Thank you all so much for spending time with me here at Foodie with Family. To those who have visited regularly throughout the year, your continued support has meant the world. It has been a joy to get to know you. And to those who are new, welcome — I hope you stick around. I’ll put on a pot of tea. Hearing from you — whether questions about recipes, comments, stories, or a recipe you’ve shared — brightens my days. Even if I’m a total dork and forget to respond, rest assured you’ve put a smile on my face. For this, my long-suffering kids thank you.
I hope your New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are full of wonder, loved ones, great food, and lasting memories. More than that, I hope the coming year brings even more joy and opportunity than these two days.
This week I’ll be posting my take on the traditional Southern New Year’s meal. Yes, there will be greens and pork products. Yes, there will be cheese spread. There will be plenty of delicious soul food. I’ll be here, and I hope you will be, too!
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Who’s ready for a brand-new year — a bright, blank slate full of possibility? Another 365 opportunities to shape your life the way you want it? I sure am.
I’m not much for rigid resolutions. My anti-authoritarian streak is strong enough that I rebel against rules I make for myself. But I love the idea of self-improvement — on my own schedule, without pressure or anyone telling me what to do. Instead of a list of resolutions, I turn to Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life” (full text below the recipe). My favorite stanza reads:
“Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.”
That poem is my pep talk at the start of each year, nudging head and heart in the right direction. As we celebrate the end of one year and the possibilities ahead, I turn to poetry and food — nourishment for both the romantic heart and the sensual stomach.
After all, it isn’t really a celebration without food. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day come with dishes as traditional and evocative as Christmas geese or Thanksgiving turkeys. I married into a good Southern family, and my maternal grandparents were born and raised in the Deep South. For us, New Year’s Day means black-eyed peas. Not the pop star, but the humble black-eyed pea — the cowpea with the distinctive black spot.
Southern tradition holds that eating black-eyed peas as the first food of the new year brings luck. The custom dates back to around the Civil War era when, according to historical accounts, some foods were overlooked by invading troops and left for locals to survive on. Over time, black-eyed peas became associated with prosperity — the peas representing coins and, when eaten alongside greens to represent paper money, a symbolic start to financial fortune. Whether you buy into the superstition or not, starting the year with a frugal, flavorful recipe is never a bad idea.
One family staple is budget-friendly Recession Caviar. It appears under many names (Lindamood Caviar, Hillbilly Caviar, Texas Caviar) and can be made with black-eyed peas, black beans, or chili beans. For New Year’s we use black-eyed peas. I recently made a giant bowl for a family gathering that included Virginians, Texans, Georgians, Floridians, and a few Yankee spouses — it disappeared. An empty bowl is as universal a sign of approval as you can get.
Beans — canned or dried — are consistently inexpensive and nutrient-dense: great sources of protein, fiber, iron, and vitamins. They are among the most budget-friendly, nutritious foods you can serve. Recession Caviar is versatile and satisfying: serve it with tortilla or corn chips, spoon it into burritos, top tacos, or use it as a side for fish, chicken, or pork. Swap in other beans or fresh vegetables you have on hand. Consider this recipe a jumping-off point for big, bold flavors and fresh texture.
Psst — it’s good for you, too. Ring in the New Year with Southern pride, please your guests, nourish your body, and keep an eye on your waistline all at once. Who doesn’t love a win-win?
Recession Caviar (Black-Eyed Pea Salsa)
Ingredients:
- 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1/2 large red onion, or more to taste
- 1–4 fresh jalapeño peppers, to taste
- 1–4 cloves fresh garlic, minced, to taste
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Juice of two fresh limes (bottled lime juice works if needed)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Peel the red onion half and place it cut side down. Make parallel cuts 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart across the onion, leaving the root end intact. Turn the onion 90 degrees and slice across those cuts to create a small dice. Don’t worry about perfection — part of Recession Caviar’s charm is its rustic look.
Add the diced onion, thawed corn, and rinsed black-eyed peas to a mixing bowl with the minced garlic.
Slice the jalapeños in half and use a spoon to remove seeds, membranes, and stems if you prefer less heat. Slice the peppers into thin strips, then turn and cut across to dice them finely. Add the diced jalapeños to the mixing bowl.
Roughly chop the cilantro and add it to the mixture along with the oil, chili powder, lime juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
Let the salsa sit covered at room temperature for an hour before serving, or refrigerate for at least four hours to allow flavors to meld. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to five days.
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As promised, one of my favorite ways to ring in the New Year.
A PSALM OF LIFE
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMISTTell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.