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Here are some of the wonderful worldwide traditions to celebrate the New Year. We usually spend our night celebrating with good friends and their families. One of my favorite dishes to bring is bacon wrapped dates.

Brazil

The Ano Novo celebration is one of the country’s main holidays, and officially marks the beginning of the summer holidays. The end of summer is marked with the famous Carnival celebration. The beach of Copacabana is considered by many to be the location of the best fireworks show in the world.

Denmark

The New Year is celebrated with merrymaking and fun, with desserts including the ring cake Kransekake. Old dishes are saved all the year round to throw them at friends’ or neighbor’s door on New Year’s Eve. Many broken dishes are a symbol that you have many friends.

France

The French call New Year’s Eve “la Saint-Sylvestre”. It is usually celebrated with a feast that customarily includes special dishes like foie gras, seafood such as oysters and of course, champagne. The holiday period ends on January 6 (The Twelfth Night) for the Epiphany. On this day, they celebrate the Wise Men, eating a traditional type of flat pastry cake. The cake contains a fève, small china character, and whoever finds it is said to become king or queen.

Japan

The day is a preparation day to welcome toshigami (年神), the New Year’s god. Therefore, traditionally, people clean their home and prepare to welcome the god before New Year’s Eve. Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight. The rings represent 108 elements of bonō (煩悩), defilements, which it is said that people have in their mind. The bells are rung to repent.

Mexico

Mexicans down a grape with each of the twelve chimes of the bell during the New Year countdown, while making a wish with each one. Mexican sweet bread is baked with a coin or charm hidden in the dough. When the bread is served, the recipient whose slice contains the coin or charm is believed to be blessed with good luck in the New Year.

New Zealand

Gisborne is 496.3 kilometers (308.4 mi) west of the International Date Line and thus is the first major city to see the beginning of the New Year. During the day of New Year’s Eve, in recent years, the Black Caps have played a One Day International cricket game in Queenstown.

Philippines

Filipino traditions include a customary habit of wearing clothes with circular patterns like polka dots, this signifies the belief that circles attract money and fortune. Throwing coins at the stroke of midnight is said to increase wealth that year. Traditions also include the serving of circularly-shaped fruits, shaking of coins inside a metal casserole while walking around the house, and jumping up high which is believed to cause an increase in physical height.

Spain

Spanish New Year’s Eve celebrations usually begin with a family dinner, traditionally including shrimp and lamb or capon. Spanish tradition says that wearing new, red underwear on New Year’s Eve brings good luck. It is also traditional to eat twelve grapes, one on each chime of the clock.

Here are a few celebrations going on around the country-

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Tybee Island, GA

New Year’s Eve Celebration on the Slopes Boone, IA

Island of Lights New Year’s Eve Celebration Carolina Beach, NC

New Year’s Eve Panama City Beach, FL

New Years Day Party Elkhart Lake, WI

I love corn pudding and I have been trying different recipes for the past few years. I think I have finally found the one I like the most. It’s certainly an artery clogger, but it’s delicious.  This recipe is adapted from the famous Blue Willow Inn Cookbook, the Blue Willow Inn was voted best small-town restaurant in the South five years in a row by the readers of Southern Living Magazine.

4 eggs, beaten
1 stick melted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 16 oz cans creamed corn (do not use unsalted corn)
2 16 oz cans whole corn
1 tbs vanilla
fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients except both kinds of corn. Gently mix in creamed corn. Add whole corn, taking care not to crush kernels. Pour into ungreased 9 X 13 baking dish. Bake one hour or until top is golden and custard is set.

A Day’s Outing now has a free version of our iPhone app!  We still have our $2.99 “Pro” version, but now you have a choice.

With both of our iPhone apps you can find great things-to-do as you’re driving down the road and fun day trips while you’re on vacation — right from your phone. Here’s what you’ll find in our apps:

•    NEW! …. Shake the iPhone for a random sampling of local events in nearby locations
•    Customize each search based on the type of outing, date for travel and desired driving distance
•    Search for outings based on one’s current location or a city and state that they plan to visit
•    View the outings that match one’s personal preferences in a list or on a location-based map
•    Retrieve detailed history information on the previous 10 outings viewed (in the event web access is lost in rural areas)
•    Access turn-by-turn driving directions from the current geo-location to each outing
•    Find a specific event by using the keyword search function
•    Save your top “starting location” addresses for frequently visited cities
•    Save your “Favorite” outings for quick and easy retrieval

Head on over to the iTunes store and choose between the Free version that is supported with ads or the Pro version for $2.99.

And, please share A Day’s Outing iPhone app with your friends on Facebook.

