Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is the African-American holiday honoring family, community, and culture.
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In many parts of the United States, the New Year’s Day meal includes black-eyed peas, which is believed to bring good luck, and cabbage, a symbol of wealth.
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Did you know that lady’s fingers is another name for okra? Dating back to the early 20th century, that name was originally applied to a small variety of okra. Prior to that time, around the 17th century, the kidney vetch, with small thin flowers said to resemble a small hand laid claim to being called “lady’s fingers” but by the late 19th century the name was applied to varieties of potatoes, apples, bananas and grapes. Many have gone by the wayside, but the lady’s fingers’ name is still associated with okra, and of course, the small, finger-shaped sponge cake.
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Aside from being National Fried Shrimp Day (celebrated by my son on a daily basis here in New Orleans), this is also the day that the “New York World” published the first crossword puzzle. Foodie crossword fans will love the food themed puzzles on www.foodreference.com

Today is National Sangria Day. Use up those extra bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau that are lying about and probably not great drinking anymore, to whip up a killer Sangria. Add fresh and gorgeously seasonal orange and other citrus (juice and slices) and some pomegranate juice concentrate to kick up your favorite Sangria recipe. If fresh pomegranates are still around, the seeds are a beautiful addition as well.

The feast of the Epiphany, also called Twelfth Day because it falls on the twelfth day after Christmas, officially ends the Christmas season and signifies the beginning of the season of Carnival. In New Orleans, the Twelfth Night Revelers, an organization that officially opens the Carnival season, presents a tableau ball each year, during which their queen is chosen. The maskers lead their partners to the King Cake. Slices in small boxes are obtained by the debutants as they parade around. Whoever has the slice of cake in which the golden bean is hidden is declared the queen for the evening.
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In the Twelfth Century European it was customary on Christmas Eve to fire the hearth with an enormous log of freshly cut wood called the “Yule log.” Carried to the house with great fanfare, this giant log was sprinkled with oil, salt and mulled wine then laid in the fireplace to burn. Yule logs eventually migrated from the fireplace to the table as a center-piece decoration and then evolved into the delicious rolled cake, smothered in icing and decorated with sugar paste holly leaves and meringue mushrooms, that we know and devour today.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, hot dogs are a quintessential American food, beloved by children and adults. All beef or pork, grilled, boiled or fried, wrapped plain or poppy-seed bun, loaded with mustard relish and onion or chili and cheese, the hot dog is the ultimate in versatility - even vegatrians can have their frank and eat it too.
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The Sazerac cocktail, a popular New Orleans concoction, is an ideal sipping drink, and easy to make.
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It’s a fruit with the color of a sunset, yet its skin is leathery and on the whole, it is oddly shaped. What is this fruit - a pomegranate and the season is now.
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