happy 2013!

our table setting for 2013 New Year's eve dinner

It was another quiet evening for me and my husband as we welcomed the New Year at home with a few of our favorite foods. Empanadas (shown below) can be complicated and labor intensive but for special celebrations like New Year, it was worth making it. The ground beef filling called picadillo may be made ahead and refrigerated for up to two days. Traditionally, in the Philippines, we add diced potatoes, carrots and peas to the cooked ground beef and spice it up with paprika then cook it all together in tomato sauce.

empanadas with Spanish flavors and spices

Instead of some traditional Filipino New Year's eve food that I like to cook in the past, these collard greens rolls (above) which I made several times for dinner last year, was a healthy alternative.

Tikoy (above) a steamed rice cake introduced to Filipinos by the Chinese, is traditionally served and eaten on special occasions and celebrations for good luck and prosperity. My cousin shared the recipe with me sometime last year and I have been making it since.

New Year's eve baked ham

Festive ham to complete our New Year's eve dinner and a toast to 2013! 

Happy New Year!