10. Jamaica: Jerk Pork with Jicima Pineapple Salsa

10. Jamaica: Jerk Pork with Jicima Pineapple Salsa

Cory and I honeymooned in Jamaica, so this recipe was extra special for us :) In fact, coughing in our kitchen filled with habanero-infused smoke specifically reminded us of a similar experience while standing outside the jerk chicken hut on the beach at Sunset Cove. The jerk rub for this recipe was really awesome and tasted just like the "hut" jerk seasonings we had tried in Montego Bay. 

I completed this recipe directly from Food and Wine:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jerk-pork-tenderloin-with-pineapple-salsa

The result was delicious, although I had some trouble cooking the pork through on our indoor grill pan. After it had cooked for about 20 minutes, I sliced it thickly and grilled the individual slices. The salsa recipe also makes a ton of pineapple-jicima goodness, so reduce to a tenth. Enjoy, mon!

The rub smelled AWESOME going into the food processor - habanero, ginger, allspice...

Now, if only we could go back!

 

 

Kitchen Cleanup: Chicken Penne in White Wine Sauce with Grapefruit and Dill

I love having all of these yummy spare ingredients lying around - and today's lunch was no exception. I just mixed and mingled various ingredients until they tasted right, so proportion as you please. The grapefruit was a serendipitous choice -- we were out of lemon, and lime seemed too harsh. The end result was yummy though -- simple and just different enough to keep things interesting. Cory doesn't like grapefruit and still went back for seconds!

Chicken Penne in White Wine Sauce with Grapefruit and Dill

1 T butter
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large chicken breast, boiled and cubed
1 c white wine
2 T EVOO
1.5 c whole wheat penne, cooked
1 T crushed red pepper flakes
juice from 1/2 grapefruit
1/4 c fresh dill, chopped
cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Once hot, saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add chicken and penne, heat through, then add 1 c white wine and EVOO and reduce. Add red pepper, dill, grapefruit juice, S, P, & C. Play with proportions until you are pleased, then enjoy with shaved Parmesan!

9. Cuba: Vaca Frita with Cuban Black Beans

This combination of Vaca Frita (inspired by Food and Wine) and Cuban Black Beans (pulled together from several sites) was absolutely delicious... I bet kids would love it! The meat was yummy with the lime and onions. I've never made authentic black beans from scratch, but I love this recipe. It definitely has a different feel than the good ole' southern black beans I'm used to. They're great with sour cream and cheddar... I'm still eating them several days later!

Vaca Frita with Cuban Black Beans

1 lb black beans, washed
5 T EVOO
9 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
5 c water
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 4 oz jar diced pimentos
1 T vingar
1 t sugar
1.5 lb lean beef, cut in four pieces
1 green bell pepper, quartered
1 large onion, halved
1 large onion, thinly sliced
salt
1/3 C lime juice
S&P
  

 

Place beans in a large saucepan with enough water to cover, and soak 8 hours, or overnight; drain. 

In a large saucepan, combine the flank steak with the bell pepper and halved onion. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat for 20 minutes. Transfer the flank steak to a work surface and let the steak cool. Strain the broth and reserve for another use. Slice the meat and transfer it to a bowl.

Remove onion and pepper from water and dice. Heat 2 T oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute onion, green bell pepper, and garlic until tender. Into the onion mixture, stir the drained beans, water, tomato paste, pimentos, and vinegar. Season with salt, sugar, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender.

Meanwhile, stir together garlic, salt, meat, lime juice, olive oil and sliced onion. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours.

Heat a large, flat griddle until very hot. Working in batches, spread the shredded beef on the griddle in a thin layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat, turning once or twice, until sizzling and crispy in spots, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and serve.

Not the best picture - but I have my good camera back now. Trust me.. it was delicious!

Welcome, sweet baby Damian!

I was so excited to hear that one of my best friends from high school (and college, and beyond... 10 years already?) and her amazing husband Nate had their sweet baby boy last night! Welcome into this world, Damian Thomas. You are so blessed to be born into such a beautiful and loving family. 

The picture below is one of my favorites from our wedding- one of our photographers snapped this picture of MH, Damian, and me... before MH and Nate told anyone they were pregnant! 

