Black Eyed Peas and Sauerkraut

I grew up in Central Illinois, which is technically considered "The North", although I had relatives on both sides of the Civil War.  My mother always served cooked cabbage on New year's Day. Her reason? So we would have money throughout the year. I don't recall having a specific meat or other sides, the important item was the magical cabbage. At the old age of 23 in 1973, I moved away from Illinois to Tennessee where I learned we had it wrong. We should have been eating black eyed peas, which would bring us not just money, but luck.  Black eyed peas also were accepted as New Year's Day fare when I lived in North Carolina and Texas. So all the years, up to 2007 when I married Hubby, I always made sure we had plenty of cooked cabbage and black eyed peas on New Year's Day.  Hubby added pork.  He grew up in Pennsylvania eating pork and sauerkraut.  The pork was served to bring love and health throughout the coming year.  So what am I serving today?  Pork, sauerkraut (which is cabbage) and black eyed peas.  I've got it all covered: luck, money/wealth, and love/health. Should be a great year. I'm running out to buy a lottery ticket after dinner.  What about you? Do you have New Year's traditions?

Since I haven't posted in a while, I probably haven't posted about Hubby's new job. A little tired of retirement, he went to work at Home Depot.  He is working today, so I'm making a pork tenderloin roast in the crock pot. It is smothered in sauerkraut with an onion and apple sliced on top. This is the way Hubby's German granny made it, so we make it that way, too. In addition, I will be heating up a can of Glory Seasoned Southern Style Blackeye Peas.  Easy.  For color I will be serving broccoli salad. Sadly, there won't be dessert. I don't have ingredients for anything and it's too cold and snowy outside to make a trip to the store. There are Tootsie Roll Pops leftover from Christmas if Hubs can't live without a sweet treat.

Okay, for those of you who may be wondering, I guess I should explain my lengthy absence.  I started having blog burnout along about August or September, but kept sporadically plugging along until late October or early November. I'm old, I can't remember exactly when. Too much work, I guess.  The straw that broke that poor camel's back was the combination of blogger/picasa. I got that dreaded message about not posting any more pictures unless I bought more space, which I steadfastly refuse to do. Blurb has now slurped up all my blog posts and will be sending a copy through the mail.  I'm back to free picture space.  Yay!

I don't make New Year's resolutions, but I promised my son I would get back into blogging after the New year. He misses seeing what I'm up to on a daily basis.  So, hopefully I'm back! 

For those of you who worried and sent emails questioning whether I was still among the living, I apologize for not posting my intentions.  Yes, I am alive and well.  

Happy New year!!!