New year recipes

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.

Black-eyed pea soup slow-simmered with a ham bone for New Year's Day good luck. Creamy, smoky, and served over white rice in the Southern tradition.

Spanish pan con tomate with Serrano ham slow-roasts plum tomatoes for a sweet, garlicky spread piled onto toasted baguette and topped with thin slices of jamón. A classic tapas party platter.

Not real spareribs, they are made of vegetables, but tastes very nice, and much more healthier too!

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.

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.

Chinese New Year almond cookies with a thumbprint dipped in red food coloring. Crisp, sandy shortening cookies meant to bring good luck to the lunar new year table.

This traditional Southern dish is served on New Year's Day for good luck throughout the year

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.

Traditional Southern Hoppin' John with dried black-eyed peas, rice, ham, and cayenne. A one-pot New Year's Day staple believed to bring good luck.

Father Time chocolate chip cookies decorated with piped clock face icing for New Year's Eve. Chewy brown sugar cookies with a simple powdered sugar icing design.

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.