For more than 1500 years, people have been eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck, and I am no exception. I don’t, however, particularly care for Hoppin’ John, a popular Southern dish made with black-eyed peas and rice, because I think it’s bad luck to start the New Year’s diet with all those carbs. Instead, one of my favorite ways to prepare black-eyed peas is to simmer them with some broth, vegetables, a smidgen of bacon, and a little Cajun spice for kick. I hope this batch will bring me luck in 2013! Happy New Year!
Place bacon in a large stockpot over medium high heat and saute until browned and fat is rendered. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and saute until vegetables are soft. Add black-eyed peas, broth, spice mix, and cayenne peppers, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until peas are tender, approximately 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm and feel lucky.
This is a print from a vintage slide that I found on ebay. Remember when you used to make your own Halloween costumes? Me either, unless being a “hobo” counts as making a costume.
There is no doubt in my mind that this man is a lawyer. Can you spot the telltale signs? First, there is the attention to detail — look at how carefully those hand-drawn freckles have been applied. The completely humorless expression is another clue:
Then, of course, there is the trophy wife:
But the thing that really gives this guy away is his legs. The whiter than white legs (don’t look directly at them or you may go blind). No self-respecting lawyer would ever sport tan legs — that might suggest that you have free time to pursue interests outside of the office and the law is not your life. Or maybe lawyers, like vampires, can’t handle exposure to sunlight. Yep, those ghostly white legs are a dead giveaway:
There is one other clue that this man is probably a lawyer. He was on his way to a party where the costumes were going to be judged, which obviously brought out his fierce competitive streak, because he went for the win:
Holy cow — first prize! Way to go, Bill!
This photo, and the fact that Halloween is just a few days away, inspired me to dust off a recipe for “candy corn” that appeared in Parade magazine 15 or 20 years ago. It was created by Sheila Lukins, one of my culinary idols, of Silver Palate fame.
What is it about candy corn? Looking around the interwebs, I found dozens of recipes using candy corn or incorporating candy corn colors — candy corn truffles, popsicles, cake balls, popcorn, bark, fudge, pretzel rods, cookies, and mousse, just to name a few. There are a lot of recipes for homemade candy corn floating around, but at about $1.50 a bag, I think I’ll just buy my candy corn and save those hours in the kitchen for something else. Like this savory “candy corn” recipe.
Fill a medium stockpot half full with water, add two teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add carrots and potatoes, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until tender but not mushy, approximately 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Place bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Add olive oil and onions to bacon drippings in pan and saute onions until translucent, approximately 10 minutes. Add maple syrup and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in bacon, potatoes, carrots, and corn, season to taste with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until heated through.
3.1.09
Trick or treat!
Left: The real deal candy corn
Right: The Mom has too much time on her hands faux version