You can read all about MH's pregnancy adventures on her sweet blog: http://www.pupandtot.com/ ... which currently features a hilarious video about their rush to the hospital... 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Creme and Raspberries

A sweet friend's birthday calls for sweet (and zesty) cupcakes, right? I enjoyed making these to celebrate one of my nearest and dearests' big day at school. These cupcakes turned out great! Another Food and Wine favorite... and I didn't tweak it a bit, so I'll just direct you to their link.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/vanilla-cupcakes-with-lemon-cream-and-raspberries

Delicious :)

Scandinavian Fusion: Salmon and Dill with Orzo Salad

Here's another lovely tweak from Food and Wine magazine. The orzo salad was AWESOME - the balance was perfect the first night (we ate it solo), although I could taste a little more EVOO on day 2. I love orzo -- it's so simple and delicious, and it blends so nicely with veggies. Cory put it well - orzo gets "bullied" in heavy dishes. The dill and salmon complemented it perfectly!

Scandinavian Salmon and Dill with Orzo Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
16 grape tomatoes, quartered
1 t salt
1 c orzo
3 T EVOO
juice from almost one lemon
1/2 c fresh dill, divided
3/4 lb salmon
grated zest of 1 lemon

Toss cucumber, tomatoes, salt, pepper, 2 T EVOO, lemon juice, and 1/3 c dill. Cook orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water for approx 12 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain. Add to vegetables.

Heat a grill pan. Coat salmon with 1T EVOO, salt, and pepper. Grill skin side up for 4 minutes, then turn and sprinkle with  dill and lemon zest. Flip two more times, sprinkling with more dill and zest (we remove skins after they are crispy). Cook until browned and barely done (about three minutes on second side). Serve fish over orzo.

Wedding bells still ringing!

It was a great surprise to see our wedding featured on The Wedding Row blog.. take a peek here!

Thanks again to Katherine Miller, our wonderful wedding planner and my high school friend, for helping us plan every fun detail. Check out her other weddings at Katherine Miller Events.

8. New Zealand: Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes and Veggies

Cory had his 4th snow day today - 4th! I thought it was funny until my car slid down a large patch of black ice onto a somewhat busy road. Luckily, the road was clear -- but the 20 second experience reminded me that sweet children shouldn't be venturing out on underpowered busses in these conditions :).

I found a few fun New Zealand recipes, but roasted grapes sounded too fun to pass up... this one is inspired by http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/.

Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes and Veggies
4 boneless pork chops (if bone-in, cook longer)
5 parsnips, peeled and chopped
5 carrots, chopped
4 yellow potatoes, cut in eighths
2-4 T olive oil, or to taste
salt and pepper
8 small bunches of seedless red grapes (about 5 grapes each)


Take pork chops out of fridge before prepping vegetables. Preheat oven to 375. Spray a large roasting pan or baking dish with PAM. Toss vegetables with olive oil, S&P in a large gallon ziplock bag until coated. Pour into bottom of pan and bake for 15 minutes. Rub pork chops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on top of vegetables and bake for 20-25 more minutes, turning the pork chops over and stirring the vegetables half way through. Add bunches of grapes and return to oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meat and vegetables are done cooking. Serve each pork chop with veggies and grapes, using only 5-10 grapes per serving (a little goes a long way!).

The verdict? Yummy pork chops -- they were perfectly cooked, and the veggies were delicious. The grapes ended up tasting more like cherries, which rested wonderfully with the pork. They were very sweet, though -- so use sparingly! This meal was super easy and yummy - and beautiful in the pan. Happy snow day to us!

Oh-So-Easy Spicy Peach Chicken BBQ

It sounds like we may have another snow day tomorrow -- at least Cory does -- and I'm starting to go a little stir crazy! It is certainly nice having time to cook and hang out with Cory, though. Here's one of our favorite easy, relatively healthy southern crock pot recipes. I used to make a similar version in college when we first started dating and have tried to make it a bit more sophisticated since then, adding the spicy peaches to give a little zing. Best part of this recipe? It's quick to make and easy on the pantry - we almost always have most of the ingredients on hand. The worst part of this recipe? Smelling it cook all day made me want to snack, snack, snack -- I realized I'm never actually hungry by the time I serve up this dish.

