Do you do the same thing every New Year’s Eve?

We do. But only for the last 35 years or so, so we’re beginning to get the hang of it.

My cousins, brother and sister-in-law will be coming for dinner.

It’s always the same schedule and dinner but we don’t think it’s boring because after years and years of trying this and that, we figured out what we like to eat and to do.

For example, we all know we like roast beef, except Eileen, for whom I will make a chicken breast her favorite way: baked until it’s really really dead and all the juices knocked out of it.

I used to do try a new dish every so often on New Year’s eve. They were mostly fine. But we all still joke about the time, many years ago, when I made the infamous Beef Stroganoff, which was really horrible.

So why not, on this one occasion, just cook something tried and true that happens also to be delicious and everyone (but one) likes and we also rarely get to eat — if ever— during the rest of the year?

Besides it’s also important to make stuff that won’t leave me with too much preparing, serving and cleaning. I want to enjoy the evening too.

We’ll start at 2:00 p.m. with cocktails or wine and hors d’oeuvre, all pre-made, either to serve cold or just pop in the oven. Like cheeseballs (recipe posted yesterday) and smoked fish canapes, gougeres and scallion pancakes.

Dinner will start at 8. Roast beef; one really really dead chicken breast plus a vegetable and ALWAYS Sauteed Potatoes with Rosemary because my cousin Neil loves them and it wouldn’t be New Year’s with that side dish.

Here’s the recipe for those potatoes, which you can pre-cook, up to a point, a day or two before.

Sauteed Crispy Potatoes with Rosemary

18 “new” or small Red Bliss potatoes

lightly salted water

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and peel them when they are cool enough to handle. Cut each potato in half. Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the potatoes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes, turning them from time to time. Sprinkle the rosemary into the pan and cook for another 5-15 minutes or until as crispy as you like them. May be reheated in a preheated 425 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. Makes 6 servings

Remember Cheese Balls?

Maybe your mother or grandmother (or you) made them once-upon-a-time? They were popular in the 1950s, right up there with Deviled Eggs and Franks-in-blankets. But those two items never went out of style. Especially Franks-in-blankets, the downscale hors d’oeuvre people like to sneer at but are always the first to be gobbled at any gathering.

Anyway, Cheeseballs didn’t hang on the way the other two nibbles did. 

Maybe it’s nostalgia for some lost, long-ago time, but Cheeseballs are back in style. They’re a terrific hors d’oeuvre for New Year’s or any kind of cocktail party or with before-dinner drinks. They’re easy to make and extremely versatile — add herbs, spices, chopped fruits or vegetables; use different kinds of cheeses, roll them in different coatings for a better visual effect: bread crumbs, crushed nuts, chopped parsley, paprika, crushed peppercorns and what have you. 

And if you think Cheeseballs are, well, too cheesy for your guests, make them smaller and call them truffles.

After all, what’s in a name?

Cheese Truffles

8 ounces blue cheese

8 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces fresh pineapple, finely chopped, including juices

2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno or serrano pepper

sea salt, seasoned salt or Adobo seasoning to taste

chopped nuts, chopped parsley, paprika, breadcrumbs

Mash the blue cheese, cream cheese, pineapple and jalapeno pepper together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Season to taste if desired with sea salt, seasoned salt or Adobo seasoning. Shape the mixture into small balls about 1-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in one or more of the toppings. Makes about 4 dozen

Aren’t these beautiful? They’re kumquats, which I mentioned yesterday. They’re small, oval and bitter and most people don’t like them raw. But they’re good stuff when you cook them. Kumquat chutney is a real winner. Goes very well with roasted chicken, turkey or lamb, so you can use it as a special little side dish for New Year’s dinner if you’re entertaining at home.

You can also use it as an hors d’oeuvre: serve it with mascarpone cheese, cream cheese or Brie and crackers. 

Kumquat-Date Chutney

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon anise seeds

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

6 whole cloves

1 2-inch cinnamon stick

1 cup sliced, deseeded kumquats

8 large Medjool dates, halved

1/2 cup raisins or dried cherries

1-1/4 cups orange or tangerine juice

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger

Place the mustard seeds and anise seeds in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool slightly, then place the seeds in a small muslin spice bag (or use a few layers of cheesecloth) with the peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon stick (fold the cheesecloth over the spices and secure with string or a plastic bag tie). Place the spice bag in the pan. Add the kumquats, dates, raisins, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar and ginger. Bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, stir and simmer the ingredients for 35-40 minutes or until the chutney is thick. Let cool. Remove the spice bag. Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Thats what the old ad sort of says (okay, the ad had to do with Levy’s Jewish rye bread, but it’s the same sentiment).

