Hoppin' John

Originally a Low Country food before spreading throughout the entire population of the south, Hoppin’ John has roots in the 19^th century.  It is a dish made of blackeyed peas, chopped onion, bacon (or ham), and served over rice.  Eating it on New Year’s Day is said to bring a prosperous year filled with good fortune. Supposedly the blackeyed peas are symoblic of pennies, one of which is to be placed beneath the dinner bowl before serving.  Is that charming, or what?

It is also very quick and easy to make (particularly if you make use of Melissa’s Blackeyed Peas that do not require soaking overnight).  The recipe is really up to your own interpretation.  Make them vegetarian, if you like, or add ham, as I did.  I added the last bits of my HoneyBaked ham, and boy, oh boy, was this delicious.

Hoppin’ John

1 tub Melissa’s Blackeyed Peas, cooked (see below)

1 medium onion, finely chopoped

½ cup diced ham

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ham base (I used L.B. Jamison)

2 teaspoons Low Sodium chicken base

2 cups water

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon celery salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Rice (optional)

Cooking the Blackeyed Peas

Bring 2-1/2 cups water to a rolling bowl in a 3-quart saucepan.  Add the entire 11-oz. tub of blackeyed peas.  Return to a boil.  Reduce heat and bring to a gentle boil, and cook for 10 minutes.  Drain peas; discard water.  You are now ready to use them any way that you see fit – salads, soups, stews, casseroles.

Making the Hoppin’ John

In a 10” pan sauté onion and ham until tender.  Stir in soup base mixes, seasonings, and cooked blackeyed peas.  Add 2 cups of water.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. 

Serve over rice, if desired, but I like them just the way they are.

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday
Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
Be Inspired Friday 
Show and Tell Friday 

Seasonal Sundays

Holiday Indulgences with Ham

Creamy Ham Towers

If you bought the HoneyBaked ham like I advised you to do yesterday (you're welcome), you're probably kicking yourself for not buying more.  While hams are available in all sizes to suit any size gathering, I never seem to buy one big enough (read: the size of a Buick), so am always dismayed to see people eating what I'd hoped to have as leftovers. But who can blame them?  These juicy, delicious, tender hams are addicting.

In the off chance that you do have leftovers (I will be needing your street address.) here are some delicious ham recipes to try that will serve you for breakfast or brunch, dinner or lunch, as a side to soup or salad, and give you a zesty snack to nibble on to boot.  Click on the name of the dish beneath the photo to get the recipe.  

Ahhh, the versatility of a HoneyBaked ham!

Crunchy Ham Casserole

Ham Crepes with Sage-Infused Béchamel

Open Face Ham Sandwiches

Ham Spread Diablo

Peace ‘n Plenty’s Ham and Cheddar Rolls

Baked Eggs in Ham Cups

This post is linked to:

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Inspire Me Tuesday

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Have a "Stress-Free Holiday" with HoneyBaked

I'm guessing that, by now, most of you are stressed out of your minds. It's only days before the big event and I'm sure that many a menu has yet to be planned. Stop. Breathe. What are you doing to yourself?!

Enter the good people from HoneyBaked Ham and their “Stress-Free Holiday” package to help you take on the season full-force. Be good to yourself this year and let HoneyBaked do the work for you. Take a look at the goodies in this wonderful box that came my way.

The first thing I did was pop the CD into the player and make a cup of cocoa.  I then put my feet up, picked up the phone, and ordered a ham. A couple of easy side dishes, the rum cakes for dessert, drizzled, perhaps, with homemade caramel sauce, and my Christmas Eve dinner worries are over.  Each HoneyBaked Ham is fully cooked and ready to serve, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with family and friends, and isn't that really what the holidays are all about? Underneath that sweet, crunchy glaze is the leanest, most flavorful moist and tender hams you’ll find anywhere.  Believe!

Once you have eaten your way to the bone, pop into your nearest store and pick up a package of soup mix. Never in my life did I enjoy pea soup until I tried this mix exclusively from HoneyBaked along with one of their bones. They even sell the bones in the stores just for soup making. What are you waiting for? Stop by your local HoneyBaked store or visit them on the web to reserve yours today.  And while you're reserving one, go ahead and reserve two. New Year's Day and Super Bowl are coming. Why not resolve to make life easier in 2014 and let someone else do the cooking?

Short on gifts?  May I suggest a HoneyBaked gift card?  Hams are avialable in all sizes to suit any gathering, large or small, and they offer more than 20 sides dishes and taste-tempting desserts. (And don't forget that soup mix.  Seriously.  You'll thank me later.)

Disclaimer:  I received this package with the compliments of HoneyBaked Ham.  The opinions expressed are solely my own.

Split Pea Soup

Pumpkin display at Bowood Farms Garden Center, St. Louis, MO



I am not a fan of peas per se, and was never a fan of pea soup until a couple of years ago when a dear a friend brought me a vat of it when I was recovering from a long illness. Too tired to cook, I warmed up her soup, baked some crusty rolls, and sat down for a meal that was unexpectedly delicious. The soup, much to my surprise, was heaven! Rich and smoky and flavorful and so comforting that one bowl called for another.

I figured something this good must be the result of a well-guarded old family recipe that had evolved into such deliciousness at the hands of many generations of women leaning over soup pots testing various combinations of herbs and spices until they finally got the recipe just right. As a consequence I wondered if she'd be willing to share, and it was with great trepidation that I called to make my humble request. Was she ever! The "secret" it seemed was a Honey Baked ham bone and package of split pea soup mix! The simple recipe is on the back of the box, and calls for little more than making the purchase of both bone and mix, and chopping up some vegetables that you no doubt have in the crisper of your fridge.

When you try this, and I insist that you do, be prepared for a heady fragrance to fill your home as it begins to simmer. Be sure to get the meatiest bone offered, the butt end, if possible, and prepare yourself for some nibbling once the bone is removed and lies cooling on the plate. I dare you to resist!

I consider the soup-making ritual one of the most pleasant of all of the harbingers of fall, and consider this soup in particular as the official marker. What soups do you make and what feelings do they evoke?

Green plate:  Metlox Lotus, gift from my mother

Yellow plate:  Fiestaware, Macy’s

Orange spoon:  Fiesta Flatware, Macy's

Soup cup:  Konitz Cappuccino Cups (for which I find INNUMERABLE uses), Amazon