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Let Us Know about Gifts Given for Special Occasions in Your Culture!
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009I’ve been asked… “about gift customs around the world like the one of the temari balls in Japan. Which gifts do people around the world traditionally give for special events such as marriages, births, etc.?”
FYI Temari balls are fancy balls with colorful, intricate patterns on them. They originally come from China, but are also found in Japan. They were traditionally made out of silk, often from old kimonos. Now they’re made with embroidery covering the balls.
They’re thought to bring good luck to whoever owns them. They’re given for births, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. They’re also given by parents to kids on New Years Day.
Mama Lisa
I asked Ayako in Japan about the Temari balls. Here’s what she wrote:
“Hi Lisa,
Temari balls are beautiful. Their embroidery is fancy. We don’t play with them now. We just enjoy looking at them.
By the way, one of the traditional gifts is “Otoshidama”. It is special money given to children from their parents or relatives on New Year. It may sound dry to give money, but it is traditional heart-warming gift.
On Valentine’s day, women give chocolates to the men whom they love in Japan. It is called “true heart chocolate”. Sometimes working women give chocolates to their male coworkers. It is called “obligation chocolate”. Recently, it’s also common to give chocolate to one’s friend. That’s called “friendly chocolate”.
Usually men give gifts to the women in return on the 14th of March.
Ayako
Please join the discussion and let us know about any special gifts given for special events in your culture by commenting below…
Italian New Year’s Eve Tradition of Wearing Red Underpants for Good Luck
Sunday, December 28th, 2008Eating lentils and sausages, and wearing red underwear are all good luck in Italy on New Year’s Eve.
I discovered the tradition of the lucky red underpants when Vita wrote to me. Here’s what she said:
…my grandmother in Naples, Italy used to tell us that wearing red underpants on New Years Eve brought good luck – I don’t know if she told us this because it was funny to little kids or because it is actually a custom.
I’ve been reading about it and have discovered that wearing red underwear for New Year’s Eve does indeed seem to be the tradition in Italy. It’s better if they’re given to you as a gift, and if they’re brand-new this year.
They also eat lentils in Italy for good monetary fortune in the upcoming year. Lentils with zampone o cotechino (sausages) is the most popular dish that’s served. Pork is an auspicious sign for the New Year and it’s part of the meal.
If you’re interested in learning about other New Year’s traditions, you can read about Symbolic Foods Eaten Around the World for New Years. Feel free to share your traditions with us in the comments below.
Buon anno! Happy New Year!
Mama Lisa
Does anyone know if the words to “Bella che dormi” in Italian are correct?
Sunday, December 28th, 2008Vita wrote:
Hi, I remember a song sung to me by my mother and I just want to make sure I have the words correct and have all the verses. It’s a lullaby and she used to rock us while singing it:
Bella che dormi
sul letto di fiori
mentre dormendo
un bacio d’amor
un bacio in fretta
la povera bambina
o poverina
dove sei andata
dalla nonnina
e cosa ta datto
un bacio un bacio la povera bambina!Beautiful girl sleeping
on a bed of flowers
while sleeping
a loving kiss
a quick kiss
the beautiful girl
o little one (literally poor one)
where did you go?
to grandmother’s
and what did she give you?
a kiss, a kiss
the little one (literally poor one)!Does anyone know any “fingerplays” in Italian – songs with accompanying actions?
Also, my grandmother in Naples, Italy used to tell us that wearing red underpants on New Years Eve brought good luck – I don’t know if she told us this because it was funny to little kids or because it is actually a custom.
Thank you!
VitaIf anyone can help Vita with the song or if you know about the New Year’s custom of wearing red underwear on New Years Eve for good luck, please let us know about it in the comments below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
The Custom of Eating Dumplings for the Chinese New Year
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about symbolic foods that are eaten around the world for the New Year.
There are symbolic foods that are eaten for the Chinese New Year too. This year, the Chinese New Year celebrations start on February 7th. (It will be the year of the Rat!)
