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I open my doors and windows five minutes before midnight and sweep the old year out. Then I invite the new year in with a new broom.

Shortly after the first footer will knock on my door with gifts:

-a piece of coal or in my case a stick of wood for a warm hearth

-bread and salt for all in the house to be fed adequately

-a coin for financial prosperity

-and a bottle of whiskey for good cheer!

Then we all toast.

Slaínte!

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Happy New Year! Thank you for the butcher story. Here in the Chicago area we trust Joseph’s Finest Meats on Addison Street for delicious kinds of everything, with friendly conversation and cooking advice as an added bonus. It’s such a pleasure to visit a shop that not only understands what they sell, but also offers superb and pleasant customer service.

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Usually my mom and I share a bottle of prosecco and a pot of fondue on NYE, but this year I decided on a more complete meal instead. But a bottle of Trader Joe's sparkling wine is in the fridge, something they're calling Los Carneros, which means an overrun from a place like Domaine Chandon, so very special!

My sole New Year's Day traditions are to watch the Rose Parade and read one book cover to cover.

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I have to admit I was thinking dessert first--but hey that is food!

Happy New Year! Hugs for Bosco 🐕‍🦺🐾

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How delightful the Pork Store sounds, with such a gracious proprietor, I am sure your feast will be amazing! I will be burning sage and opening a window at midnight to hopefully usher out the ick and bring the new year in fresh. May justice prevail in 2024. 💙

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Happy New Year 2024! I made vanilla kipferln and tried the Carnation brand chocolate fudge recipe. OMG, both are so good. I don't have a set food for New Year's, but some people I know used to have pork and sauerkraut. I probably should have prepared that...maybe next year.

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Happy New Year to you as well. Thanks for all the recipes, interesting tidbits, and gratuitous dog photos of Bosco, as Audacity of Goats would say. Your commentaries and food help make these strange times we live in, a bit brighter.

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My grandmother always put some loose change outside the door so money could find its way into the house. I still do it every New Year’s Eve.

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Happy New Year to you! I’m looking for a keto pizza dough recipe that doesn’t taste like cardboard for Super Bowl Sunday. Over the holiday I heard from a friend who had such bad news, I counted my blessings. Onward to 2024.

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Happy New Year to you and your family. It's *always* about the food. Food is community, connection, nostalgia, and comfort. Extra hug for Bosco.

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Also, my mother made a herring salad, which included beets, to eat at midnight so we would not run out of money in the New Year!

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The German marzipan Geldscheissers and pink pig took me back to my childhood in the German neighborhood of Ridgewood, straddling the Brooklyn/Queens borderline in NYC. Thanks so much, Marissa and Happy New Year!!!

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I am starting the new year with a very sick 12 year old pug, my heart child. Please pray for her that she recovers. All the emergency Veterinary Clinics are on holiday day hours. And my daughter is my veterinarian who thinks I am getting senile.

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We usually have lasagne on New Year’s Day and ham with all the fixin’s on NYE. This year, for no good reason, we’re switching the two. All the grandkids are here, so puzzles, games and lego/magna-tile building activities will abound.

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Thank you, Marissa! I look forward to another year of your posts and wonderful recipes. I finally found taste buds and tummies to share them with so can and will bake away! Happy New Year and many blessings to you and your loved ones!!

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Hope you and yours have the best possible 2024, Marissa!!!!

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