Last night we sent 2011 off with a bang and today we brought 2012 in with a relaxing yawn.
Starting with an extra hour or two of sleep (woo hoo for parents who will let dogs out at 6:30am!) and a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy with eggs and fresh strawberries (woo hoo for a Dad who likes to cook!)
We spent the remainder of the morning in our pjs watching Moonshiners (In the span of 48 hrs I have officially seen every episode of the current season and am looking forward to the finale on Wednesday. Will Jesse catch them? Will Tim and Tickle go legit?!? Oh, the anticipation!) and taking the dogs out on an occasional walk. Sometimes, it just just feels good to be lazy. 🙂
Every year my aunt invites friends and family over for a good luck feast on the first day of the new year.
I know it varies by region and/or country, but in the south (or at least where I grew it up) a good luck feast for the new year consists of black eyed peas, collard greens, and stuffed cabbage/peppers.
And just like with King Cakes and the hidden plastic baby inside, a medallion is hidden in one of the stuffed cabbages or peppers and the person who is lucky enough to find the medallion in their meal is promised the luckiest year of all.
There were no medallions hidden in today’s spread, but the memories of aunts and uncles fighting over who has the luckiest plate still lives on. 🙂
Just to give major props to my amazing family… my aunt made sure to prepare the black eyed peas and collards without any animal fat, so that my sister (the lone vegetarian of the group) could enjoy a plate of food too. She did that without anyone prompting or asking, how sweet is that?!
The food was ridiculously good. All southern classics that I really need to make more at home, especially the stuffed cabbage. Stuffed cabbage is where it’s at, yo.
Dessert is where it’s at too. 😉 My aunt prepared the above feast all on her own, but when anyone called to RSVP and ask what they could bring, she requested a dessert dish. That’s how the dessert table ended up as full as the main food table. I was NOT complaining. 😉
I tried a sliver of the chocolate pecan pie, a spoonful of my mom’s trifle (she makes it with chocolate brownie, chocolate pudding, and fresh whip cream), and a slice of my cousin’s peanut butter chocolate cake (tasted just like a peanut butter cookie in cake form).
My Mom had one wish today – to have a family photo taken before Josh headed back to Los Angeles. We’re still missing one (Adena was here in spirit!), but I think we got a pretty good shot.
The next time we’ll all be together will be for Ben and Ashley’s wedding next month. Woo hoo!!
Sadly, Derek and I dropped Josh off at the airport on our way back to Tampa. His whirlwind 36-hour trip home was short, but sweet and worth every sleepless minute. 🙂
I wasn’t terribly hungry for dinner once we arrived back in Tampa, so I made a small snack plate of veggies, cheese, and hummus and called it a meal.
Quick. Easy. Done.
Now I have a dog to wash, a suitcase to unpack, and some photos to send out to be printed. It feels good to be home. 🙂
Good Night!
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