A fresh start and a new recipe

Not to toot my own horn, but I am a pretty good cook. (You know, now that I am 50, I feel like I can say these things with impunity.) People often ask me for my recipes, but usually, I just throw things together until they taste good. (It might be genetic, as my sister, Karen, does this too -- her Chicken Tortilla Soup at Christmas was fantastic, and I need her to write down what she thinks she did. OK, Karen?) So, one of my resolutions is to write down my recipes, and this seems as good a day as any to start.

Dad made us all eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day in hopes that we would get rich that year. So far, not so good. But I can't buck tradition. We usually have corned beef and cabbage, too, but I read last week that in some circles, eating greens was another good luck charm. Clay came home one day last spring, raving about the collard greens served at a luncheon at work. While mom didn't cook a lot of greens, Grandma H. did, and I remember them being stinky, stringy and nasty. But they're not! They are delicious, and after looking at several recipes, Clay and I came up with this soup. I'm not sure it will bring us luck or fortune, but it's warm, delicious and filling. That's pretty lucky and worth a lot, don't you think?


New Year’s Day Soup

(yes, those are my kitty S&P shakers from Sharon -- I just love them)

¼ c. olive oil
2 medium white or yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 c. chicken stock
3 c. water
8 cups collared greens, washed and chopped (about a pound)
1 T. Frank’s hot sauce
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 meaty ham bone left over from Christmas (or 1-2 pounds of smoked ham, cut into soup spoon-sized bites)
4 -15 oz. cans black-eyed peas (or any beans and/or hominy mix -- hominy is so good, although I don't know how lucky it is), drained and rinsed
2 T. lemon juice

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat; toss in onion and garlic and sauté until onion is soft. Add water and stock, greens, hot sauce, salt, pepper and ham bone. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook for an hour until greens are tender. Take out ham bone and pick off any meat you can – return ham to pot; give the bone to your favorite dog. Add beans/hominy and cook another 20 minutes on low until beans are heated through. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Makes a pot full – enough for a crowd (or for two of us and then Clay’s lunch for the rest of week.)

Peace, and happy new year.