I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Year’s Eve and Day! My evening and day were spent at home cleaning, cooking, and sewing. I know, I’m such a party animal! One thing that definitely did not happen was washing clothes. It’s an old superstition in my family – wash clothes on New Year’s Day and wash away a member of your family. Kind of morbid. I don’t wash clothes simply because I can think of MANY other things I could be doing besides washing clothes. Although, today, I’m washing clothes. 😉 Another tradition we have is cooking a meal of black eyed peas, greens, cornbread, and hog jowls. Food is definitely a tradition I can get behind, so today I’m going to share how I cook my black eyed peas. I’ll also share some of my goals for this year and things to come here on Teadoddles.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission if you buy something through my link or ad. This does not change your cost it just helps keep this blog running. Thanks for your support! See Privacy Policy for more information.
Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas
Until I get my garden back in order and grow my own, dried black eyed peas are the ones I purchase. They are cheaper and easier to store. I keep mine in a jar to deter critters and because it’s nicer to look at!
The only other ingredients, besides spices, are half an onion and bell pepper, and bacon ends. I can get a whole bag of bacon ends from my favorite meat store, M & T Meats, for about $5. Just to be clear, I’m not eating the bacon ends, it’s just for flavor! Don’t forget to wash the peas and pick out bad ones before adding to the crock pot.
Cover the peas with about and 1″ of water. Add in all the other goodies! I used some of my concentrated chicken stock from the freezer, but you can use a chicken bouillon or liquid stock.
~>~> If you use liquid stock, add it before adding the extra water. <~<~
Now, cover it up and let it cook, on high, about 4-6 hours. It really depends on the texture you want for the peas. Less time will give you firmer peas and more time will give you mushier peas. Check it every hour or so to see if you need to add any water. Dry peas like to drink!
Here’s the peas with the rest of my meal!
When I was a kid, we had this with pork chops. I enjoy it without the meat too! I’ll be adding some diced ham and rice to the peas for a Hoppin’ John supper tonight. 🙂
Things to Come
At the beginning of the year many people make resolutions. I’ve done so in the past and they were soon forgotten by about the end of February. The word “resolution” sounds so, well, resolute! I think that’s why I tend to wander off my intended path. It feels like the word is telling me what to do and that I can’t waiver from it. Silly, but that’s my reasoning!
Anyway, I’ve decided this year to set monthly goals. “Goal” sounds much better than “resolution”, right? People cheer when you make goals at sporting events, right? My thought is if I have goals that reward me, I’ll (hopefully) be more likely to stick with it. In my mind, it will work something like this:
Goal ~>
- Learn to knit
- January ~> Practice holding needles and basic stitches
- find tutorial
- pick needles and thread
- practice 2-3 times a week for at least 20 minutes
- January ~> Practice holding needles and basic stitches
See how I broke that down into bite sized chunks? This will make it so much easier to accomplish (I think!) I have other goals for the year that I plan to break down this way. I’ll just do it monthly, so I’ll know what the next months goals should be. I’ll also know if I need re-think some goals. The only thing I need to work out now is what my reward will be. It’s good to have goals!
Here’s a little sneak peak at some things coming up on the blog this month:
- Cents of Style Fashion Friday Story – Learn how I plan to make 2017 the best year yet! Of course there will be a fabulous deal as well! Stay tuned!
- DIY projects – I made SO many Christmas presents this year and I finally get to share some with you! Like the window pane turned command center (tomorrow’s post) I made my mom. I also have more organization DIY’s coming up this year.
- Updates for the organization challenge I’m following over at Home Storage Solutions. My progress and personal solutions to the challenges!
- I have a fabulous new affiliate – Ultimate Bundles! They have a Conquer Your Clutter Super Bundle coming up towards the end of the month that I know ya’ll will love. More information coming soon!
Lot’s more recipes, sewing and crochet tips, and, of course, life lived to come! Here’s to a stellar 2017! Talk to y’all later!
Black Eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black eyed peas
- 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 pat chicken stock concentrate (or 1 bouillon cube)
- 2-3 bacon end chunks
- salt and pepper to taste
- water to cover peas
Instructions
- Rinse peas and pick through, removing any bad ones.
- Add peas to the crock pot and cover with 1" of water.
- Add all other ingredients to the crock pot, cover, and cook for 4-6 hours on high.
- 4 hours = firmer peas; 6 hours = mushier peas
- Check every hour or so to see if more water is needed.
