New year recipes

Pomegranate and blood orange mimosas mix tart blood orange juice with ruby pomegranate, then top each flute with chilled sparkling wine. A jewel-toned New Year's Eve toast that takes minutes to pour.

New Year's Eve polenta squares crisp tube polenta under the broiler, then top each bite with a tangy sun-dried tomato, caper, and parsley pesto. A make-ahead cocktail-party appetizer that feeds a crowd.

Along the coast of the Southern US eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a year filled with luck and prosperity. The beans symbolize coins or pennies. Sometimes a penny is added to the pot or can be left under the bowls of Hoppin' John. Greens such as Collards, chard or kale can be added and symbolize the color of money and are said to add to ones wealth in the new year. The day after New Year's Day the leftovers are called "Skippin' Jenny," and further demonstrates one's frugality. A common tradition in the south US is each person at the meal should leave three peas on their plate to ensure the New Year will be filled with Luck, Fortune and Romance. Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas in a serving predicts the amount of luck (or wealth) that will be collected over the next year.

Sweet baby bell peppers stuffed with a slightly spicy and garlicky mix of cream and jack cheese. Fairly easy to prep and only 10 minutes cooking time.

Homemade salted eggs brined in rock salt water for three weeks until the yolks turn firm, golden-orange, and richly savory. Just three ingredients and patience. Serve quartered with rice or congee.

Italian prosciutto, fresh cherry tomatoes and basil leaves, and cheese, these four simple ingredients together are a perfect snack for your New Year's Eve.

Italian lentils with sausage simmers fresh sausage in broth while earthy lentils cook with sage, soffritto, and tomato paste. A rustic Umbrian-style main or New Year lucky dish.

You can serve this delightful cholesterol-free, high-fiber bread on New Year's Eve instead of the traditional bowl of black-eyed peas believed to bring good fortune for the year ahead.

Fortune is very important in Chinese New Year, so people cook a lot of fortune dishes, this fortune cookies is one of them!

Fruit solitaire tarts with orange-scented butter pastry shaped like playing card suits, filled with cherry and blueberry pie filling. A festive New Year's Eve dessert.

Virgin champagne, a fizzy, alcohol-free celebration drink made from just white grape juice concentrate and club soda. Kid-friendly bubbly for toasts, New Year's, and parties, ready in minutes.

Homemade fortune cookies: thin crisp wafers cooked on a skillet, folded around your own paper fortunes while still pliable. A party project for Lunar New Year or kids' birthdays.

Homemade fortune cookies cooked on a griddle, folded around a hand-written paper fortune, and cooled in muffin tins until crisp. A fun kids' project and a charming party favor for Chinese New Year.

I make this Tiramisu a few times every year for my friends and family, because every time after they tasted it, they just kept asking me to make it again. LOL!