Is sausage and cabbage/kraut supposed to bring good luck? That's the first I heard of it, here yesterday. We had spareribs. Will pork bring us luck, or does it have to be sausage? Beans and oven potatoes with the ribs.

New Years Day is always prime rib for us, au jus, baked potato, salad or vegetable. I don't invite anyone, plan it just for the two of us, but if someone stops by that's OK too. We keep New Year's Eve quiet the last few years, the bigger parties don't appeal to me any more - we rarely stay up to ring in the new year:) We went to the same party year after year, now looking back I can't think why. Lots of our friends always there, at a private club, there would be music, dancing, lots of drinks and only nuts, chips for food. No other food with all those drinks, and somehow it became fight night, someone in our group always had a major end of year blowout, not always the same couple. Probably tired, stress, too much alcohol - it stopped being fun and we stopped going. I understand they've added a buffet in recent years, we still don't go.

I don't purchase much plastics but you can't avoid packaging. Most likely depends on the factory and how they deal with it off the run-rack. If they put the snug lid on to test the fit and package then ship it that way i bet some big off-gassing happens. That 'new car' smell. My Jeep was new off the lot but the top was down that summer. : ) All other cars recently have been a year or two old, new to us. A recent vacuum stunk out of box as parts were in bags. New lids for my pyrex containers did not stink but were not in sealed packaging. (so glad they offer replacement lids). I ran them through the dishwasher as i do any new arrival for the kitchen. I lives for a while near a small factory that made rubber/plastic tubs, the cheap ones with the rope handles. Bright colors. That stunk passing by. A bleach rinse is a great solution. I don't use much of it but always have it. I do a usual daily spray with vinegar and a big one with bleach when needed... Charcoal, the natural chunks for the grill, is in the truck right now behind the seats on the floor. Gets that 'doggy' scent out in no time.

Update Xpost: I had checked back with my mother about all the possibilities. She had washed her hands and hadn't used a different dish soap. She is a very basic cook, so she had no cilantro/coriander in her kitchen. (I don't like the taste of cilantro, so I'd considered the possibility that she picked up the wrong spice tin.) I'd placed a few soda crackers in the pie taker, after I'd washed it and let it air out for a few days, just to see if they absorbed any odor or taste, but other than being stale I couldn't detect a difference. Yesterday was again family dinner Sunday, and the pies were back to normal (delicious). I had leftover cherry pie for breakfast this morning, and the apple pie must have been equally as good, because it disappeared before I had any. She brought the pies in her wooden tote, and I kept the cherry pie under a glass cover. If she uses the pie takers again, it will be for transport only, not for storage. Thanks again to all who replied.