Dumplings are one customary food that’s eaten for the New Year. One reason is that they resemble the old gold money used in China. Thus, dumplings symbolize the hope for prosperity in the coming year. Usually the dumplings are filled with meat.
In parts of Northern China, they even insert a coin into a couple of dumplings. It you’re lucky enough to be served one of those, it’s thought you’ll acquire even more wealth!
Lin wrote to me about the custom in Tianjin, a city that’s southeast of the capital of Beijing, China:
As the Chinese New Year is coming up, there’s something interesting to note here about New Year’s food. In Tianjin, China, people will make vegetarian dumplings, apart from the meat ones for the New Year’s Eve. They eat the vegetarian ones especially at midnight, usually with the fireworks going outside the windows. The vegetarian dumplings signify a coming year which is very clean, with no accidents, no serious affairs, etc.
“Su”, as vegetarian, implies something simple, calm.
The contrary is “Se” as in colour/lust, or “Rou” as in meat/flesh/therefore lust.Interestingly, in other parts of China this habit is not often observed. Not even in Beijing, as far as I can determine, though it’s just 120 kilometers away.
I mentioned this custom to Ray Lee, who was born in Hong Kong. Ray said:
Yeah, that’s interesting. I’ve never heard of it. But then, China is a big country with a lot of different local customs. I am sure there are a lot I haven’t heard of. I remember we would eat a certain kind of vegetable around the New Year simply because its name sounded like “getting rich”. The name of the vegetable is “Fat Choy” (it’s a long black sea moss), which as you may recall sounds just like the “fat choy” in “kung hey fat choy”!
“Kung Hey Fat Choy”, means “Congratulations and Be Prosperous”. It’s something that people say to each other in Cantonese during the Chinese New Year.
To all of you celebrating the Chinese New Year, “Kung Hey Fat Choy”!
-Lisa
Here’s a post I wrote last year about how Yuan Xiao is eaten for the Chinese New Year.
Feel free to comment below about foods you eat for the Chinese New Year!
Reevaluating Your New Year’s Resolution – One Month Later – Are You Successful at following it?
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008Have you been following your New Year’s Resolutions successfully? This year, mine concerned taking better care of myself and my family: Trying to fit in more exercise and to improve our diets. Not easy when you have two fussy kids and an even fussier husband!
Well here we are, a month later, so it’s time for a reality check. If you made any resolutions, this might be a good time for you to assess your progress as well. What’s gone well and what hasn’t? Even if you’ve failed to keep your promises to yourself, it’s not too late! You can still put a new plan into action to make the positive changes in your life that you wanted to make last month.
My first resolution was to start an exercise regime. This went pretty well.
One of my challenges was to fit a workout into the busy schedule of a Mom with school age kids. We’re always running to one place or another for different events our children are involved in. All that chauffeuring doesn’t leave much time for physical fitness. So to start, I set the modest goal of working out for a half hour every other day. Even busy moms can generally fit thirty minutes into their crowded schedule every two days.
I chose to use exercise videos since it eliminated all of the extra time spent getting to and from a gym. Also, working out indoors got rid of bad weather being a deterrent to exercising. I bought Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds – 5-Day Fit Walk on DVD. It has 5 different workouts which adds variety to the exercise week. (I got the DVD at my local Target store for about $15.00.)
I’ve been pretty good about keeping up with it, but I haven’t been perfect. A couple of times, I let 2 days go in between workouts, but I decided I wouldn’t let that small failure stop the regime and I went right back to it. The most important thing is to keep exercising throughout the year.
It’s also important not to let yourself get bored. I can already tell that I will have to invest in more DVD’s to keep my interest up.
My second resolution was to cook healthier meals for my family and my third was to try to lose weight. Of course, these are closely related.
The good news is, I’ve successfully lost 5 pounds! Once again, with weight loss, the important point was to stick with it.
