New Years 2010...

Even though we are in Virginia now, we still keep our Southern traditions. I tell myself often that "Southern is a mindset.. not a location." It works when I'm SO darn homesick.

So today, we are making collards with sausage, black eyed peas, rice and fried corn bread. I thought I'd give you a peek into the Bee kitchen. LOL

First, our collards and sausage. Now good collards must have a frost to taste yummy and in Georgia this means that you have to make an icewater bath for the greens before you can tear the collards. However, in Virginia, you don't need to do an icewater bath because we get our first good frost WELL before the greens come in. This is my 18 quart roaster with some water in it, chopped up sausage and torn collards. (We NEVER CUT collards!)

Next up, the black eyed peas with a hambone in there for flavoring.

The brown "blobs" at the bottom of the picture is the hambone. The peas are cooking in the crockpot.. my precious crockpot with my melted handle. (That is a story for yet another day!)

Closer to dinner, we will be frying corn bread. YUM! How was your New Years? What are your traditions?

~Steph