COUNTDOWN TO THE NEW YEAR 🎉🪩🎆
Ring in 2025 with good luck and abundance!
For the last few years, we’ve been spicing up our usually quiet New Year’s Eve with a Family Cocktail Competition. Each family member competing chooses a cocktail and accompanying glass - that we picked out at the antique store. They create their “hero” cocktail displayed in their chosen glass and then use disposable shot glasses for the tasting portion of the competition.
Last year our mom won with her incredibly delicious and vintage Side Car. Since then, we’ve made the best Orange Chocolate Espresso Martinis, which probably would have won (especially since we could really use the espresso to help keep us up until midnight 😆).
We finally perfected these Chocolate Orange Espresso Martinis before a Zucchero concert we went to in May. Inspired by an espresso martini we drank in Helsinki made with orange liqueur, this chocolate orange espresso martini uses Cointreau and chocolate sauce for the smoothest and perfectly sweet cocktail.
I like to use Cometeer coffee pods for the espresso because it’s so much quicker than brewing espresso. They also make the best cup of coffee. I keep them in the freezer for special occasions or when I don’t feel like making a whole pot.
AND IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A NYE APP LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THESE FESTIVE PEPPER SHOOTERS 🫑🌶️
Pepper shooters are an often forgotten appetizer, but one of the best. They’re so easy to make and are always a hit at parties. Plus we love the merry red and green colors of the peppers!
They are perfect as a stand-alone appetizer, added to a charcuterie board or antipasto platter, or even on a sandwich with Italian bread and mozzarella.
ALL THE LUCK WE CAN GET 🤞🏻
We love traditions and food that bring luck into the new year! So this week we compiled a list of recipes to ring in 2025 with luck on your side :) 🥂
BLACK-EYED PEAS & GREENS
Legend has it that if you want to bring good luck into the new year, you need to eat 365 black-eyed peas on New Year's Day—one for each day of the year! Greens symbolize monetary abundance in the new year. Our Fridge Clean Out Soup uses both black-eyed peas and greens 🤗.
True to its name, it’s the perfect soup when you want to use up leftover ingredients in your fridge (which you may have from all of the holiday cooking).
To make this soup you simply combine whatever veggies, greens, grains, or noodles you have with black-eyed peas for a simple yet delicious meal that you will feel good about eating.
ONIONS
The Greek tradition of hanging a bag of onions on your door is meant to symbolize growth and rebirth. It all started back in ancient times when people realized that onions would sprout even when they were left alone. It was the ultimate sign of luck and fertility. Onions are a common ingredient in many recipes, however, if you really want to celebrate the onion then have them be the star of the show with possibly the best onion rings we’ve ever had! Jackson makes his famous onion rings every year during our non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
He even filmed a tutorial because we’ve been asked so many times how to make them!
KUMQUATS
During Chinese New Year, citrus fruits like kumquats, tangerines, and oranges are all considered good luck. I picked up kumquats at the Chicago winter farmers market since it’s the start of kumquat season and candied them in honey.
You can also use candied kumquats on top of ice cream or desserts, in sauces/marinades, in salads, or my personal favorite a spritz!
POMEGRANATES
Pomegranate seeds have always been associated with fertility. In Greece, they hurl whole pomegranates to the floor to release a flood of seeds that symbolize life and abundance.
Our Mom (notoriously bad at desserts) made this easy pomegranate chocolate bark as a sweet treat that we will be enjoying on NYE. All you do is melt white and milk chocolate bars together and top with pomegranate seeds!
THANKS FOR READING! AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Cheers 🥂
Hil & Nat
Don’t forget you can access the entire recipe library with all your favs here.