Oh-So-Easy Spicy Peach Chicken BBQ (serves 4-6)
1 large onion, chopped
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves*
14 oz favorite BBQ sauce
1 c fat free Italian dressing
1 can light yellow cling peaches, drained
baked potatoes for serving

Since all BBQ sauces are different, taste, taste, taste:
2 T brown sugar
1 T Tabasco
2 T Worcheshire
red chili pepper flakes
S, P & Cayenne, to taste
paprika

*Frozen or fresh can be used - frozen: cook 6-8 hours, fresh 4-6 hours

Add chopped onions, chicken, BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar, tabasco, Worcheshire, chili pepper flakes, S, P, & C to slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours (chicken should be cooked through); then remove chicken from sauce, shred with two forks, and throw back into the sauce. Chop peaches (or just cut with a sharp knife while still in the can) and add to sauce. Taste and re-spice as needed. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 mins to 2 hours (slower and longer the better!).

Serve hot over baked potatoes, topped with a dollop of light sour cream and sprinkled with paprika.

'Tis No-Longer-the-Season Nachos

Drumroll, please....

College football season is officially over.

Don't get me wrong, I love a fun game here and there. However, my husband is mildly (mildly? majorly.) obsessed with USC football... at the expense of every Saturday during fall. I'm never too sad to see the season come to an end, so I was more than happy to cook a wonderful nacho feast and watch the national championship with husband. :) Unhealthy man food is delicious once in awhile!

We usually make BBQ chicken nachos with corn, jalapenos, etc... but decided to take a more traditional route last night. They were yummy!

'Tis No-Longer-the-Season Nachos

1/2 bag tortilla chips
1 onion, diced
1 can FF refried beans
1 can chili beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb ground turkey
cumin
paprika
red pepper flakes
s, p, & cayenne
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
shredded cheddar cheese, to taste (1/2 bag)
shredded pepperjack, to taste (1/2 medium bar)
1 jalapeno, sliced
sour cream
tabasco


Preheat oven to 350. Spread tortilla over medium size platter*. In a small sautee pan, brown ground turkey, adding cumin, s, p, cayenne, paprika, and red pepper to taste. Once browned, remove from pan and sprinkle over chips. In the same pan, sautee onions until translucent; sprinkle over turkey and chips. In the same pan, add refried beans and chilli beans, stirring until warmed through. Pour over platter. Top with diced tomatoes, cheese, and sliced jalapeno. Bake 5-10 minutes until cheese is gooey. Serve with sour cream and tabasco!


*I'm a firm believer in fiestaware - we use ours constantly, and I love that it goes from oven to table to fridge so easily! We chose to mix and match colors, blending turquoise, peacock, white, and lemongrass (left) place settings with same-colored servingware (plus some cobalt and shamrock pieces to mix it up). It's great!

Master's Motivation: Mexican Almond Hot Chocolate

Snow day #2! Cory woke me up with homemade blueberry pancakes -- sweet husband made my morning :). Although spending the whole day lounging is tempting, I know I need to buckle down and get some work done.What better motivation than some yummy, spicy hot chocolate?

 

Mexican Almond Hot Chocolate

2.5 c vanilla almond milk

1 T brown sugar

2 1-oz blocks of semisweet chocolate

1 1-oz block unsweetened chocolate

.5 t cayenne (or to taste)

.5 t cinnamon 

1.5 t vanilla 

.5 t almond extract (optional)

marshmallows

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm almond milk and sugar until simmering. Meanwhile, shave chocolate with a large knife (or chop into small pieces). Add chocolate to milk and stir until melted and combined. Add cayenne and cinnamon, then taste to make sure you like the heat (remember: marshmallows add sweetness!). Once heated through, take mixture off the burner and add vanilla (and almond). Pour into mugs, top with marshmallows, and enjoy! .. or go write your master's thesis.

Snowday Brunch: Baked Potatoes, Chorizo, and Eggs

Snow day! Best first day of class ever, no? I didn't get to skip any classes, but I did miss my first day back at practicum. I'm not complaining -- although I am definitely procrastinating on the three big school projects I need to get done today. It's still early ;)

Molly was stressed.