And it’s true about latkes. Everyone loves at least one kind. And although most people think potato when they hear the word, latkes actually come in a variety of flavors and ingredients. The word latke just means pancake or fritter, so you could make them with shredded vegetables like zucchini or with sweet potatoes. Or you could make batter pancakes and mix it with cheese or corn kernels and fry them up to crispy goodness and those are latkes too.

I have an Irish friend who makes a kind of latke. She doesn’t call it that of course and, to tell the truth, she never thought of it as a dish for Hanukkah, but it is a pancake. It includes potato. It’s fried. And best of all it’s delicious. And guess what? It’s not difficult to make and doesn’t make a mess on your cooktop or counter like classic potato latkes do.

This “Irish latke” is called a Pratie Griddle Scone. It’s a delicious alternative to classic latkes during the 8 days of Hanukkah. It’s a good snack anytime. A good side dish at dinner and almost best of all, you can serve it for breakfast or brunch so it might be perfect if you’re having sleepover guests or brunch company at New Year’s time.

The recipe calls for one cup mashed potatoes. You can used leftover mashed potatoes or boil up a potato or two or use the insides of a baked potato.

Pratie Griddle Scones

1 cup packed mashed potatoes

2 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup quick oats, approximately

vegetable oil for frying

Place the mashed potatoes, butter, salt and baking powder in a bowl and mix ingredients to blend them. Place the oats in a food processor and process to pulverize them almost to “flour.” Blend as much of the oats into the potato mixture as is needed to form a soft, pliable dough. Roll the dough into a circle about 1/4-inch thick. Prick the dough in several places with the tines of a fork. Cut the circle into 6 wedges. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Fry the scones for about 3 minutes per side or until they are golden brown an crispy. Makes 6 pieces

When you’re used to plain yogurt and dried apricots for breakfast every day, the rare, occasional blueberry muffin becomes a luxurious treat. It’s not as if I can’t buy a fresh blueberry muffin at any bakery or coffee shop, any time. Or even make my own. They only take a few minutes to make and a few minutes to bake.

But I think of blueberry muffins as dreadfully fattening, especially the post-modern 21st century variety that looks three times bigger than I remember blueberry muffins from my youth.

When I first started working I was young and slim and everyone in the office brought in breakfast, so I did too. My choice was a yogurt (a rarity then) plus a blueberry muffin. Within 6 months I had gained 10 pounds.

I always attributed the gain to the blueberry muffins, so I stopped buying them.

I have to say, when you don’t eat something that you consider delicious for a long time, you really appreciate it when you do eat it.

I am going to make some blueberry muffins sometime between now and New Year’s Day when my cousins are at my house for a long-weekend sleepover. We’ll get a little bored with the smoked fish we usually eat, even the luxurious version I’ll serve on New Year’s Day (with smoked salmon on top of potato pancake; see the recipe Friday at www.ronniefein.com). So blueberry muffins it will be. A simple breakfast goodie. A couple of scrambled eggs and hot coffee and we’ll be satisfied.

By the way, if you don’t have buttermilk you can use plain kefir or yogurt or make this: 1 tablespoons lemon juice plus enough milk to equal one cup; let stand for 5 minutes. 

Blueberry Muffins

4 tablespoons butter

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tablespoon grated fresh orange peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin. Melt the butter and set it aside. In a bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a second bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, orange peel and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir only to blend ingredients (do not mix vigorously). Fold in the berries. Drop the batter in equal amounts into the prepared muffin tin cups (the number will depend on the size of the muffins) to about 2/3 filled. Bake for 22-26 minutes, depending on size, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 9-12

Once, on New Year’s Eve, it snowed so much that we had 28 people for a sleepover at our house. My parents had invited my mother’s family to come celebrate — so long ago that I can’t remember what year — and no one could go home.

Okay, forget the Ben Franklin quote about how guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days. And forget what my father might have been thinking about the various characters on my mother’s side. There was no way anyone could shovel out and get home, so they stayed.

That meant food.

Fortunately my mother was the kind of person who always had enough food stored away, just in case — you name the disaster, she was prepared for it, ingredients anyway, if not actual cooked food put up and frozen.

