Tomorrow is 2012.  I stopped making resolutions long ago, but a little tiny bit of me wants to hang on some New Year’s traditions, so today I am concentrating on “lucky” foods.

I started with making some homemade turkey stock.  The bargain lover in me is thrilled with the idea that homemade chicken/turkey stock is essentially repurposed refrigerator garbage.

Turkey Stock

Today’s stock was made with turkey necks and innards leftover from Thanksgiving.  I froze them thinking I’d throw them out on the next trash day, and kept forgetting them.  I realized today I needed some fresh veggies for my various New Year’s experiments, so after a trip to the Kansas City City Market, it was time to clean out the crisper trays in the fridge to make room.  The limp celery, sprouting onion, dried out carrot and frozen turkey necks have been turned into turkey broth that will be incorporated into a Lentil Soup and some Spicy Black-Eyed Peas.  I follow the basic recipe here:  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-chicken-stock/detail.aspx

Can I just say I love the City Market?  I love the City Market.  14 dollars and I had a trunk full of freshness, including 20 pounds of potatoes, napa cabbage, peppers of various colors and sizes and a bunch of other stuff.  I couldn’t pass up the potatoes, even though I am seriously considering the “no whites” diet in the new year.  Okay, not “seriously”, but thinking about it.  Sort of.  I’ll have to make use of my potatoes first.

Back to my New Year’s menu.  The Spicy Black-Eyed Peas are in the crockpot.  I hate black-eyed peas.  Always have.  But for the last few New Year’s, for various reasons, I have attempted to make black-eyed peas I can get behind.  Today’s trial has a diced jalapeno and some ground cumin and cayenne.  If I like it, I’ll post the recipe.  It smells pretty awesome so far.

Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

Lentils are next.  I’ve never eaten lentils, let alone cooked, them, but I got what I needed at the Middle Eastern shop at the City Market for less than a buck.

From a failed summer experiment trying to replicate Panda Express Chow Mein, I have a box full of Shandong Ramen Noodles that tomorrow I will turn into Chicken Chow Mein using the napa cabbage.  I happened to see a piece on The Perfect 3 today, on the Cooking Channel, so I think I can manage the Chow Mein.  More pics to follow.

Lentil Soup

This is me.  I cook, lots.  I sew, weird things.  I’m excited to share.

Red and Brown Lentils