considered representational of
prosperity and the way those porkers
eat—by rooting forward with their
snouts—is believed to symbolize
forward motion and progress in the
New Year.
Fish scale things up a bit, as well.
Roasting a whole fish for lunch is triply
rewarding, because their scales bear a
great resemblance to coins; they swim
forward, which means advancement;
and they travel in schools, which many
cultures believe represents prosperity.
Want a long life? Slurp on some
noodles—the longer the better. Just
be sure not to break or chew them, as
that’s believed to break to good luck.
Your salad or green juice is a great
good luck charm for New Year’s. Green
resembles paper money, and money
means fortune. Kale, spinach, and
collard greens are all great ways get
your bite of that bounty, so make it a
point to chow down.
And speaking of money…the
golden-yellow color of cornbread is
a great traditional New Year’s food in
the South, since real gold is, of course,
gold. And who doesn’t love the idea
of riches in the year ahead? Add extra
luck by mixing whole kernels of corn
into the batter to represent nuggets of
gold.
Bank even more buck with a black-
eyed pea dish or some lentils. These
little legumes resemble coins and at
this time of bestowing wishes on the
best for the months to come, financial
blessings are certainly high on the list.
Grains like rice and barley are lucky
in their own right. They symbolize
abundance and who doesn’t love that?
Thinking about starting a family?
Figs are a traditional New Year’s food
in many countries as a symbol of
fertility, so pick up some figs and start
watching for the baby bump.
Whatever your wishes for the new
year might be, there’s a feast of ways
to savor this season of new beginnings.
And to start you off richly, we’re giving
you a recipe worth its weight in gold.
January 2017 | 21
Classic Cornbread
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cornbread mix
3/4 cups buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup oil
Baked Cornbread
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together
all ingredients until well combined, then
pour into a well greased skillet. Place skillet
on top oven rack and bake 25-30 minutes
or until bread has reached a golden brown
color. Cut into pieces and serve warm.
Fried Cornbread
Cakes
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together all ingredients except oil. Pour
a small amount of oil into a skillet on high
heat on stovetop. Spoon mix into the skillet
and fry each corncake until golden brown,
flipping to fry both sides. Remove from pan
and serve hot and crispy.
Adapted recipe courtesy of C&D Mill,
6404 Mobile Hwy, Pensacola, Florida 32526.
For more information, call (850) 206-6567 or
(850) 261-0225.
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