New Year's Celebration Food Quiz + Champagne Cocktail Recipe

Chances are many of us – RVers or not – are busy preparing for our New Year’s Eve celebration. If you are staying in, perhaps you are planning a buffet or intimate gathering. Going out? Maybe you’ve been asked to bring an appetizer or dessert. Either way, enjoy this nifty New Year's Celebration Food Quiz…guaranteed to stir up good party conversation. (Champagne cocktail recipe half way down the quiz.) Give it a go and see how you fare:

1. What traditional food do Asians eat on New Year’s Day?

a. snow peas
b. long noodles
c. wonton soup

2. Which of the following is not eaten to symbolize a financially prosperous New Year?

a. cabbage
b. lentils
c. chicken

3. In Mt Olive, NC New Year's is ushered in with a New Year’s Eve _______ Drop

a. pickle
b. green olive
c. sweet potato

4. In what country is it customary to leave a little bit of each food on your plate past midnight to guarantee a stocked pantry in the New Year?

a. Germany
b. Italy
c. Australia

5. If you're superstitious, which of the following would you avoid eating on New Year's?

a. lobster
b. steak
c. fish

6. What fruit do New Year's revelers in Spain eat at the stroke of midnight?

a. oranges
b. grapes
c. pears

7. A traditional way to ward off evil spirits at the stroke of midnight:

a. eat a bug
b. bang pots and pans together
c. go to bed at 11:59pm

Before we get to the answers, here's a simple and elegant champagne cocktail - 3 parts champagne and one part fabulous fruit juice such as pomegranant, cranberry or peach. If desired, sweeten it up by dropping a sugar cube in the bottom of the glass before gently pouring. 

Okay, let's see how you did:

1. b - In Asian celebrations, long noodles are eaten to bring long life...but don't break the noodle before it's completely in your mouth!

2. c - Chickens scratch backwards, which could cause regret or dwelling on the past. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

3. a - Yep, a Pickle Drop! Check out more oddball items dropped in the name of New Year's here.  

4. a - This German tradition is thought to guarantee a stocked pantry in the New Year.

5. a - Sure the backwards walking lobster might signify regression but if it's offered I'm so there.

6. b - Spaniards traditionally eat 12 grapes at midnight - one for each month of the New Year. The tradition began in 1909 as a way to consume the grape surplus in the Alicante region.

7. b - Making noise - banging pots and pans together - is believed to scare away bad luck and evil spirits. Plus, it's lots of fun...only on New Year's!

Happy New Year's to my terrific RV, camping and cooking friends. Here's to a tasty 2011!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

http://www.rvcookingshow.com/  


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Get Your (Complimentary) ifood.tv Thanksgiving eCookbook

Looking for even more Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks? Just in time for the big day, RV Cooking Show friends ifood.tv have put together this complimentary Thanksgiving eCookbook chock full of delicious dishes, lovely libations and terrific tips to make your Thanksgiving meal an event!


ifood.tv Thanksgiving eCookbook


Click on the image to be taken to the ifood.tv eCookbook page where you can browse the holiday cookbook or download a copy for yourself.

Whether you're cooking in your RV kitchen or inside sticks and bricks, you're sure to pick up an "ah-ha" here.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the RV Cooking Show!

Evanne

PS - Sharp-eyed fans might just spy the RV Cooking Show Crockpot Turkey Breast recipe inside!


RV Cooking Show Thanksgiving Recipes

It's good...very good...delicious, in fact! Direct from our RV kitchen, your RV Cooking Show friends are delighted to deliver our annual Thanksgiving show - Aunt Lucy's Thanksgiving Stuffing & 3 Hidden Gem National Parks/Monuments. This is the stuffing that I grew up loving and look forward to it every single year. Watch the RV TV episode, visit our website for tips and tricks (about the recipe as well as RV travel tips), print your own copy of the RV recipe and enjoy! But a word of caution...watching this RV video might make you want to go RVing!!



Watch previous Thanksgiving episodes, too. Check out Crockpot Turkey Breast (I’ll be making this next week), Gourmet Trash Can Turkey (for those with plenty of non-flammable space in their yard or driveway), and Mom’s Famous Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce (ranked a top YouTube video across the globe! Mom would be proud!!).