My mom has always told me that the fastest way to chill a bottle of wine or champagne is to fill the wine bucket two-thirds with ice and then the remaining one-third with water.  Chilling drinks this way is fast.  If you are in a huge hurry, add a teaspoon of salt, as well.  This really speeds up the process.

A little wine history:
Wine has been produced in America for over 300 years.  Today, wine is produced in all fifty states.  While California leads the way, wonderful wines are made across the country.  The U.S is the fourth largest wine producing country in the world after France, Italy, and Spain.

You can find local wineries on A Day’s Outing.  Search in our category “Farms, Food & Wine” for a winery close to your home or find one while you are on vacation using our handy mobile app.

I love food halls, although I have yet to find a list of nationwide locations. One of my favorites Elizabeth and I visited while we were in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Philadelphia’s food hall, Reading Terminal Market, is exactly what I think a food hall should be, while there are gourmet cheeses, great butchers and seafood counters, there is also a wide selection of local specialties. There is everything from the best Philly Cheese Steak and Reuben to wonderful Amish made bakery items, smoked sausages and pretzels.

I am wondering what other food halls there are across the country. I have been to Pike Place Market in Seattle and the famous Harrod’s Food Hall in London, they were both amazing, but Harrod’s is over the top. Where are your favorites?

If you like plants and flowers, a conservatory is the place to visit.  I am amazed at the huge selection of plants that you can find in a conservatory. I have seen rare orchids, exotic bog plants, tiny ferns and giant lily pads.

I was recently lured into the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.  I was winding my way through the park, and from the street I could see dozens of dahlia flowers in bloom in a garden beside the Conservatory. Amazingly, there was a parking spot. I figured it was fate, so I stopped the car and grabbed my camera. I had a great time taking photos outside of the dahlia and cactus gardens and an even better time exploring the inside of the lovely glass conservatory. It was a fantastic spur of the moment outing.

What conservatories are near you?

Maybe you are near one of these beautiful conservatories:

Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden, Las Vegas, NV

Como Park, Zoo and Conservatory, Saint Paul, MN

Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus, OH

Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens, Indianapolis, IN

Water Conservatory Garden & Learning Center, Santa Clarita, CA

My family is headed on our third trip to Costa Rica this April. I love to travel and usually search to see how far I can fly for the least amount of money, which is how we ended up taking our first trip to Costa Rica. Right now, this April, you can fly from New York, Washington D.C., and Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica for well under $400 round trip on Taca.  I am not affiliated in any way with the following places I am recommending.

Our first trip -

Finca Rosa Blanca - an organic coffee plantation right out side of San Jose in beautiful Gaudi-esque style. A wonderful place to relax for a few days at the end of your adventure filled trip.

Peace Lodge & Waterfall Gardens - right at the Poas volcano and only 1 ½ hours from San Jose. This lodge in the misty forest is right out of The Lord of the Rings and with all of the animals and hiking, it is Costa Rica’s cloud forests in a nutshell.

La Fortuna & the Arenal Volcano - if the volcano is not fogged in and it is erupting, especially at night, this is a great adventure destination. We watched boulders the size of cars roll down the mountain. You can visit the Tabacon hot springs on a day pass, which is what I would recommend. Hotel El Silencio del Campo is very reasonable and highly rated. There are also rafting tours, vast nature preserves, and unreal bird watching opportunities. It is a 3 ½ hour very bumpy ride from San Jose.

Buena Vista Villas in Manuel Antonio - these are great accommodations for a family in Manuel Antonio. They have there own beach with kayaks and boogie boards and beautiful Costa Rican styled lodgings with monkeys waking you every morning on your front porch. Sign up for Buena Vista’s specials via email.  Be sure to eat at one of the beach side sodas in Manuel Antonio and bring your things to visit the beautiful calm beach in the park. Plan for this drive to take 4 hours from San Jose, do not drive it in the dark and be sure to stop at the bridge over the Rio Tarcoles and see the HUGE salt-water crocs. On the way down in Herradura, there is a big American style grocery store right on the highway.

Our second trip -

Aguila De Osa - this was a once in a lifetime trip for my husband and I for my 40th birthday. Aguila is on the remote Osa Peninsula, cast away country with breath taking scenery and it is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. We flew from San Jose on Sansa Air to Palmar Sur, Aguila staff met us and we took a one-hour boat ride down the Sierpe River out to the Pacific and then to Aguila’s dock. We watched monkeys in the trees and flocks of scarlet macaws all along the way.

