GOOD LUCK SALAD

In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. This all traces back to the legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered lucky. 

A couple of years ago I found a recipe for black-eyed pea salad and it has become a part of our New Year’s meal.

Good Luck Salad

juice of 1 lime 
2 cups baby spinach, torn into bite size pieces
1 (15 0z.) can black-eyed peas, drained & rinsed well
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
hot pepper sauce, to taste (I use Crystal hot sauce)

Combine all ingredients.
May be chilled or served at room temperature.
Enjoy!

A BIT OF TRIVIA, if you are interested.

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including:

• Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money.
• Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold.
• For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.
• Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.
• In some areas, actual values are assigned with the black-eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars.
• Adding a shiny penny to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some. When served, the person whose bowl contains the penny receives the best luck for the New Year, unless of course, the recipient swallows the coin, which would be a rather unlucky way to start off the year.

The catch to all of these superstitious traditions is that the black-eyed peas are the essential element and eating only the greens without the peas, for example, will not do the trick.

What traditional foods do y’all eat on New Year’s Day?

Wishing you blessings and prosperity in the New Year,
Sue

A NEW BEGINNING!

                 

Two of my favorite Scriptures as I contemplate a New Year are:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

I love the fact that God delights in doing something new and He delights in involving us in His new plans. Every day presents us with a new opportunity to discover and experience more of God's love. Our faithful God who loves us greatly has given us an everlasting hope, and each day, a new beginning.

If we treat each day as a new day to do new things in a new manner, we will be amazed at how many new opportunities will come our way. The most beautiful thing about this concept is that we don't have to do it on our own. It is the Lord's mercies that are new every morning. Every morning we have fresh instances of God’s compassion towards us. So as we begin a New Year my prayer for you is:

                      

May God make your year a happy one!

Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;

Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;

Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;

Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;

Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most, and by making you anxious to be there to help.

God's love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.
Sue