Traditional New Year's Meal

This is just one of those meals from my childhood that I could never seem to get enough of. To this day, every New Year I have to eat ham, greens, black-eyed peas and biscuits. Frankly, I could eat this meal ANY day of the year, but I reserve it especially for January 1st. Most people have their own renditions, but this one is perdy darn good. My only fail was the buttermilk biscuits, which made me VERY, VERY sad. I had been craving good, fluffy homemade buttermilk biscuits for days and really wanted to make them myself. Alas, I think my baking powder is expired/I overworked the dough because they really didn't rise. The taste was all there, but not the texture.

Southern New Year's Meal Recipe:

Sweet Mustard Glazed Ham

• 1/2 boneless fully cooked honey ham
• 1 cup water
• about 10 whole cloves
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Place your ham cut-side down in a baking pan with all the juices. Follow directions on package (mine said add 1 cup of water). Stick cloves all over the ham. Combine all of the remaining ingredients and brush 3/4 of the mixture on the ham. Cover tightly with foil and bake in oven for about 1 hour at 325 degrees. After 1 hour, take the ham out and brush the remaining 1/4 glaze. Seal tightly again and cook for 30 minutes. I actually made extra glaze to have as a dipping sauce.

Spicy Black-eyed Peas

• 2 cans black-eyed peas
• 1 tbsp jalapeno hot sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• salt to taste

Heat everything up. Yep, I go the easy route with these. Yes, you could slow cook dried beans in bacon all day long, but I just like the canned ones. Plus I reserve the special "bacon-ing" for the collard greens.

Collard Greens with Bacon

• 2 slices bacon of choice, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt, black pepper
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• generous dashes of your favorite hot sauce
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 bunch of fresh collard greens, chopped
• 1 cup water or stock

Cook your bacon over medium heat just until it begins to brown but is still pink. Add onions and cook until they are soft. Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook for a couple minutes. Add syrup, hot sauce and vinegar to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the bacon bits. Simmer for a couple minutes and then add your collard greens and water/stock. Bring to a simmer and then reduce temperature to medium-low. Cover and cook for at least 30 minutes. Reduce to low and continue to cook for as long as you want. The more time those flavors spend together, the better! 

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp cold shortening (or butter)
• 1 cup cold buttermilk

Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using your fingers, crumble in the cold shortening and mix with your hands slightly. Add the buttermilk and combine with your hands just until everything barely comes together. Knead a couple times on a floured surface and pat into 3/4 inch thickness. Using a circle cutter (or a small glass) cut out your biscuits. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Hopefully this works for people with fresh baking powder and better hands!

Chicken 'n' Biscuits

Sheesh...it's been awhile since I've updated this blog. Been quite busy over the last couple of months with the engagement and then getting braces. But no, I shall not let Freelance Food dissolve like so many other blogging ventures of mine. It must remain alive so that I continue to cook and write! After all, I would like to get paid to do that for a living one day...maybe...in my dreams....

Anyway, this recipe is so good and comforting. It was pretty much my last meal before I began all the oral surgery and it was an excellent way to say goodbye to regular food. Although actually, it ended up being so soft that I probably could have managed with braces. If you're craving some classic, home-cooked comfort food, give it a try.


Chicken 'n' Biscuits Recipe:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt, black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp - 1/4 cup all purpose flour (thicken to your preference)
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp brown mustard
• 1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1/ 3 cup milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil (I used a jalapeno-infused one that made these taste excellent)
• 1 tbsp dried parsley

As far as the cooked chicken, you could also go the easy route with a pre-made rotisserie chicken from the store. I happened to have 2 frozen chicken breasts so I thawed, placed in a saucepan and covered with water and seasonings (salt, pepper, bay leaf, cayenne, garlic powder). Then I brought it to a boil, reduced heat to medium-low, covered and cooked for about 10 minutes. Be sure to let the chicken rest before you cut it to prevent from becoming dry. Onward...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and saute until tender. Add garlic, cook for a couple minutes and then add Worcestershire sauce, seasonings and flour. Allow the flour to brown for a minute or two to release a better flavor, then add the milk and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for a couple of minutes until thickened. Add the frozen veggies, chicken, mustard and cheese; stir, reduce heat to low and cover.

Now to prepare the biscuits. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients; in a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Stir the wet into dry until just moistened and mixed. Easy.

Transfer the chicken filling to a greased 8 x 8 inch baking pan or 9 1/2 inch pie pan (I used the latter and it was filled to the brim). Drop biscuit batter by tablespoons on top and bake uncovered for about 35 minutes or until biscuits are browned.

Enjoy!