Traditional New Year's Dinner For a Lucky Year

Everything but the peas, which are in the pot already! 

Keeping Up Traditions When Caregiving

Are you remembering to keep up your loved one's traditions during your caregiving journey? In the South, having a traditional meal of black eyed peas, hog jowl, greens and cornbread is considered the only way to start the New Year.

Greens and cornbread might be optional, depending on the family, but the peas and jowl (or sometimes salt pork) are a must. Peas are considered a sign of prosperity, and have been eaten for a fortunate year since before Biblical times.

Pig are considered by many cultures to symbolize prosperity as well. Pigs are unabashed at their own gluttony. A well-fed pig is  a sign that  family is well-to-do. Therefore, eating pork on New Years is a way to ensure wealth and plenty throughout the following months.

Different Ways to Prepare the Meal

Just about every family has its own tradition when it comes to making the New Year's meal. Some boil the cubed jowl meat in their peas, others fry it and eat it separately. Either way, you aren't going to have good luck unless you eat just a bit of the meat. But, for those who have never tasted jowl, don't worry. It tastes just like bacon when it is cooked.

Not everyone makes greens with their meal. Many with strong Irish roots still make a cabbage and potato dish to accompany their peas. Originally this dish was known as Colcannon and was eaten on the Celtic New Year (Halloween), but later became associated with the modern New Year.

 It has come down to some families, who still insist on eating cabbage with boiled potatoes. Usually, there is a coin dropped in the pan after cooking. Whoever gets this coin on his or her plate has the luckiest year. Unless you swallow the coin. Then you are doomed to a unfortunate year.

Another variation on the theme is that some people cook the meal on New Year's Eve. Others eat it on the first day of the year. Some eat it both days to ensure extra prosperity.

How to Make Black Eye Peas for New Years

If you are caregiving for someone who is elderly, eating black eye peas might have been part of their tradition. If it is your parents or grandparents, you may have brushed this tradition aside as being superstitious and silly. Especially if you don't like peas, greens or jowl.

It is still important to consider your loved one's roots on the holidays. You might be thinking of resolutions and parties, but it only takes an hour or so to whip up this warm, comforting and lucky meal:

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound of dried black eye peas
• Package of jowl or salt pork 
• Greens (canned is okay)
• Cornmeal mix or ingredients
• Onion and other preferred seasonings

1.Rinse the peas and place in a large pot. Cover with plenty of water and let them boil.

2.Cut up pork. If you are going to fry it, cut it in slices. If you are adding it to your peas, cube it and toss it in.

3.Make up your cornbread. If you are making it from scratch, use either your favorite recipe or search one online, because my cornbread doesn't have a recipe. It is all based on eyeball measurements!

4.Once the peas have cooked for about half an hour, put the bread in the oven to bake. Get your greens started in a pan. If using fresh greens, wash them well and place them in a little water to simmer down. Canned greens only need to be heated until the juice evaporates.

5. Chop your onion and add some to your greens and some to your peas. If you put the pork in the peas, all they will need is onion and maybe a touch of salt. If you fried your meat separately, peas will need to be salted and I like to add about a tablespoon of cooking oil to them too.

Un-soaked black eye peas only take about an hour to an hour and a half to cook, so you can easily serve up a lucky meal with just a little prep work pretty fast. 

Happy New Year's to the caregivers of the world, and may your coming year be fortunate, prosperous and filled with love.