Rick Gallop, who created the Glycemic Index Diet, says that it’s not realistic to expect to stay on your diet more than 90% of the time. This philosophy helps you be more human about the whole process. Everyone will have events they go to where they can’t totally control the food they eat. Or it may just be a special occasion where you want to treat yourself. If you allow yourself to go off your regime 10% of the time, it makes it easier to stay on the diet the other 90%.
Also, if you fall off the wagon for a couple of days in a row, don’t crucify yourself for it. Just decide that the past is the past and go back to where you left off.
There are tricks to losing weight. One is that you have to find something that works for you. If you’re really not liking the diet you’re on, try another one. What I like about the diet I’m on, the Glycemic Index Diet, is that you don’t have to starve yourself. So it’s realistic to fit into real life. Starvation diets never work long-term. The focus of the Glycemic Index Diet is to change the way you eat for life.
I’d like to address the subject of cooking healthy food for your family in a separate post – as I have many ideas to float around and this fits in nicely with the topic of preparing healthy foods for kids while they’re at school – which I’d like to address too.
I hope that all of you who made New Year’s Resolutions are having success with them! Feel free to share your experiences with us, if you’d like, in the comments below.
-Mama Lisa
The Party’s Over – It’s New Years Resolution Time!
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008It’s the first week of January, so it’s not too late to start, or even to make, a New Year’s Resolution. I’m trying to make ones that are realistic and that I can stick to. I recommend built in checks over time to make sure you’re sticking to it.
My first resolution is to restart an exercise regime. I’d rather not go to a gym that’s costly and takes up extra time getting there and back. So I’m giving myself one month to get a home work-out routine going with DVD’s. If by February 1st I’m not sticking to the schedule, then I’ll have to join a gym. This way there’s a built in check and motivation – I’d rather not go to a gym!
My second resolution is to cook healthier meals for my family. An important part of parenting is to make sure your kids eat right. The idea is to really change the way we eat. I’d like to consistently choose multigrain products over processed foods. A good step to improve our diets would be eliminating the high-sugared cereals that my kids con me into buying every other week. Cutting red meat consumption down to small portions only once or twice a week is also important. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption is key. Finding ways to make these changes part of the family menu will improve our health as a group.
My third resolution is to lose some weight. With this goal in mind, I’ve been reading a book that my doctor recommended that’s called The Glycemic Index Diet by Rick Gallop. He lays out in simple terms issues like what types of fats are good for you (which is also helping me with my 2nd resolution). Gallop discusses the virtues of choosing foods that your body takes a longer time to break down – like multigrains. He recommends, for weight-loss, that half of each meal be vegetables or fruits, a quarter be protein like meat or fish (though I’ll focus on beans in that category) and the other quarter be grains. This is what I’m going to try to follow for myself to lose some weight.
If you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution, you may want to consider how you can put it into effect in practical ways to be able to achieve it. Build in a check system to make sure you’re following through. Checking back on February 1st is a good start.
Good luck with your Resolution! If you have other ideas for sticking to your plans, feel free to let us know about it in the comments below.
Lisa
UPDATE: Come read about what’s happening 1 month later – some tips to sticking with your New Year’s Resolution – I’m happy to report that I lost 5 pounds in a month!
Symbolic Foods Eaten Around the World for New Years
Saturday, December 29th, 2007In many parts of the world, the foods eaten on New Years Eve and New Years Day have important symbolic meanings. These symbols seem to fall into several major categories.
The first class symbolizes financial prosperity. This type of food is round like coins. Often, the dish will be round beans, like lentils, that will expand when it cooks, symbolizing expanding fortunes. Another financial symbol is food with big green leaves, representing paper money. The green may also be for growth. Foods like this are cabbage, collard greens and kale. Golden colored foods are also good for financial rewards in the New Year.
The second type of New Years food symbol represents the hope of having food on the table throughout the year. Pork is one important symbol of eating well year round. It’s also a sign of prosperity. In the olden times, if your family had a pig, you were doing well!
In some countries, actually having food on your table and/or plates at the stroke of midnight is a sign that you’ll have food throughout the year.
