Recently I was asked what I cooked for New Year’s Day … here it is.
Dry Black Eyed Peas
1 bag (16 ounce) dry black-eyed peas
5 cups water
1 salt cured ham hock or ¼ pound salt pork
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
1 medium onion cut in wedges
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean and wash peas. Place in a large, heavy pot. Cover in water at least 2 inches over peas. Soak overnight. Drain. Add 5 cups water and rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour or until tender. Remove pepper pod. To serve, garnish sliced jalapeno pepper and sliced onions, if desired.
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Collards
(You can use other greens.)
Prepare by washing several times, de-stemming and cut up, if desired. Young tender greens do not need to be de-stemmed or parboiled. However, the older greens are better if you do both. To parboil–put in boiling, salted water. Cover, bring to boil, turn off heat, let set for 15 minutes and drain. Put back in pot and add boiling water* to just cover and 3 T butter, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook till tender. *Note: If you want to use seasoning meat, cook in water till tender and add both water and meat to the greens to cook.
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Cucumber Salad
1/3 cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon lemon pepper
¼ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon parsley flakes
Texas Pete to taste
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mix well, and set aside. Peel and thinly slice 3 cucumbers and ½ medium onion. Mix all together with desired amount of salt and pepper–making sure all vegetables are coated. Chill 2 – 3 hours and sprinkle with parsley to serve.
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As we approach 2014 we need to think back on the many blessings that have come our way this year and ask ourselves the question: Have I made a difference in someone’s life? I trust that you get the message that is meant to be gained from this article. You all take care.
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The Trial of a Horse Thief
“A man that hath friends must show himself friendly” (Proverbs 18:24).
A man in the old west was being tried for stealing a horse. You need to remember, now, that stealing a horse in the old west was a very grave and serious offense. A person could be hanged if found guilty of such a deed.
It so happened that the man was accused of stealing a horse from another man in that town whom no one liked. The man whose horse had been stolen had always made it a point to get the best of any person with whom he had any dealings. He had never tried to do anything good for anyone other than himself. Consequently, he didn’t have a single friend in the entire town.
The case was tried and presented to the jury. The evidence against the accused man was pretty strong. After about 30 minutes of deliberation the jury returned to the court chambers.
“Gentlemen of the jury have you reached a verdict?” the judge asked.
The chairman of the jury stood up. “Yes, we have, your honor,” he replied.
“What is your verdict?” Inquired the judge.
There were a few moments of silence, and then the chairman spoke. “We find the defendant not guilty, if he will return the horse.”
After the judge had silenced the laughter in the courtroom, he admonished the jury, “I cannot accept that verdict. You will have to retire until you reach another verdict,” said the judge.
The jury went back into the room to deliberate toward another verdict.
Now no member of the jury had any particular liking for the man whose horse had been stolen. At one time or another he had gotten the best of each of them. About an hour passed before the jury could reach another verdict. They re-entered the courtroom. They took their place in the jury box and the courtroom grew silent.
“Gentlemen of the jury,” began the judge, “Have you reached a verdict?”
The chairman of the jury stood up. “Yes we have, your honor,” he replied.
“What is your verdict?” asked the judge.
The courtroom was totally silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone eagerly awaited the verdict. The chairman read the decision reached by the 12 good men, tried and true.
“We find the defendant not guilty … and he can keep the horse!”
The courtroom again burst into laughter!
Well, I guess the moral to the story is that it pays to be interested in people other than yourself. If you spend your life trying to take advantage of others, never caring about them in any way except what you can get from them or what they can do for you, you will end up the loser – like the man who lost his horse.
If you desire a friend, then you had better be a friend. If you desire for other people to help you, then you had better help other people. If you desire justice at the hands of others, then you had better practice justice toward them. Regardless of what you may think, the old Biblical admonition is true. We do reap what we sow.
– Donald E. Wildmon –– Advocate and Messenger, 1995
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