So did you have black-eyed peas and greens for you New Year's good luck? I've had them every year for as long as I can remember....it's a southern tradition to bring you luck (black-eyed peas) and money (greens). Jim tells me he only remembers missing them one year and that year he got drafted! Needless to say, he hasn't missed a year since.
When we got married, his father gave me his recipe for cooking the peas in the oven. And we always had cole slaw since Jim doesn't care for any type of greens. Since he wasn't home on January 1st this year, I wanted to incorporate greens into my recipe. I used his dad's recipe and added what I use when I make greens on their own. I like "Wiley's Green Seasoning" which I have found every state we've lived in....you can find the packets in your produce department.
While this recipe is a bit late for 2014 New Year's Day, tuck it away for new year. Serve it over rice for traditional Hoppin' John or simply by itself. If you have leftover ham, add that. I love topping it with Texas Pete's Pepper Sauce (those little peppers in a glass bottle filled with vinegar) and Louisiana Hot Sauce. Or spice it up even more with some Cajun seasoning or other spicy concoction you prefer.
BLACK-EYED PEAS with GREENS (6-8 servings)
12 oz black-eyed peas
1 cup chopped onion
1 large jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 tsp minced garlic
EVOO
4 cups water or low-sodium chicken stock
4 cups chopped greens (collard, turnip, mustard, kale)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 package Wiley's Green Seasoning
chopped ham, optional
pepper sauce and/or hot sauce, optional
addtional spicy seasonings, optional
Soak peas covered in water overnight, if desired (I've left this step out before and they came out fine).
In a stock pot, cover the bottom of a hot pan with olive oil. Add onion, jalapenos, celery, and garlic. Saute until tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add peas and water or stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until beans are just about done, start checking at around 45 minutes.
Add greens, cilantro, and seasoning. Cook until greens and peas are tender to your liking. Add ham, if using.
Serve over rice, if desired. Season with hot sauce or other seasonings.
Have you ever heard of Watergate Salad? Apparently it was quite the trend back in the 70's, a trend that somehow missed our home in Oklahoma City. I heard about it on a cooking show when the hosts were speaking nostalgically about old favorites. I looked it up and found several recipes that claimed to be the "authentic recipe from the chef at the Water Hotel in DC." So, I kind of put several recipes and this is what I came up with.
It's actually quite tasty and keeps very well for over a week. You can adjust the amount of all of the ingredients (except the pudding mix) to your liking. Use regular, reduced-fat, or fat-free whipped topping then sit back and enjoy a trip to the past!
WATERGATE SALAD (8-10 servings)
1 (3.4 oz) package instant pistachio pudding mix
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
1 cup miniature marshmellows
1/2 cup chopped pecans
12-16 oz non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
Stir pudding mix, pineapple with juice, marshmellows and nuts in a large bowl until well blended.
Gently stir in whipped topping.
Refrigerate one hour or until ready to serve.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends! These are current photos of the four sweetest girls you could ever hope to meet! We all want to wish you a lovely 2014 with health, happiness, and friendship. If you are as lucky as Jim and I have been with these four darling girls, you will, indeed, have a very happy new year.
A grand new year to us all! Jim, Kay, Muffin, Lindie, Nellie, and Scooter
Happy New Year's Eve, everyone? Planning anything fun for the evening? It's quiet here, but I'm anticipating my New Year's Day Hoppin' Johns.
I ran across this recipe some time ago and thought it sounded pretty good. Dark chocolate chips and maraschino cherry, a natural combination.
MARASCHINIO CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (makes 3 to 3/12 dozen)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
Mix the butter and sugars in a bowl, beat in the egg followed by the vanilla extract.
Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until they are just incorporated.
Mix in the chocolate and cherries.