"Where is my pinestraw?!"

Cory loves snow drama. All of these cars attempted to escape from our
complex and failed. The tow truck is starting at the top of the hill...

We spent most of the morning watching our neighbors attempt to escape the apartment complex in underpowered cars, making Molly face The Elements, taking down our Christmas tree (sigh), and rearranging furniture. In other words, we worked up quite an appetite! To keep us going, I threw together this yummy recipe tweaked from Food and Wine Magazine (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-eggs-with-chorizo-and-potatoes)... 100% from ingredients we had floating around our pantry.

Baked Potatoes, Chorizo, and Eggs
4 gold potatoes
1 large onion, diced
1/2 T vegetable oil
3 large links of chorizo (left over from Portuguese night!)
4 eggs
S, P, & cayenne, to taste
hot sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Bring potatoes to boil in lightly salted water. Boil for 20 minutes, covered, then drain. Once cooled, chop into large bite-sized pieces, peeling off the skin as you cut.

Meanwhile, crumble chorizo and cook in a medium dutch oven for about 5 minutes, until halfway done. Add diced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Remove mixture from pot, add vegetable oil, and saute potatoes until slightly browned. Add back in the chorizo mixuture and cook for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Remove the dutch oven from heat and use a large spoon to make four indentations, spaced apart. Crack the four eggs into the indentations, then bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Egg whites should be set and yolks gooey. Serve immediately with hot sauce!

The verdict? Awesome. We loved it. Easy, cheap (I'd liberally estimate $3-4 worth of ingredients for 4-5 servings), and perfect power-brunch for a snowy day. Hope all of you fellow-cloistered-ones are having as much fun on this unexpected day off as we are!

7. Korean Bi Bim Bop (Bar)

For all you Columbia friends, you could probably guess which Korean dish we'd choose... Bi Bim Bop, hands down. This dish is the notorious favorite at a local restaurant called the Blue Cactus - a casual (and proudly slow) tex mex Korean fusion place in Five Points. Because Bi Bim Bop is a collection of several Koran vegetables over rice (served with an egg and hot chile paste), lots of variations exist. I scavengered a few traditional recipes to compile this little creation, but feel free to sub in different vegetables!

Korean Bi Bim Bop
4 t low sodium soy sauce, divided
1/2 t minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
4 oz flank steak
1 c 2" julienne-cut carrots
1 c 2" julienne-cut zuchhini
2 small onions, cut into strips
1 t sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 t rice vinegar
1/8 t kosher salt
1 t sesame oil, divided
4 large eggs
3 c cooked brown rice
1 c thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
8 T Thai chile paste

Combine steak, ginger, 1 clove minced garlic, and 2 t soy sauce  in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Heat a small nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture; stir-fry 3 minutes or until done. Remove from pan. Cover and keep warm.

Rinse bean sprouts, heat in medium pot with 1 c of water and 1 t salt. Drain water and mix it with 1 clove of minced garlic, 1/8 t sesame oil, and a pinch of salt.

In a separate pot, add spinach to boiling water and stir for 1 minute. Rinse under cold water, drain, and press to release water. Mix with 1 t  soy sauce, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1/8 t sesame oil

Cook carrot in boiling water 1 minute or until crisp-tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain, sprinkle with .5t sesame seeds, and set aside.

Sautee onions in 1/2 t sesame oil and 1 t soy sauce until translucent. Set aside.

Cook zucchini for a minute in boiling water, then drain, rinse with cold water, and add .5 t toasted sesame seeds, rice vinegar, 1/4 t kosher salt, 1/4 t sesame oil, and 1 clove minced garlic. Set aside.

Heat skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Prepare eggs sunny side up.

Spoon 3/4 cup rice into each of 4 bowls. Arrange 1/4 cup each of beef, carrot, cucumber mixture, mushrooms, spinach, onions, and sprouts over each serving. Top each serving with 1 egg and Kochujang, Korean hot chile paste.

... or have friends over and make a DIY bi bim bop bar ;) ... which was what we ended up doing!

The verdict? Yum. I understand now why Blue Cactus is so slow -- so much of the method to this dish is timing, timing, timing. I failed with the beef because I cooked it too early... but the veggies turned out great. Yummy, healthy, and relatively cheap. We'll definitely be doing the bi bim bop bar again!