Those were days when — for us at least — freezers were a new thing and my parents ordered a “freezer plan” that included a quarter of a cow and dozens of boxes of frozen vegetables. 

I honestly don’t remember what my mom and her sisters cooked but I am quite certain they served nut roll, my mother’s most famous and beloved confection. She’d make 6 of those at a time and whenever someone came to the house she would take one out of the freezer for dessert.

I’ve made the nut roll a few times and never could get it quite as good as hers. Maybe that has something to do with memory. Maybe I never wanted mine to be as good as hers.

But no one else has that particular emotional pull so here’s the recipe. Delicious in any weather, spring or winter, snow or no, from the freezer, thawed and warmed up or straight from the oven:

Lily Vail’s Nut Roll

7 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound butter, cut into chunks

1 cup dairy sour cream

4 large egg yolks

1/4 cup milk

sugar (about 1-1/2 cups)

cinnamon

1-1/2 pounds shelled, finely chopped walnuts

2 egg whites, slightly beaten

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl (or electric mixer bowl). Blend the ingredients thoroughly. Add the butter and work it into the dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, egg yolks and milk and blend thoroughly. Add the liquids to the dry ingredients and beat the ingredients until a smooth, uniform dough has formed. Cut the dough into 6 pieces and wrap each piece separately. Refrigerate over night of for at least 8 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll each piece, one at a time into a thin circle. Sprinkle each circle with some sugar (about 1/4 cup for each of the 6 circles). Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste. Sprinkle with equal amounts of the nuts. Roll the circles tightly, jellyroll style and place them seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Brush the outside of each roll with some of the beaten egg whites. Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and cut into slices. Makes 6 rolls

We’re snowed in and that’s fine with me because I love a quiet day at home. I can read and also catch up on Rubicon, which I realize has been over for quite some time now but not in my house. We’re only through episode #5.

Mostly I am going to cook because my cousins are coming for the New Year’s weekend. I need lots of food and wine. But, to tell the truth, less food and wine than last year and that was less than the year before and certainly much less than, say 15 years ago.

You eat and drink less as you get older. At least that’s what we are finding out.

Our new year’s weekend get together started years and years ago, when we were young and had little kids and we had learned about the usually awful service at restaurants on New Year’s Eve and we were too tired to party at some friend’s house into the wee small hours and besides a babysitter would have cost double that night. So we decided on sleepovers.

After a few years my brother and sister-in-law, once skiers, decided that dinner at my house with the cousins was less of a schlep, so the tradition grew to include their family. We’d feed the kids and send them down to the basement playroom or to bed and we’d have dinner late, they way you can when you’re young.

I used to have a different menu every New Year’s Eve and over the years there were wonderful dinners, but also some disasters. Like the Beef Stroganoff, grayish and awful looking, so many years ago that no one teases about it anymore because it’s such an old thing.

After years and years we finally settled on a couple of entrees we’d stick to: rib roast or rack of lamb. And even that passed. Now we always have rib roast with Rosemary Sauteed Potatoes and some vegetable or other. Desserts are Apple Pie (recipe on my website www.ronniefein.com) and some kind of (usually plum) cobbler that I made in October or November when the fruit was available, and stored away in the freezer.

And because we’re older now and we can’t eat (or drink) the same quantities that we used to and find it stressful to fill up at one meal, we begin our celebration at mid day with hors d’oeuvre. Those change every year, although I always make Chicken-Almond Nuggets because they are irresistible. They’re also easy to make and I can freeze them ahead.

I’ll make some today in fact. It’s a good day for it. And in case you’re snowbound or just feel like cooking something really wonderful, here’s the recipe.

Almond Chicken Nuggets

2 whole boneless and skinless chicken breasts

1 large egg white

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking sherry (or use white wine or sherry)

1-1/2 cups ground almonds

vegetable oil for frying

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and put them in a large bowl. Add the egg white, cornstarch, salt and sherry and mix until the chicken pieces are uniformly coated with the mixture. Dredge the chicken pieces in the almonds, pressing to coat the entire piece. Set aside, preferably on a cake rack, for 20-30 minutes to air dry slightly. Heat 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough to make an almond crumb sizzle, fry the chicken pieces a few at a time for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Do not crowd the pan when frying the chicken. Makes about 36 pieces. Serve hot. 

These may be reheated in a hot oven (425 degrees) for 2-3 minutes per side (more if the nuggets have ben frozen or refrigerated and cold).