Place the dough on a parchment paper or Silpat-lined cookie sheet one Tablespoon at a time and bake in a preheated 350F oven until lightly golden brown around the edges, about 8-10 minutes, let cool on sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Source: www.closetcooking.com
Some time ago I heard about a cookbook called "The Dead Celebrity Cookbook." Obviously the title intrigued me and I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, as far as recipes go, it has a pretty dated content. Most of the recipes sound like things that were in vogue maybe in the 50's. Not exactly healthy but a fun memory journey, nevertheless. I do wish they had included a story about why the celebrity liked the particular recipe submitted.
However, thumbing through it a few days ago I found this recipe using HAM!!! And with some tweaking, this came out to be very tasty. This recipe (from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry) called to cook the beans for 5 hours and to boil a ham for 3 1/2 hours. What?!!! And the only seasoning it lists is salt. So I added some marjoram and Montreal Steak Seasoning. I also adjusted the amount of celery and onion. So the recipe below is not the one found in the book but works much better with the way we eat today.
GENE RODDENBERRY'S LIMA BEANS and HAM (4 servings)
1/2 pound dried large lima beans
1/2 to 1 cup cubed cooked ham
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
salt, to taste
marjoram, to taste, optional
pepper or Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste, optional
cooked rice for serving
grated cheddar cheese for serving
Put lima beans in a pot with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer. Cook until tender, about an hour (you may need to add more water during cooking).
Drain, reserving water. Cook onions and celery in reserved water until tender. Return to beans, along with ham and seasonings of your choice.
Serve over rice and sprinkle with cheese.
Recipe Source: The Dead Celebrities Cookbook by Frank DeCaro, 2011, p. 125
OK, friends! Here's another great use for your leftover ham....Jambalaya! Although you could certainly change it to add shrimp, andouille sausage, or even some of those wonderful chicken sausages. This original recipe (from the Honeybaked Ham website) doesn't call for okra but, to me, jambalaya isn't jambalaya without okra. And an added note, being that it's December and okra isn't in season, you'll need to cook it a bit longer or it will be too tough.
A few other notes. I used smoked paprika in lieu of regular paprika. And this dish really developed after a day or two. So much better. So if you can, make it ahead to let the flavors develop. It is so worth the wait.
HAM JAMBALAYA (4 servings)
1 1/2 Tbsp EVOO
1-2 sweet onions, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 1/2 tsp garlic cloves
8 oz okra, sliced, optional
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juices
1 cup diced ham
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika (use smoke paprika if you have it)
1/2 Tbsp chili powder (use chipotle chili powder if you want extra heat)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
hot sauce to taste
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp long-grain white rice
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic until tender (about 10 minutes).
Mix in and add the tomatoes, ham, wine (or chicken stock), thyme, basil, paprika, chili powder, and cayenne. Stir in the rice.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed (about 20-25 minutes). Season with S&P.
Recipe Source: www.honeybaked.com
Red potatoes are my favorite of all those out there in potatoland! I love 'em baked, boiled, roasted. I looked for a recipe which also included some fresh dill since I still had some in fridge. This is a pretty basic potato salad recipe, but it came out wonderfully. I generally cut down the amount of dressing a potato salad recipe calls for, but since this called for all reduced-fat sour cream and mayo, I added the entire amount. And it came out perfectly. My experience using the reduced-fat versions found that after a day they tend to break down and get watery. But this has stood up as well on the second day. Plan ahead: This needs to chill at least three hours before servings.
A great accompaniment to our leftover Christmas ham.
RED POTATO SALAD (6-8 servings)
1 1/2 pounds (about 5 medium) red potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup light mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp distilled vinegar
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 dill pickle, chopped
1/4-1/2 celery stalk, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1-2 dashes hot sauce
1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash onion salt
S&P to taste
Place the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pieced with a fork. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, mayo, mustard, vinegar, eggs, pickle, celery, green onions, and hot sauce. Season with dill, garlic powder, onion salt, S&P. Pour over the potatoes and gently toss to coat. Chill at least 3 hours in the fridge before serving.
Recipe Source: www.allrecipes.com
