Just about every year of my life that I can remember my Mother or I have prepared a pork roast with sauerkraut with mashed potatoes.

We've also had stuffed cabbages in the past, but the pork roast and sauerkraut is critical for good luck in the coming year!

Collards (or "greens"), black eyed peas and ham hocks are the traditional New Years dinner and I would serve those...along with plenty of other things that are more palatable to a crowd.

Collard greens represent folded money, according to the website linked below. At the end of the article, I read what Not to eat on NYD.
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What Not to Eat

In addition to the aforementioned lucky foods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a bad idea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks. Chicken is also discouraged because the bird scratches backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

Now that you know what to eat, there's one more superstition�that is, guideline�to keep in mind. In Germany, it's customary to leave a little bit of each food on your plate past midnight to guarantee a stocked pantry in the New Year. Likewise in the Philippines, it's important to have food on the table at midnight. The conclusion? Eat as much lucky food as you can, just don't get too greedy�or the first place you'll be going in the new year is the gym.

Here is a link that might be useful: More on what to serve.

I grew up in the North, so had the pork roast, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, and black-eyed peas for good luck. When I moved to the South it was tweaked a little. Often it is pork ribs, or pork chops instead of the pork roast. And the kraut gives way to greens, to bring money. But the black-eyed peas appear to be a nationwide symbol of good luck!

If you're not up on your greens cookin', might I recommend "Glory" brand canned greens. They have mustard, collard and mixed greens. I get the mixed and doctor it with a bit of sugar/splenda and a bit of cayenne pepper.

Great inspirations. I think I will do some greens. I usually use turkey bacon to start my greens as it makes the whole greens thing alot healthier. However, the pork seems to be a pretty significant item on the NYD list of must haves!

Any crowd dessert ideas? Golddust, the link is great, but those pecan cookies that look simply to die for, yield 18 per batch? Will try them one night when we aren't having guests!

One meal I like on NYD, is a sub sandwich bar with all the fixings, and all types of appetizers, hot and cold. From hot bbq'd weenies, sweet and sour meatballs, 7 layered Mexican dip, more dips, chips, etc. This way people can eat when and what they want and leave the hostess pretty much free to mix and mingle!

For hot sandwiches, tell your guests they can microwave their sandwiches on high, for 30 seconds. Can you tell I have that down pat? lol

Have various sliced cheeses in case there are any vegetarians.

And most definitely, a hot steaming bowl of Black-eyed Peas!

Foods vary from one part of the country to another. I come from the midwest where sauerkraut and pork was always part of the New Year's Day menu.

Here in the south it's black eyed peas and greens. I figure greens cover a lot of territory, so some years it's cole slaw or Swiss chard. Not crazy about any greens that have to be cooked a long time to be edible.

You might post on the Cooking forum for more ideas. Usually no shortage there.

oakley - while I love deli food, I am going for a more dinner-like meal.

natal - I've never had black eyed peas. The greens I love and have done them enough that I feel confident doing them for a crowd.

I am thinking pork roast seems simple enough to do for a crowd!

Hoppin John is supposed to be traditional NYD food in the south. It's supposed to bring luck. I made Hoppin John and pomegranate martinis (pomegranates are supposed to be lucky too) a couple years ago for NYD. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and they were both good.

I also found this saying about serving rice and peas on New Year's Day- "Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year. Rice for riches and peas for peace."

1 January is my birthday, so two things are "musts" - champagne and Grand Marnier souffle. The meal is usually a late brunch. It includes a green salad and sometimes a fruit salad. The following favorites require a single utensil or are finger-food.

nuts and olives
ham and honey mustard on tiny homemade biscuits
duck salad in crispy wanton cups

seafood crepes
portobello mushroom caps as a base for cubes of Yukon golden and sweet potatoes, leeks, garlic, olive oil, flaked fresh salmon (good without the fish, too).
asparagus strudel (can be made vegan)

If you want to serve lentils, I suggest the lentil soup from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas.

Yogacat, what time should I come?

Work, buy a few cans of Ranch Style Black-eyed Peas, and just heat them up. They're delicious and we eat them all year long. Ranch is the best brand.

But I'd definitely serve the peas because a lot of people will probably want to eat them even if they don't like it.

I have Collard Greens on my grocery list. I hope they come in a can. :)

Here in New Mexico it's tradition to serve tamales and Posole, a pork, chile & hominy soup that usually has red chile pods added to it while it cooks. We put out bowls of red and green chile sauces to top it with. I'll start mine tomorrow morning, as it cooks all day. Tamales are served with a homemade red or green chile sauce . . . or both, which we call "Christmas". DH has a patient who makes us fabulous homemade tamales. I make my own chile sauces. We serve this dinner with fresh warm flour tortillas and a chilled garbanzo bean salad, whose recipe I got from the famous Shed restaurant on the Plaza in Santa Fe. For dessert, homemade vanilla-ginger ice cream and my biscochito (BIZ-co-CHEE-toe) cookies. All very traditionally New Mexican and all so delicious!
Lynn

Please please, eat black-eyed peas fresh! They can turn a black-eyed pea hater into a lover!

Lynn, you mentioned the Posole before in another thread and it sounded really good to me. I looked it up and found so many different variations of the recipe I couldn't figure out which way to go. Can you post your recipe or give an idea of what to look for in a good recipe?

Kellyeng: I'd be glad to post my posole recipe for you. I don't want to hijack this thread, so give me a few minutes while I start a new thread and type it there.
Lynn

Kelly, of course fresh black-eyed peas are better, like any bean/veggie is. But the Ranch Style peas are excellent. They're not a bean that's hard to like.

I cook both fresh and use canned when I don't have time to simmer a pot all day. We have a fresh hamhock in the freezer that I'm saving for ham and pinto beans. Yum!

Oakley, I don't think fresh black-eyed peas take long to cook. You're probably thinking of dried.

I buy Trappey's seasoned with jalapeno. They're ok, but far from my favorite legume.

Black eyed peas and rice, and this year I'm grilling cabbage with butter and garlic, a new twist. Cornbread and iced tea, of course.

That's interesting about food items NOT to eat.

Oakley: hamhocks in pinto beans with chowchow; sliced fresh garden tomatoes; corn bread; fried (fresh)okra and iced sweet tea . . . not what we eat on New Years Day, but my all-time favorite "Oklahoma meal" that my sweet MIL taught me to make for DH many years ago. Love, love, love it!
Lynn

This happened to be in the Chic Sun Times today.
I need to find a pair of red and yellow undies for good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: A taste for New Year' Luck

Fresh black-eyed peas are in the produce dept and pretty plentiful this time of year. Just put in a pot with some water and simmer for 15 minutes.

I can't wait for the yummy New Year's Day comfort food!

lynn, exhange the pinto beans for fried pork chops, and THAT is my favorite meal!!

Another black eyed peas and collard greens!