6: United Kingdom

Christmas break is over, but I refuse to take down our tree. I convinced Cory to let me leave it up until tonight, at which point I fed him "sleepy" food and reasoned that it won't hurt anyone to keep it up until he gets home from his golf trip this weekend. Three more nights of sitting by the pretty white lights...

Today was my first full day back at work, and I'm feeling it already. I love my job.. particularly on days when I can leave thinking, "Hey -- I contributed to the literature on early signs of autism today." ... but today wasn't one of those days. :) Instead, this week has been filled with lots of organizing, organizing, organizing. My new year's resolution is to live a more healthy, balanced life in 2011 -- which started with organizing my shoes and has most recently extended to organizing our lab. Don't get me wrong - I love putting things in place and getting life together... I just know that once classes start, the fruits of my beloved organization are going to be tested. Big time.

... but back to the sleepy food that I credit for my extended Christmas Bliss. Cory is going out of town on a golf trip this weekend, so I wanted to cook him something yummy and hearty and perfect for a chilly, rainy day. Shepherd's Pie seemed to do the trick! To save a few bucks (and calories), I omitted meat, using lots of fresh winter vegetables instead. Shepherd's Pie is one of those versatile recipes that can be made differently every time you make it. I got the idea to do a semi-vegetarian (other than chicken broth) version from Food and Wine magazine - and with a few tweaks, it was totally delicious.

Winter Veggie Shepherd's Pie
3 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 small yukon gold potatoes, halfed
2 c fat free half & half
1/4 c cheese (swiss, white cheddar, gruye, etc.)
3 T butter, divided
2 sweet onions, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 turnips, chopped
2 C brussel sprouts, halved
2 carrots, chopped
2 T thyme
2 C chicken broth
S&P

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water. After potatoes have softened (15-20 minutes), mash with butter, fat free half & half, cheese, and S&P. Stir over medium heat until thickened.

Preheat broiler. While potatoes are cooking, melt 2T butter in dutch oven. Saute onions in butter until lightly browned, then add garlic. Saute an additional 2 minutes, then add parsnips, turnips, brussel sprouts, carrots, and thyme. After vegetables have cooked for 5 minutes, add chicken broth. Cook, covered, over medium high heat for 10 minutes, then remove lid and cook until almost all liquid has been absorbed or evaporated.

Ladel vegetable mixture into 9" pie dish, then top with potatoes (we had a little leftover of both -- can't wait to add the veggies to whole wheat linguini this weekend!). Broil until lightly browned (5 minutes). 

Enjoy!

Crafty Entertaining: DIY Matchbooks!

I'm still pouring over pictures from our wedding. Stephen Blackmon and Kim Graham photographed for us (both based in Charleston), and they did an absolutely fantastic job. I'm debating putting together a special part of this blog for simple crafting and entertaining (incorporating some of the fun wedding-related projects), but until then, I wanted to share one of the fun, inexpensive, and oh-so-easy elements of our wedding... paper matchbooks!

To accent our sparkler send-off, I ordered white matchbooks from Amazon (for under $4). Using an opened matchbook as a template, I used scrap paper from our save-the-date envelopes (which I hand-lined with mismatched Amy Butler paper, to cut out paper covers, which I then attached using double-stick tape.

So easy, right? The perfect special little element for under $5. I can't wait to re-use the idea for baby and wedding showers, Christmas parties (cover with wrapping paper as a little favor? yes, please!)... endless possibilities.

Kitchen Round-up: Stir-fry Sesame Burgers with Teriyaki Fries

What is one to do with a few potatoes, ground lamb/beef mixture, frozen stir-fry veggies, onions, and an almost-stale whole wheat mini-bagel?

... Stir-fry sesame burgers with terikyaki fries, of course!

I try to make a few trusted meals each week, but I also love experimenting with various remnants in our pantry. This meal was pretty simple, and we both actually loved it. It was a nice break from the wintery meats and veggies we've been eating lately -- which is pretty appropriate, given the beautiful "t-shirt weather" we had in Columbia today!