A third symbol involves eating sweet food in order to have a sweet year. In some countries people bake a coin in a sweet cake and the person who gets the coin will have good luck throughout the year. In Spain, Portugal, and parts of South and Central America, 12 sweet grapes, one for each month of the year, are eaten at midnight. The hope is to eat 12 sweet grapes to have 12 sweet months!
Fish is thought to symbolize good luck in many countries.
Another symbol for good luck involves eating food in a ring shape – like doughnuts or ring shaped cakes. This represents coming full circle to successfully complete the year – that’s good luck.
In Japan, long Buckwheat Soba noodles symbolize long life. Just don’t break them while you’re eating them!
Here’s a list of some symbolic food types and the places where they’re eaten for the New Year. Feel free to let us know what’s eaten for New Years in your country, in the comments below.
Round Food (Like Coins for Monetary Luck)
Italy, Brazil & Germany (Lentils)
Germany (Pancakes)
Philippines (Round Fruit)
Southern US (Black-eyed Peas)Green Leafy Vegetables (Like Paper Money for Monetary Luck)
Southern USA (Collard Greens & Turnips)
Denmark (Kale)
Germany (Sauerkraut)Golden Food (Like Gold for Monetary Luck)
Southern USA (Corn Bread)
Pig (Symbol of Plentiful Food in the New Year)
Hungary (Roast suckling pig with a 4 leaf clover in its mouth)
Italy (Cotechino con lenticchie – pork sausage with lentils)
Germany (Kassler mit Sauerkraut – financial luck)
Pennsylvania Dutch (USA – Pork with Sauerkraut)
Austria
ChinaFood on the Table or Plate at Midnight (Symbol of Plentiful Food in the New Year)
Germany
PhilippinesSweets (Symbolic of a Sweet Year or Good Luck)
Hungary (Doughnuts)
Greece (Round cake called Vasilopita – made with a coin baked inside – whoever gets the coin is lucky throughout the year)
Israel (Jewish New Year – Apple dipped in honey & grapes)
India
Egypt (Candy for kids)
Korea (Sweet Fruits)
Norway (Rice Pudding with an almond inside – good luck to the one who gets the almond)12 Grapes at Midnight (Symbolizing 12 Sweet Months)
Spain
Portugal
Mexico
Cuba
Ecuador
PeruRing Shaped Food (Good Luck)
Mexico (Rosca de Reyes – Luck)
Netherlands (Olie Bollen – Doughnut)Fish (Symbol of Good Luck)
Germany (Herring & Carp)
Poland (Pickled Herring)
Denmark (Boiled Cod)
Italy (Dried Salted Cod)
Japan (Red Snapper – Pink is a lucky color)
Vietnam (Carp)
China
Sweden (Seafood Salad)A Happy, Lucky and Prosperous New Year to All of You!
Mama Lisa
Many thanks to Ed Gawlinski for pointing out that they eat lentils in Italy for the New Year, which lead me on this long quest that resulted in this discussion!
An Old Rhyme for the New Year and the Custom of the Quaaltagh
Friday, December 28th, 2007New Years is almost here. I found a rhyme that used to be sung on the Isle of Man. Isle of Man is an island that’s located between Great Britain and Ireland in the Irish Sea. It’s a British crown dependency, but it’s not a part of the UK or the European Union.
The rhyme is associated with a custom called the quaaltagh. The quaaltagh or qualtagh is actually the first person who steps foot into your house on the morning of the New Year. Young men would go from house to house singing the rhyme on New Year’s morning. After singing the rhyme, they’d be invited inside for food and drink. For superstitious reasons, it was important that the boy or man with the darkest complexion enter first – that he be the quaaltagh. It’s considered bad luck for a person with light hair to be the first to enter a house in the New Year.
