Hoppin' John!

For as long as I can remember, my mom has always made Hoppin' John on New Years Day.  The story goes that even if you only have one bite on New Years Day, you will have good luck all year.  Well, as a kid, I always thought it was too spicy, so I just had that one bite, but now I love this stuff and really don't know why we don't make it more often as just a meal!  And the best part is you can make it as spicy (or not spicy) as you want!  Here is what you will need:

Ingredients:

·         1 cup dried black eyed peas

·         1 pkg bacon

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         ½ cup celery, chopped

·         ½ green bell pepper, chopped

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         2 cups water

·         1 tsp salt

·         1 bay leaf

·         Generous dash of cayenne and black pepper

·         3 cups cooked rice (about 1 ½ - 2 bags Minute Rice)

Directions:

1.       Soak black eyed peas in cold water overnight.  (If you forget, you can just boil them same day until they are rehydrated.)

2.      Cut up bacon into bite sized pieces.  In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown bacon, onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic together.  (See picture below)

3.      Drain black eyed peas and add to the pot.

4.      Add 2 cups of water and all seasonings (salt, bay leaf, cayenne and black pepper).  Cover and simmer 40-50 minutes or until black eyed peas are tender.

5.      Remove bay leaf and stir in cooked rice, cooking another 5-10 minutes.

So I forgot to take this last picture before I started chowing down, so it's only half a bowl. :-p  Yum Yum!!