Christmas Getaway and New Year’s Southern Eats

Tags

black-eyed peas, food, recipe, salad, sundried tomatoes, vegetarian

We’ve made it to a new year!

While I reflect on the past twelve months, I’m taking the time today to write out my goals.  I’m having my boys do the same.  Something tells me it’s going to make for some interesting reading.

One of my goals for 2013 that I’ve decided to keep in place for 2014 is visiting cities and areas I’ve never seen.  Nothing exotic {not yet}, but places I’ve always wanted to spend time in, even if just for 4 or 5 days.

To that end, last month we loaded up the car and the kids and drove north to Colonial Williamsburg.  The weather was a balmy 72 degrees and we took in all of the sites and sounds of this historic treasure and toured several battlefields.  If you have boys, those battlefields and plantations are a must-see.

I have a few photos to share with you.  Okay, I took a million but I whittled them down to 6 or so.

And, because it’s New Year’s Day I wanted to share a so-southern, but completely modern take on serving up black-eyed peas.  Since I’m in the midst of a sugar detox, I thought I’d whip up a salad for today’s festivities.

I’m keeping it a little lighter than the usual fare of black-eyed peas with greens.

For those who may not know, the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money and should lead to a whole lot of prosperity throughout the new year.  Or, so I’ve been told.

But first a little look at Colonial Williamsburg all dressed up for Christmas (if you’re short on time, just scroll to the bottom of the post for the black-eyed pea salad recipe).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The decorations are one more beautiful than the next.  Can you see why I had trouble editing the photos down to a handful?

I’ll be back later in the week with a delicious brunch recipe, but for now I suggest you try some black-eyed peas and a little southern luck to start your new year off right!

Black-Eyed Pea Salad 

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp country-style Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed well

1 cup red onion, chopped

3/4 cup English cucumber, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

In a small bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients.  In a large bowl, toss the black-eyed peas, red onion, English cucumber, bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, and chopped parsley.  Toss with the vinaigrette.  Taste and adjust seasonings with additional salt and black pepper if needed.

Serves: 8

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