Here’s the rhyme:
Again we assemble, a merry New Year
To wish to each one of the family here,
Whether man, woman, or girl, or boy,
That long life and happiness all may enjoy;
May they of potatoes and herrings have plenty,
With butter and cheese, and each other dainty;
And may their sleep never, by night or day,
Disturbed be by even the tooth of a flea:
Until at the Quaaltagh again we appear,
To wish you, as now, all a happy New Year.Happy New Year to all of you! Remember on New Year’s morning to have the person with darker hair and complexion enter the house first and be the quaaltagh. It’s considered good luck that way!
-Mama Lisa
Does Anyone Know of Any Easy New Years Songs from Anywhere Around the World?
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007Amanda wrote:
I am an elementary music teacher, and my first graders are doing a show about holiday traditions from around the world. I was wondering if you knew of any EASY songs I could have them sing for the new year celebrations…
Thank you,
Amanda Tafel
If anyone can help out Amanda, please comment below. I’m sure it would be helping a lot of teachers at this time of year.
Thanks!
-Mama Lisa
Recipe for Cheese Fondue
Sunday, January 1st, 2006Every year my husband and I make a delicious Cheese Fondue for New Year’s Eve. Years ago we realized that, after the November/December holiday craze, we’re very happy staying home, making a special meal. When my son was little we would start cooking after he went to bed and have a nice romantic evening.
The year our son was five, it was the eve of the year 2000, and we just had to keep him up for the event. Since then he’s become part of the celebration and so has our four year old daughter. (We make a separate, non alcoholic fondue pot for the kids. It’s delicious too!) We also added going outside at midnight and banging pots and pans, which is the highlight of our son’s night!
Here’s the recipe we like. You can add the brandy or leave it out depending upon your personal preference. It’s excellent either way. We like to dunk 1 ½ inch cubes of Italian bread and 1 inch pieces of thin sausage. The combination is great together!
Cheese Fondue
1 pound mixture of Swiss Cheese (I prefer a mixture of Gruyere and Swiss)
1 cup White Wine (I use Chablis)
1 T. Lemon Juice
2 cloves Garlic
1 ½ T. Flour
Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper
3 T. Brandy or Kirsch (optional)Slice the cloves of garlic in half the long way so the most inner surface is showing. Rub a heavy saucepan with two halves of the garlic for flavoring. Rub the fondue pot with the other two garlic halves.
Grate the cheese and mix with the flour.
Place the wine and the lemon juice in the saucepan over a low heat. Once bubbles start rising to the surface, add a handful of cheese. At this point you can raise the heat to medium. Stir constantly. If the mixture starts boiling, lower the flame.
Once the cheese melts, you can add another handful and so on until all the cheese has been added and is melted.
Add a dash of salt and 2 dashes each of pepper and nutmeg. Mix well. Stir in brandy or kirsch.
Quickly pour mixture into fondue pot and place over Sterno. Eat immediately! Spear bread or sausage with fondue fork, occasionally scraping bottom of pan with bread to keep the bottom from burning. If the cheese starts bubbling, lower flame.
Just beware! If you’re adding the brandy it can go to your head! Over the years, a couple of our guests have passed out on our couch from this meal. But maybe that was when we were younger and added more brandy to our cheese fondue than we do nowadays!
Bon Appétit!
Lisa
Recipe for Lower Fat Eggnog (Cooked first to render eggs safe)
Saturday, December 31st, 2005This recipe takes care of the problem of drinking raw eggs in Eggnog. It also uses 1% low-fat milk instead of cream or half and half, making it less fattening. You cook the milk and eggs to both render the eggs safe and to thicken the milk.
I made it today and it was very yummy!
Recipe for Lower Fat Eggnog
4 Egg Yolks, beaten
4 c. 1% Milk
5 T. Sugar
½ cup plus 2 T. Cream Sherry
NutmegPour beaten egg yolks into a saucepan and add the milk, sugar and 3 or 4 dashes of nutmeg. Mix well. Cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly. (FYI According to The Joy of Cooking, eggs are safe at 140 degrees F.)
Once the mixture is about as thick as light cream (but not quite as thick as half and half) take it off the heat. Put in fridge, stirring occasionally for the first half hour to prevent it from congealing.
Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours till cold. Take out, add the Cream Sherry and stir well.
Serve in glasses with a dash of nutmeg.
Cheers!
Lisa
A Nursery Song about New Year’s Day – “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing By”
Saturday, December 31st, 2005I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing By
I saw three ships come sailing by,
Come sailing by, come sailing by.
I saw three ships come sailing by,
On New Year’s Day in the morning.And what do you think was in them then?
Was in them then, was in them then?
And what do you think was in them then,
On New Year’s Day in the morning?Three pretty girls were in them then,
Were in them then, were in them then.
Three pretty girls were in them then,
On New Year’s Day in the morning.And one could whistle, and one could sing,
And one could play on the violin,
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New Year’s Day in the morning.
A Couple of New Year’s Nursery Rhymes and a Quote by Ben Franklin
Saturday, December 31st, 2005Here are two old nursery rhymes related to the New Year…
He who is born on New Year’s morn
Will have his own way as sure as you were born.***
Married when the year is new,
He’ll be loving, kind and true.***
Here’s a quote from Ben Franklin about the New Year…
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Happy New Year!
Lisa
What People Say at New Year’s Around the World
Saturday, December 31st, 2005I asked Monique of Mama Lisa’s World en français what Spanish speaking people say for the New Year. Here’s what she wrote…
Spanish speaking people generally say Próspero año nuevo (Prosperous New Year) or Feliz año nuevo (Happy New Year). That’s what they say, and that’s what is written on their New Year’s cards.
Please comment below letting me know what you say in your country for New Year’s!
Próspero año Nuevo!
Lisa
What the French Say at New Year’s
Saturday, December 31st, 2005I asked Monique of Mama Lisa’s World en français what French people say at Midnight on New Year’s. Here’s what she wrote…
We don’t sing at the New Year. When it’s midnight, the party being small or big, we go kiss everybody we know saying, Bonne année (have a good year), Bonne année, bonne santé (have a good year and good health) or Meilleurs voeux (best wishes). To people we know better, we say Tout plein de bonnes choses (lots of good things), Plein de bonheur (lots of happiness), and Que tout aille bien (may all go well).
Two single female friends might add Et qu’on se trouve un mec! (May we find a guy!), depending on whether they wish to find themselves a guy or not! (At least, we say that, I don’t know if others do.) I don’t know if two single male friends say, Et qu’on se trouve une nana! (May we find a chick!) to each other, not being a man myself, and knowing that men generally keep this kind of wish to themselves.
People try to phone their family members to wish them a Happy New Year if they know they’re not asleep. But the lines are generally jammed. We usually phone our families during New Year’s Day. And we send a card to people we don’t phone. We generally don’t send Xmas cards, only New Year’s cards, and now, with phones and emails, we do it less and less.
Bonne année, bonne santé et meilleurs vœux !
Lisa
My Mother’s Delicious Eggnog Recipe
Friday, December 30th, 2005This is the Eggnog recipe my mother used when I was growing up. Yummy… Yes! Rich… Yes!
Eggnog
4 Eggs, separated
1/3 cup + 3 T. Sugar
3 c. Milk
2 c. Light or Heavy Cream
¾ c. Cream Sherry
NutmegBeat egg yolk with 1/3 cup sugar till fluffy. Gradually blend in milk, cream and sherry till smooth. Cover bowl and chill for 2 hours.
Beat egg white till foamy, gradually add about 3 T. sugar or to taste.
Float egg white on top of eggnog mixture and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Enjoy! But beware, it’s alcoholic and has raw eggs!
Cheers!
Lisa
Occitan Saying about the End of the Year
Thursday, December 29th, 2005Monique Palomares at Mama Lisa’s World en français sent me this Occitan saying about the end of the year. (Occitan was the language of the Troubadours.)…
“Per santa Luça lo jorn creis d’un pè de puça, per Nadal d’un pè de gal, per l’An Nòu d’un pè de buòu.”