Aguila is all-inclusive and has to be because of its remote location. The food is wonderful (even for foodies) and served family style.   We met the most interesting people every night at dinner. We filled each day with adventure trips, made all the more special because they all could only be reached by boat. We salt water fished, found a beach gnome who took us waterfall hiking, hiked Corcovado National Park from the Sirena ranger station where we tracked a puma and tapir, and snorkeled the pristine Caño Island.

Our next trip in April -

We plan to visit Cabo Matapalo on the very southern tip of the Osa Peninsula. We are flying from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez on Nature Air, the Locos fare is very reasonable, but we are only allowed 25 pounds of luggage total including carry-ons! We are bringing friends and family and therefore we are renting a house for the week. All houses are off-grid, have no A/C and most have no screens, but believe it or not, they are still luxurious. Here are a few of the house options we choose from - Casa Vida Verde, Casa Bambu and Tres Palmas. There is also the spectacular eco-resort, Lapos Rios and one of the top rated Central American family resorts, the Yellow Coco Lodge.

While we are there we are planning on visiting the Caña Blanca Animal Sanctuary, hiking with a guide into Corcovado National Park, waterfall rappelling, and taking surf lessons.

A few words of caution -

Driving in Costa Rica is dangerous. Many of the roads and bridges are in disrepair and heavy rain only makes them worse. You can read the State Department warnings here. We were involved in a drunk driving accident on our first trip. I would not drive at night, ask all taxi drivers to take their time and to not pass (No hay prisa - there’s no hurry, Por favor, tomese (with an accent on the o) su tiempo - Please take your time, Por favor, no pasan - Please do not pass), do not get in a taxi that does not have seat belts, stop for help in public places and be leery of “good Samaritans”.  That said, we had a wonderful time and all the locals helped us in any way they could.

You can see more photos of our trips to Costa Rica here.

I know I am lucky. I have the best mother-in-law.  Sharron is a dream come true.  She makes Sunday dinner for the family, grows fresh vegetables for us in her garden, and she and my father-in-law take the children on great outings.  One afternoon, they ventured out with the kids onto an “island” in the middle of a river for a picnic.  The children didn’t realize that the island was only there because the river was low.  They just knew they were having a picnic on an island in Virginia!

While I’m not sure if Sharron brought her famous Cheese Straws along on the picnic, I think they would be a yummy addition to any outing.  They are also fantastic for the holidays. Here’s the great recipe.

Mother-in-Law Cheese Straws

Ingredients
1 1/2  cups  Butter, softened
1 pound block Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 1/2  teaspoons  Salt
1  to 2 teaspoons ground Red Pepper, depending on desired spiciness
1/2  teaspoon Paprika
4  cups  All-purpose Flour

Preparation
Beat first 5 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until blended. Gradually add flour, beating just until combined.

Use a cookie press with a star-shaped disk to shape mixture into long ribbons, following manufacturer’s instructions, on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Cut ribbons into 2-inch pieces.

Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes about 10 dozen

Tip:   You can also turn this same dough into Cheese Wafers.

For wafers, combine ingredients above as directed. Then chill dough for 2 hours. Shape dough into 4 (8-inch-long) logs.  Wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill 8 hours. Cut each log into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Bake at 350° for 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container 1 week.

With the holidays approaching, grand hotels across the country are preparing special afternoon events and evening parties.  Both guests and locals can enjoy a huge range of fun activities, including carriage rides with hot chocolate, gingerbread making contests, story time with Santa and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The grand hotel that is nearest to my family is Keswick Hall in Keswick, Virginia.  They have multiple holiday events that anyone can participate in. We’re looking forward to the annual lighting of the holiday tree with Santa and his sleigh. It’s an evening outdoors with hot chocolate, hot apple cider, cookies and Santa Claus.

Take a moment to think about the amazing, old, grand hotels that are near you. Whether you decide to spend the night or simply stop by for a few hours, you’ll be surprised at the great events that they have going on.

The day after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday.”  I have heard the phrase describing the rush of shoppers that descend on stores the Friday after Thanksgiving, but didn’t know where the term came from.

Here’s a bit of history…. Depending on the source, the term dates either from the 1980s or back to 1966. The day’s roots may have originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic, which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Others claim it was part of mid-1980s anti-consumerism backlash, when people took a pledge to “blackout” that day - staying home, rather than shopping.

I’m not sure which one it is, but I don’t want to stay home or shop at the mall. Instead, I want to visit somewhere fun, today.  Many historic homes are already decorated for the holidays and are open and welcoming guests. I can always work off a few of the extra calories and go for a long walk in a park.  If I just have to go shopping, there’s nothing like a visit to an antique store or two (maybe three or four).  Some of my favorite presents have been found rummaging around a great old antique shop.

Whatever you do – have fun with your family and friends!