Starting the Year off Right with an Instant Pot of Beans

This year, Hubby gave me an Instant Pot for Christmas. I gotta tell you, I had real mixed emotions when I opened that gift. Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to get something new to cook with. But at the same time, I was leary. I’ve never used a pressure cooker of any kind.

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A Brunch to Start the New Year in Style

One of the best things about living in Las Vegas has got to be New Year’s Eve. Even the local stay in hotels on the strip. Not only are the parties fairly wild, but the next day the brunch buffets are to-die-for. While I don’t miss the insanity of the strip on New Year’s Eve, I do miss the luxury of their upscale New Year’s Day Brunch.

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Cooking up a Big Pot of Smoked Ham Bone and Beans

Seems like I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing lately. But then I always get emotional during the holidays. I’m not sure if it’s the result of exhaustion or missing those who have gone home to heaven ahead of us or just the waves of fond memories of holidays past. All I know is that the Holidays bring out a mixture of joy and sorrow with just a pinch of anxiety for good measure.

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My New Year’s Day Cheater’s Chili

mt-charleston-nevada-2Every New Year’s Day I like to make a big pot of beans. In years gone by, it was a big pot of Pink Beans with hunks of left-over Christmas Ham. While a lot of people were dining on honey ham or glazed spiral ham for their Christmas Supper, back in the day I had to have a good smoked ham because I knew the bone and scraps of meat would end up in a pot of beans come New Year’s Day. We had a family tradition back then – a day at Mount Charleston building our New Year’s Snowman and sipping hot chocolate, then home again to snuggle up to a big pot of beans with warm cornbread that evening.

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