I apologize for the lack of pictures -- left my camera at a friend's house, and my old one ate the shots from this meal. Envision lots of yuminess, though!

Teriyaki Fries
2 baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 T EVOO
1 T low sodium terikyaki sauce
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
garlic salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Slice the potatoes to "steak fry" size. Add potatoes and remaining ingredients to a gallon-sized ziplock bag and shake. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat* (or aluminum foil if no Silpat is available). Bake 20 minutes, flip, and bake 10-15  more minutes until desired crispness.

*Silpats are God's gift to cooks. If you don't have one yet, they're totally worth the investment. Silpats are re-usable baking sheet liners that can be used for rolling dough, making cookies, baking, etc. They're so easy to clean and protect baked goods from burning.

Sesame Stir-Fry Burgers with Onions
1 c frozen stir-fry peppers/onion blend
2 t sesame oil (divided)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T sesame seeds
2 T teriyaki sauce, divided
1 egg
1 mini whole wheat bagel, torn
ground ginger
paprika
garlic
S&P
1 lb ground beef/lamb (or other meat)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
100-cal whole grain sandwich rounds
provolone cheese (optional)

Run frozen stirfry veggies under warm water until thawed; then drain, pat dry, and finely chop. Heat 1 t sesame oil in small skillet over medium heat; add veggies, garlic, and sesame seeds. After mixture begins to brown, add 1 T teriyaki and remove from heat.

Heat grill (or trusty George Foreman). In a small bowl, mix egg, torn whole wheat bagel, ginger, paprika, garlic, S&P, and ground meat. Add in sauteed veggies and mix with hands. Mold into patties, grill until cooked through.

In small skillet (can be same as before), saute sliced onions in 1t sesame oil and 1 T teriyaki sauce until browned.

Toast sandwich rounds and top with burger, provolone, and sauteed onions.

Due to camera malfunctions, I leave you with pretty
flowers (and Lowcountry background) from our wedding :)

 

5. USA Part I: A Southern New Year

Hoppin' John and Collards

Happy 2011! We just had to ring in the new year with Hoppin' John for good luck, right? For those of you not from the south -- Hoppin' John is a traditional southern recipe with West African origins. Some sources claim the dish was developed by slaves in the Charleston Lowcountry during the mid 1800's (although plenty of debate surrounds the origins and naming of the dish). Although many variations exist, the main ingredients almost always include black eyed peas (symbolizing luck), rice, tomatoes, and savory meats. Hoppin' John is traditionally served with bright greens to symbolize financial prosperity in the new year.

One of my favorite 2010 memories - Cory and my wedding reception at
Boone Hall, a beautiful Lowcountry plantation in Charleston, SC

This Hoppin' John recipe uses a few canned veggies for ease, although fresh peas and tomatoes could certainly be used. Co and I like our beans spicy, so we add quite a bit of cayenne. I also add filé powder -- ground sassafras leaves -- which is a thickening spice traditionally used in gumbo. I've struggled to find filé powder in typical grocery stores around Columbia, but the Gourmet Shop came through (of course!). I've also seen file at Whole Foods. I love how it blends with the sage pork sausage in Hoppin' John... very savory.

Southern bean and rice dishes are not only yummy, but also quite affordable. I'd estimate this whole meal (with enough for several batches of leftovers) cost around $12 -- when the right ingredients are on sale, of course. Small price to pay for a year of luck!

It's not pretty - but it's delicious!

Hoppin' John
1 lb sage pork sausage
1 onion, diced
1 cup brown rice
2 15 oz cans black eyed peas (or fresh), drained
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (or fresh)
4 cups chicken broth/water
1 tsp filé powder (if available)
1 smoked ham hock
salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Crumble sausage in dutch oven and cook until browned. Remove from pan and drain, if greasy. Saute onion in residual grease until translucent and browned. Add drained sausage, rice, peas, tomatoes, ham hock, filé powder, and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer at least 30 minutes until liquid reduces to desired thickness, rice is cooked, and flavors are melded. Remove ham hock and serve.

Collards
1 bunch collard greens, chopped and washed
1 smoked ham hock
2 T vinegar
4 c water
3 c chicken stock/broth
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 1 hour. Remove ham hock and serve.