Dear friends,
When I'm asked to describe myself, I say I'm a proud Southern woman. To me, that sums up everything you could possibly need to know about me.
- I'm a proud American.
- I believe in God.
- I'm a strong woman.
- I'm smart and am not afraid to argue my point if you are wrong.
- I believe in flirting.
- I believe in family, friendship and food.
- I've broad shoulders and despite moments of weakness can and will handle anything.
- I'll sacrifice anything to help someone in need.
- I love animals and consider the sound of crickets music.
- I believe in the virtues of hair spray for my hair and for killing bugs (freeze those suckers in place).
My list of Southern beliefs can go on and on. So to honor the South I'm going to start blogging each week about Southern traditions, values, food, etc. If anyone else wishes to participate you're welcome to! Just let me know and I'll add a link to your blog on mine.
To begin this Southern tribute I want to introduce you to Patricia Neely-Dorsey. A Mississippi woman with a wonderful gift for explaining Southern life. Reading her poetry is like closing my eyes and being transported back to Tennessee.For my first Southern Sunday I thought I'd share with you our belief of eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Years Day. We believe these little peas to be harbingers of luck. From the days of the Civil War when Sherman stole much of our food and supplies we were left with Peas and Salted Pork. We survived the harsh winters with these rations. Also, slaves are said to have celebrated emancipation in 1863 with rations of black-eyed peas. Either way, these peas are a way of marking a future of luck, change and survivial. We Southerners are good people but we made a heap of judgement errors long ago. May the sharing of black-eyed peas between all descendents bring us this much closer to moving on.
Ingredients:
4 Slices thick, fatty bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag of dried black-eyed peas
Pinch of salt
A palmful of fresh black peper
3 cups of water
First you'll want to fry the bacon till it's nice and crisp but NOT burnt. Put aside for a spell.
Saute the onion in the bacon drippings. Mmmmmm
Add the peas and water to the pan with the onion.
Let simmer for about 45 minuttes to an hour.
Once the peas are tender add salt and pepper to taste. I usually throw in some celery seed too for flavoring.
Cruble the bacon and add to the cooked peas.
Serve with cornbread and sweet tea. Yummy!
Best wishes and high hopes to everyone,
Jennie and the Pretty Pekes
You have a beautiful blog. I will enjoy stopping by. I love the sound of crickets too.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea about Southern traditions!! I was raised in Louisiana and have to say that our tradition is black eyed peas and cabbage. In fact there was even a quarter, I believe, placed in the cabbage and whomever received it on their plate had extra good luck (if they didn't swallow it). I think the quarter thing was jut a ploy to get me to eat cabbage though. I love visiting my family because I never have to ask at a restaurant if they have sweet tea but my husband always has to ask if they have un-sweetened. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI know that black-eyed peas brought luck but did not know the story behind it. We have such a rich legacy in the South. Thank you for the recipe and the poetry link.:)
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