Thursday, January 01, 2009

For My Brother

Dear Don,

We've been eating our Mom's traditional New Year's food all of our lives. For me that's 57 times. I even learned how to cook it almost as good as she did. Black-eyed peas for health and smothered cabbage for wealth - I sure ain't about to mess with that tradition!

So I'm clipping along this morning. Pork roast is in the oven and smelling good. Cabbage is ready to cook. Other things are in the works.

I opened the pack of Camellia black-eyed peas and got them going on the first boil to soften them. I'm tootling along feeling really smug. They were soft enough, so I took the pot over to the sink to drain them so I could start sauteeing the onions and ham in the pot.

Yikes!!!!!!!! What is this??????



Just do me a HUGE favor! Please don't tell anyone back home I did this! Please!! It's bad enough I have to start over this morning. I couldn't handle the shame of being ousted as a Southerner! Black-eyed peas are now in the pot softening. Near disaster averted! I think I've been in SoCal too long!

I love you. Happy New Year!

12 comments:

Lori in South Dakota said...

are you going to post recipes for these lovely sounding dishes? I am postphoning the New Year a few days, I have a nasty cold!! So by the time the recipes are posted, I will have recovered and be able to cook! Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Black Eyed peas on my menu also-I can remember when I was Sally and Eddies daughter ( stupid me-I'm still their daughter)and on the road going to probably going to Ft Worth for a rodeo, we would stop at a grocery store and buy a can of Black Eyed peas-open them and eat them cold from the can--Never, Ever have I gone without them on New Years day--I make my kids eat them too, even if its only 1 pea. They are kinda wimpy about them. HAPPY NEW YEAR my friend. Bobbie

Karen said...

Oh how funny! Our traditional good luck New Year's meal is sauerkraut and pork and it is cooking now.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Vicky, I had a good laugh!! But I won't tell ANYONE here in south Louisiana that you almost had white beans instead of black eyed peas. We really enjoyed our BEP, smothered cabbage and pork ribs for lunch.
Wishing you a wonderful,mega-stashbusting, healthy and Happy New Year.

Anonymous said...

I know what black eyed peas are, they are yummy, but what the heck is smothered cabbage? That sounds like something I'd like! Happy New Year, we love you tooooo!

Becky said...

That's what we have to have on New Year's Day, too. Black eye peas and cabbage! Ours should be ready in half an hour. Mums, the word on the navy peas. Don't you just love Camila beans? We bought more this week while in LA, Louisiana that is.

rachel griffith said...

HAHA.
HAHA.
HAHA.

i won't tell anyone.
us southerners gotta stick together.

:D

happy new year!!!

Simple Home said...

LOL, we ate black-eyed peas too. I'm a native So. Californian but my parents are from the south and midwest, so we follow the tradition too. I enjoy your blog.
Blessings,
Marcia

Jennifer and Sandi said...

That's TOO TOO funny! I always thought if you didn't eat black-eyed peas, cabbage AND ham on January 1st that you were gonna die before the day was out.

~Blessings~
Sandi

Rebecca said...

Oh, how funny! You have said you've been here too long; you didn't have to prove it!

At least you got a good early start, so you had time to recover. HNY from TG!

julieQ said...

Ha!!! I have done that exact trick!!

Marla said...

Too funny! Now in Ohio we always ate saurkraut. Here in Texas it's blackeyed peas. I've never heard of blackeyed peas and cabbage! Sounds like the best of both worlds to me.