Hello everyone - what are you going to make on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?
New Year's Eve is a quiet time for hubby and I to spend together, shop for provisions and reflect on 2009 - both the good and the bad. Saluting the end of this decade will be especially meaningful to me.
On New Year's Eve I make Broetchen. I'm not sure of the exact spelling and why it is called that, it is something my mother always makes and that is what she calls it. My mom came to the US from former Czechoslovakia in 1968. She has an interesting mix of recipes with Czech, German and Austrian influences.
Our Broetchen are little cocktail sandwiches served on French bread. This year hubby is making the bread for scratch. The bread is sliced horizontally and a modest layer of spread is put on the bread. The spread is made with soft French cheese, cream cheese, butter, spicy German mustard, and a small amount of grated onion. I have never got it quite as tasty as my mother's, though hubby says he prefers my version. Thinly sliced deli meats are arranged on the spread, then a topping of sliced egg is added as well as garnish with curly fresh parsley and caviar. I attached a picture from last year's tray of sandwiches!
New Year's Day we will have some in-laws over. None of them are particularly adventurous eaters, so I'm keeping the menu simple. We'll have fresh baked bread, fresh green salad with home-made Ranch dressing, baked Amana ham, home-made mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, and a lemon meringue pie for dessert. This will be my first attempt at a lemon meringue pie!
I'm also planning a special dinner on January 2, since I'm sure we'll have loads of extra baked ham. We'll have the ham, creamed spinach and a wild rice gratin with dried cranberries.
What is everyone else going to do?
Elizabeth
