pieces and then use the oil to fry the onion( until it looks glassy and soft) in a pan.

MIX beef, pork, paprika, pepper, fried onion, rice, and salt.Set aside.

BOIL water in the deep pot and lower the fire to keep the water boiling, but make sure it doesn't boil hard. make sure water is not splashing everywhere as it's boiling.

WASH cabbage on the outside and cut out the core as deep as you can without cutting the leaves. The point is that you need whole cabbage leaves. Place cabbage ( whole) in the boiling water and the hot water will make those leaves come off slowly one at a time without tearing them. As the top leaves soften, take them off and place them on a platter or a plate and leave the rest of the cabbage in the hot water so that the next layer of tough leaves to soften. Then when soft, take off the next and next layer..and so on. Once you do not have big enough leaves anymore, just take the rest of the cabbage out and throw away.

TAKE one leaf at a time and cut them in a half. Each cabbage leaf has a middle part that is really thick. You need to cut out that thick part or you will not be able to roll up the leaves.Place a little ball of the mixed meats and rice in the middle. Start rolling the leaf from one side to the other and then tuck in the ends.

CUT up the small cabbage in small pieces and place a good layer of it then bottom of the pot or crockpot you are going to cook the cabbage rolls in. Just place enough cabbage to cover the bottom of the pot( this will rpevent rolls from burning and sticking to the pot). Now place all your rolls as you make them, nicely arranged, in the pot. Cover with another layer of cabbage.

FILL pot up with water until it covers the rolls and top layer of cabbage. An inch of extra water is pretty good.

COOK slowly at about 250-300 F.

ADD tomato sauces when rolld are just about done.

TIP: Some people also put into their own plates sour cream. This is more like a SW tradition of Romania. Transylvanian mostly just use the tomato sauce. I like it both ways. ENJOY!

2. BOEUF SALAD

This is a cold salad and with a French name. Not everyone likes this, so you have to develop a taste for it, but I will let you know a secret: the key for this to taste good is the amount of pickles you put into it.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast-about 1 lb-boil and chopped

6 big pickles-chopped

a medium bag of baby carrots boiled and chopped

about 6 T of mayonnaise

2 boiled eggs-you only need the whites

Preparation: mix all ingreadients well and add mayonnaise last. Cover with mayonnaise on top and decorate with some whites of boiled eggs. Cut the boiled eggs in cresecent shapes and place on top of salad. Place salad in a nice dish. This is good with some Publix bread, like the french white bread ( European style bread).

3. BOILED EUROPEAN SAUSAGE-you can find this at European stores -this is a sausage like a liverwurst sausage

My dad would boil it around midnight on New Year's Eve and we would just eat it with mustard! Who said you needed a side with that? French bread and sausage tastes awesome!

Well, here are just three recipes and I hope you will enjoy them. Happy New Year!