Traditions

I do not believe in superstition, but I do believe in tradition, and my whole life, as long as I can remember, no matter where I've lived, I have had black eyed peas on New Year's Day. I grew up in FL, and my mother always made black eyed peas in the slow cooker, and we were required to eat them every year. As I grew up, it became a tradition with me, as well. I also grew to like them. I don't remember liking them as a kid, and as an adult, I have tried different recipes, and tweaked them a little bit every year, and like them very much. There are other traditions that go along with it, that I never knew about. You can read more about them here. I don't remember my mother serving us greens (which is supposed to represent money), but she did serve cornbread. Of course, cornbread is something we always had with any kind of beans.

Today was no different. I got up this morning, and started on my peas. I have found I prefer cooking all of my beans/peas on the stove top, rather than the slow cooker, these days. I used to always use the slow cooker for everything, but once I tried it using a pot on the stove, I fell in love with that method for beans and peas from now on. Anyway, I started on my peas earlier, and they were ready to eat by lunch time. One thing I think that's great is that my seven year old loves them! He couldn't wait for them to be finished. He kept asking if they were done. He has never questioned why we always eat them on New Year's Day, until today. I explained the best I could about the tradition. I'm not sure how much he understood. I am happy that my son is interested in the traditions, and maybe when he grows up and has his own family, he will continue the same tradition.

I served my black eyes peas with rice, and had a roll. I didn't have any of the other traditional foods on hand, so I just went with what I had. I don't think my luck or life will be affected my my decision. The peas came out great, and we still have lots of left overs. Here's a picture of how they turned out: 

What kind of New Year's traditions does your family have?