Good food, good treats, good gosh, let’s eat!!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show

MORE Six Words About Your RV Life

With the summer/fall RV travel season coming to a close we thought it would be fun to resurrect a very popular blog post from last September...Six Words About Your RV Life. It's a challenge to travelers everywhere to sum up your RV adventures, desires, experiences and dreams in just six words.

Here's a link to the original post...enjoy reading about the project, amuse yourself by checking out all of the really entertaining 6 word comments and make up your own RV memoirs. Add your 6 RV words (or several sets of 6 RV words) on the original blog post so we can keep a running conversation around this virtual campfire.

Happy travels. See you in cyberspace. (See, 6 words can work wonders!)

Evanne
http://www.rvcookingshow.com/

http://rvcookingshow.blogspot.com/2009/09/six-words-about-your-rv-life.html
PS - We've already had some wonderful 6 RV word comments in this round...plus Facebook fans leaving some goodies on the RV Cooking Show Facebook page...check that out, too and "Like" us if you will...it's delicious!

Visit / RV Las Vegas for Business or Pleasure

For many industries it is convention season and it turns out Las Vegas is a hot spot this year for many of my working friends. And what’s not to love about “visiting” Vegas for business or pleasure (or maybe even a little of both), huh? Flush with cash or watching your pennies, play your cards right and you can’t lose.

While you might have read that Las Vegas is not the free fun playground it used to be, I disagree. Sure, there are plenty of upscale places to dine, triple-digit show tickets, and spa adventures of a lifetime – and if you can swing it I recommend splurging at least once – but there are just as many low or no cost ways to get a lot of bang for your buck.

Remember, LV is desert – be on the safe side and bring a jacket or sweater. Even if it’s not cold outside (and it does cool considerably in the evenings) the a/c is usually blasting inside. And please, don’t forget the camera!

Whether you’ve driven your RV the distance to check this trip off your bucket list, you love the bright lights, or you’re in town for seminars and Expos get out, stretch your legs, and take in all the glitter and glitz! Here’s a short list of some of my favorite free (or almost free) things to see and do in when I’m RVing in LV:

On the famous Las Vegas Strip:

• Bellagio Conservatory and Fountains
• M&M World 3-D Movie and Store – near the MGM
• Mirage Volcano – revamped in 2009 and pretty cool
• Masquerade Parade in the Sky – Rio All Suite – for a fee you can be in the parade!
• Star Trek Experience – Hilton (check out their gift shop)
• Forum Shops at Caesars Palace – free show at the fountains
• Auto Collection – Imperial Palace – free coupons online
• MGM Lion Habitat
• Flamingo Wildlife Habitat – and catch the Bugsy Siegel Memorial on the grounds, too
• Penske Wynn Ferrari Maserati dealership - $10 (but reportedly worth it)
• Welcome to LV sign
• Wander around inside the casinos and you’ll find an amazing abundance of interesting things to feast your eyes upon…seahorses, frescoed ceilings, aquariums, city skylines, and more.  

Off the Strip:

• Fremont Street – go at night to see the light show (visit the Golden Gate Casino for their famous .99 shrimp cocktail)
• Neon Museum - along Fremont Street – a terrific walk through Las Vegas history
• Bass Pro Shops – in the Silverton across I-15
• Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden – especially nice all decorated for Christmas
• Red Rock State Park –my favorite Las Vegas place to get away from all the bells and whistles

I recently learned that the Liberace Museum will be closing on October 17, 2010 – if you get a chance and have a few extra bucks ($15/person) don’t miss it.

Eatery “Museums”:

• Hard Rock Café
• Harley-Davidson Café
• House of Blues
• NASCAR Café
• Planet Hollywood
• Rainforest Café

Please note this is nowhere near a complete listing of what Las Vegas has to offer. Hop online and explore for more:

Find more information and other fun LV things to do at this useful website: Vegas.com

Pick up on Las Vegas’ Top Ten Values – changes monthly – direct from the Las Vegas Advisor

Check out some Las Vegas cheap eats here

Looking for same day discounted show tickets? Try Tix4Tonight (they also have dining discounts)

I usually stay at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort – just south of the strip but people also enjoy the Circus-Circus KOA – both are super convenient to all the happenings on the strip

Watch my RV Cooking Show - Grilled Pizza and Las Vegas episode

Regardless of the purpose of your Vegas trip have a ball...it's all there for you to enjoy!

Evanne
RV Cooking Show