By Bryan Stalder, Creative Director

There are numerous New Year’s Traditions like drinking champagne and lighting sparklers, singing Auld Lang Syne, kissing at midnight, eating 12 grapes, and even wearing red or yellow underwear. Some in our neighborhood like to light fireworks and shoot guns – if this is you, please don’t. It’s dangerous and disruptive.

Personally, I’m a party pooper and I prefer to go to bed early on New Year’s Eve to get a good nights’ rest so that I can wake up early on New Year’s Day and make black-eyed peas in the slow cooker. This is a southern tradition that I began doing about five or six years ago. After eating all those Christmas hams, someone in our extended family was always sending us home with leftovers, and I began to look forward to using the ham bones to make a pot of beans. This eventually became our tradition; to make black eyed peas on New Year’s Day. They’re easy to make, they’re delicious, and my whole family looks forward to it.

There are numerous variations and recipes, many which include greens or stewed tomatoes. I prefer carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, and adding the bacon is a nice treat. If you make black eyed peas for New Year’s Day, share your recipe with us, or if you try the recipe we shared, let us know how you liked them, and send us a picture.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dried black-eyed peas
• Ham bone and leftover Christmas ham
• 6 cups chicken stock 
• 4 thick-cut bacon slices, diced
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 small onion) 
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots (3 medium carrots)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 dried bay leaf
• Rosemary (to taste)
• Thyme (to taste)

Instructions

1. Soak black eyed peas in chicken stock overnight.
2. Saute onion, carrots and celery in oil, and fry up bacon in a pan.
3. Place ham into a slow cooker with all ingredients, including garlic and seasoning.
4. Cook on lowest setting for 4-6 hours. 
5. Serve with rice, cornbread, and/or your favorite hot sauce.