Good Luck Tradition

The Christmas decorations are finally put away and now I'm getting ready for the new year! I'm already starting my list of New Year's resolutions. Now, how do you think that tradition got started? My list is probably no different from the majority of people. The typical: eat better, live better, exercise more, be more considerate and be a better person.

Another tradition is that of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's day. The traditional meal may also feature collard or mustard greens. This is supposed to bring good luck and financial enrichment. The peas stand for coins, the greens symbolize paper money. Corn bread also often accompanies this meal.

These "good luck" traditions date back to the U.S. Civil War. Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, would typically strip the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock and destroy whatever they couldn't carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and corn suitable only for animal fodder, and as a result didn't steal or destroy these humble foods. Many Southerners survived as a result of this mistake.

Here is a great recipe using black-eyed peas. Now, before you turn your nose up on black-eyed peas, consider this. I don't even like black-eyed peas, and I like this dish. It's simple with only these ingredients:



There's also bell pepper in the recipe, but I had already started cutting it when I decided to take pictures.

Brown one pound of ground beef, one pound of sausage with one onion, chopped and one bell pepper, chopped.



Add four cans of black-eyed peas. Now, before you get to thinking, boy that looks like a lot of food. It is! I'm making this to take to work, so I've tripled the recipe. What you're seeing in the picture is 6 pounds of meat and 12 cans of black-eyed peas. This recipe is that good! My sister-in-law is making a triple batch, too. We'll be having it at work, feeding about 40 people. Believe me, there won't be anything left.



Now add two cans of Ro-tel tomatoes. Let it simmer several hours and you've got one good meal.


Be sure and serve it with some good cornbread, and you've got a traditional New Year's meal guaranteed to bring you good luck!

Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. sausage
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cans black-eyed peas
2 cans Rotel tomatoes

Brown ground beef, sausage, onion and bell pepper. Drain grease. Add black-eyed peas and Rotel and simmer for 2-3 hours.