New Year's Trivia

     I have a friend who, bless her heart, is a Yankee.  Over the past couple of years we have found that there are several differences between the North and South.  We have laughed over the way she and I both said, "Pecan St" as if we we're naming two different roads entirely.  She was thrilled by the fact that parades here in the South entail beads and candy being thrown.  I was recently baffled by the fact that they don't do black-eyed peas and cabbage on New Year's Day.  When she asked me why we do that, I was able to tell her that, according to tradition, cabbage stands for wealth and black-eyed peas stand for luck, and if you don't eat these on New Year's Day, you won't have good luck or wealth in the ensuing year.  That's about all I knew, so, being the nerd that I am, I took to Google to figure out the rest.

    Apparently this tradition is attributed to Sherman's march through Georgia during the Civil War.  He went through the state, carving a path to Atlanta, burning and pillaging as he went.  One of the few things he left untouched were the rows of black-eye pea fields.  These were harvested by the surviving Confederates, and they quickly became a major food source for the starving south.  Of course, the tradition has evolved and varies from home to home.  Some believe that one must eat exactly 365 peas in order to have sufficient luck for the year.  Others place a (hopefully clean) penny or dime in the pot, and the one who has the coin in their bowl is said to have the best luck that year.  In our house, it was always stated that as long as you eat a little of each, you should have sufficient luck and wealth for the year, but the more you eat, the better your chances.  Today, I'd like to share my version of Black-Eyed Peas and my step-daddy's cabbage.

Slow Cooker Black-Eyed Peas
1 lb Black-eyed peas (I use Camellia brand)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS onion powder
Tony's to taste
cooked rice

Soak beans over night (about 8 hours), drain and rinse.  Stir peas, onion, celery, garlic, and seasonings in crock pot.  Fill with water until about 3/4 full.  Cook on low 8-9 hours.  Adjust seasonings as desired.  Serve over cooked rice.


New Year's Cabbage 
1 stick butter (not margarine)
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1 head cabbage, sliced and core pieces removed
6 slices bacon (I use maple bacon)
Tony's
Salt
Pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onions and saute until translucent.  Meanwhile, fry bacon until it's cooked, but not crispy.  (It will finish cooking in the pot.)  Add cabbage and bacon to the pot, stir, cover and cook down until cabbage is tender, about an hour.  Season as desired with Tony's, salt and pepper.



Happy New Year y'all!

A Little Bit of Everything

     I know I've been MIA again, and I'm sorry, but it's not my fault.  The blame can be equally attributed to JK Rowling and Stephen King.  I read The Stand this past week, and it has found its way into my top ten favorite books off all time.  I have found myself truly enjoying King's way of spinning a yarn.  Before I read any of his novels, I expected gore and violence and scary themes that would keep me up all hours of the night.  What I got was much better, and much more thrilling.  I think the best parts of King's novels are the ones that deal with the human mind, and the moral struggles that go on there.  He has a way of scaring you, not with the boogyman, but with the guy next door.   The Stand was no different.  For me, especially, the idea of a military-made weapon being the catalyst that sparked the whole end-of-the-world battle was quite frightening.


     Of course, once I finished the novel, I just had to watch the movie.  That ended up being a three-night affair.  Having a job really puts an end to all that late-night partying.  When I finally did see the movie in it's entirety, I was rather impressed (even in spite of the 80s graphics).


    Last night I got on this computer fully intending to write a new blog, but first I checked my email.....and then I forgot all about my blog.  I got in to the early stages of Pottermore, so last night I was reliving another book from my top ten list, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  They haven't opened up any of the other books for exploration yet, but I'm waiting patiently.  I like this testing-out phase because I can put in my two-cents in the hopes that it will make the experience better for the ones that are allowed in when October rolls around.  I'm also enjoying the extra tid-bits Rowling is including in the site.  These are bits that didn't make it into the book or back story on certain characters.  So far my favorite part of the whole experience has been reading Professor McGonagall's back-story.  She was my favorite professor in the books, so it's nice to learn a bit more about her.


   So enough with the excuses, let's get down to it.  I may not have been blogging, but I have been cooking.  I have two cheap and quick meals that I want to share with y'all tonight.  The first one is a bit different, and it may not sound that great, but it was really yummy.  The second is a bit of a staple in the south, but I've never used such a quick version.


