A New Year!

All the best to everyone for 2007!

Don't forget to have some black-eyed peas for good luck
Growing up, my father used to soak the dried black-eyed peas and cook them with a piece of fatback, then serve them with rice—also know as Hoppin' John. New Year's Day 1970, we had literally just arrived in Denver, and we couldn't find any black-eyed peas. That was the year Daddy had a heart attack, so we've made sure to have them on New Year's Day ever since.

My version of Hoppin' John is a recipe I found in Better Homes and Gardens and it's easier than Daddy's. It's a much less traditional version, but it's tasty and we get our black eyed peas—which is the important point. Click here for the recipe.