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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