Hoppin John

Dan asked about Hoppin John so here's the story.  We've lived in Florida enough to feel some relationship to the South.  (Of course Florida is Florida not 'the South'.)  But there is a tradition that if you eat this concoction on New Years Day you have good luck all year.  There are a million recipes but the basic idea is a pound of dried blackeyed peas, a couple of smoked ham hocks or some ham, onion and a cup of rice.  You cook the peas for a while with the ham then add the rice and cook that.  Spices can range from red pepper flakes to jalapenos.  Some recipes have various vegies, like green pepper or celery added but we've never done that.  We've been having Hoppin John on New Years Day since the early 1980's!  Strange how these traditions get going.

This morning I'm on cooking duty with orders to produce an omelet.  This particular recipe was stolen from my wife's step-father; I've no idea where he got it since this is the only thing I've ever seen him cook.  You cook up a chorizo sausage with some canned green chilis and a couple mushrooms.  You also need a couple pieces of bacon.  You put your eggs in a blender with a little onion and some chili powder and get them blended smooth.  Put the egg mixture in a pan and cook until the bottom is firm and the top isn't moving about any more.  Now flip the omelet.  Put the sausage mixture inside and fold the omelet in half.  Sprinkle on some grated cheese.  Lay the bacon on top and smother with canned tomato sauce.  I usually use about half of an 8 oz. can for each omelet.  It's really pretty good though it is certainly looks a mess.

The only other thing on my dance card today is to get in a nice walk.  We were walking almost every day but my wife got a cold then the holidays were upon us and somehow we ceased walking.  That's bad so we are getting back into the swing.  We only walked a couple days in November and a couple in December; we are planning on doing much better this month.  It's good for us and good for the dog; what's not to like?

Gotta go get cooking.  Have a good one.