  First, I made Tomato and Egg Stir-fry.

  I found this on foodgawker, but to be honest I didn't even read the guy's blog about it.  I simply watched this video and followed her instructions.  It was pretty tasty.  J ate a bunch, and Monkey approved.


What you need:
3 eggs
3 tomatoes
2 TBS oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
Cooked white rice


   Crack eggs into a bowl and beat.  Cut tomatoes into quarter pieces. Heat oil in skillet/wok, add egg first.  (Do not scramble)  Let sit until eggs are about half cooked, then cut up into small pieces.  Push the eggs to one side, then add tomatoes.  Add salt to tomatoes.  Add sugar to tomatoes.  Cover with lid.  Simmer for about 1 minute over med-high.  Stir eggs and tomatoes together.  Serve over cooked white rice.


   Next up I made something called Hoppin' John.  

   I've cooked beans on several occasions, usually soaking them over night, then using my slow cooker all day.  This was a nice change.


What you need:


1 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 15-oz. cans black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper
2 TBS chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
cooked white rice


  Heat olive oil in skillet over med-high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.  Cook until veggies are tender and onions are translucent.  Add black-eyed peas, stock, salt and pepper.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Add parsley.  Serve over rice.  Top with tomato and green onions. 

   Both Monkey and J had seconds on this one.  J even asked when I was going to make it again.  I think I'll add it to my shopping list for next week's groceries.  


   On a completely unrelated note, those of you who are my Facebook friend already know that my darling J has been quite the over-acheiver lately.  He made breakfast for Monkey and I both Saturday and Sunday.  He's been doing the laundry, washing the dishes, and over all making me wonder who this impostor is.  Monday he even stayed home with Monkey while I was at work.  


   Monkey had been sick and running fever on Sunday, so Monday morning J called to make an appointment with her pediatrician.  By this point she was no longer running fever, but mommy said we'd better play it safe, and daddy agreed.    My darling J brought her to her appointment at 10:50, and he found out that it was indeed, nothing.  Then he gets ready to bring her to daycare only to remember that the daycare's policy states that no child can be dropped off between 10:30 and 1:00 because that's lunch and nap time.  He has a muster to get to, so what does he do?  Bring Monkey with him.  At muster, he's informed that everyone is required to go to medical to get a flu mist.  So he and Monkey end up back in the waiting room.  For anyone who has a toddler or has ever watched a toddler for more than ten minutes, you know that their tolerance for waiting patiently is slim to none.  Finally around 12:45 someone, either feeling sorry for my husband or getting sick of my kid, suggests that he try to call the daycare to see if they'll make an exception.  Come to find out, that 10:30-1:00 rule doesn't apply if you had a doctor's appointment that day.  My husband is so relieved he rushes Monkey right over there.  When they walk in her classroom most of the kids are already laying down for their naps.  J explains to Monkey that she needs to be as quiet as she can, so she won't wake them up.  After that and a kiss, J leaves.  


     He returns to medical to wait in line for his flu mist.  When he gets inside medical he sees his buddy and falls in line with him to chit-chat.  Next thing he knows he's at the front of the line, has his mist finished, and is free to leave all in the record time of five minutes.  Most people would probably have just given up and gone off to enjoy a bit of free time.  After all, we are paying this daycare whether she goes or not, so he might as well get his money's worth right?  Nope.  Not my husband.  He marches himself right back over there and picks up our baby girl and brings her home.  When he got in the room, she was laying on her pallet.  He walks over to her and taps her on the shoulder and says, "Hey baby girl, you want to go home?"  She rolls over, puts her finger to her lips, and says "Shh, Daddy.  The kids are sleeping.  Have to be quiet."  At least he knows she listens to him.


    That day I got home from work to the most stressed out husband, the messiest house, and the happiest Monkey I've ever seen.  I think it's so cute to watch him fumble along, learning everything in a few weeks that I've had two and a half years to figure out.  He's doing a pretty darn good job of it too, if you ask me.

   Best quote of the week:
   J:  "I feel like I'm living in that song 'and it's only Monday Mr. Mom....'