“For St. Lucy, the day lengthens by a flea’s pace, for Christmas by a rooster’s pace, for New Year’s by an ox’s pace.”
Monique wrote, “…this saying was true before Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar on October 15th 1582. At that time St. Lucy’s was on December 23th (after the solstice). On December 23rd, the sun sets 1 minute later than on December 21st. On December 25th the sun sets two minutes later and on January 1st it sets eight minutes later (at 50° North latitude).
Many thanks to Monique and Mr. Palomares for this Occitan saying.
Come visit the Mama Lisa’s World Occitan Page for Occitan songs.
A Baked Brie Recipe That’s Delicious for Any Occasion
Wednesday, December 28th, 2005Here’s a delicious, easy recipe for baked brie that will wow your guests. It would be great for New Year’s Eve, but really, your guests will be happy to be served this on any occasion.
Cranberry Apple Baked Brie
2 T. Maple Syrup
1 T. Unsalted Butter, melted
1 small Gala Apple, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1/3 cup sliced Almonds
1/3 cup dried sweetened Cranberries
1 pound Brie WheelPreheat oven to 350˚. Set aside 1/3 cup apple and 2 T. almonds for top. Split brie horizontally.
Mix syrup and melted butter. Toss remaining apples, almonds and ¼ c. cranberries with 1 ½ T. syrup mixture. Spoon mixture over open half of the brie wheel. Cover with top of brie. (Of course, the rind should be on the outside.)
Cover outside top of brie wheel with remaining syrup. Arrange almonds around edge, then make in inner circle of cranberries and arrange remaining apples in the center.
Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, till warm inside. Serve with crackers.
I made this recipe yesterday and it was a real hit! The combination of the apples and cranberries with the brie is really superb.
Many thanks to my sister Gwen for the recipe and diagram.
Bon Appétit!
Lisa
“Auld Lang Syne” for New Year’s Eve
Monday, December 26th, 2005Auld Lang Syne is the most popular New Year’s Eve song in the English speaking world and elsewhere. Guy Lombardo began the tradition of ringing in the new year with the tune in 1929. He and his band played it on the radio and then counted down till midnight. Every year from then till 1976 Lombardo played it for the occasion, on the radio and later on TV.
Originally, dating back at least to the 1600’s, Auld Lang Syne was a Scottish folk song. Then around 1788, the Scotch poet Robert Burns added two verses and his friend George Thompson put Burn’s lyrics to the tune of another Scottish song The Miller’s Wedding. That’s the version we hear today.
Below are the lyrics to the popular short version of Auld Lang Syne and the longer version based on the Robert Burns Poem, with explanations of the meanings of the Scottish words plus an mp3 recording.
Auld Lang Syne (literally Old Long Since, meaning Old or Way Long Ago)
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne?(Chorus)
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.And there’s a hand my trusty fiere (friend),
And gie’s (give us) a hand o’ thine
We’ll take a right guid-willie (good will) waught (drink),
For auld lang syne.(Chorus)
Here’s the longer version of Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns (1759-1796)…
MP3 of Auld Lang Syne by Ruth Golding
Auld Lang Syne
by Robert BurnsShould auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days of auld lang syne?(Chorus)
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syneWe twa (two) hae (have) run about the braes (hillsides)
And pu’d (pulled) the gowans (daisies) fine;
We’ve wander’d mony (many) a weary foot
Sin’ auld lang syne(Chorus)
We twa hae paidled (waded) i’ the burn (brook),
Frae mornin’ sun till dine (noon);
But seas between us braid (broad) hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne(Chorus)
And there’s a hand my trusty fiere (friend),
And gie’s (give us) a hand o’ thine
We’ll take a right guid-willie (good will) waught (drink),
For auld lang syne.(Chorus)
And surely ye’ll be (pay for) your pint-stowp (about a 3 pint cup)!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.(Chorus)
Happy New Year’s!
Lisa
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Copyright ©2009 by Lisa Yannucci. All rights reserved.
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