Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

2010 Open Thread

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Just want to wish all Moose (and Moose lurkers) a Happy New Year. I hope that 2010 brings you and yours health and happiness, love and and laughter…lots of laughter. Let us know your favorite memories from 2009…and the things from the past year that you will not be sad to leave behind. What are your family traditions? Resolutions or no? This is an Open Thread…the last of 2009! (and the first of 2010!)

New Year’s Moose Before:

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New Year’s Moose After:

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Being from the South (one of the Sea Islands), Hoppin’ John is a New Year’s tradition for my family:

Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year.

Rice for riches and peas for peace.

– Southern saying on eating a dish of Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day.

Hoppin’ John is found in most states of the South, but it is mainly associated with the Carolinas. Gullah or Low Country cuisine reflects the cooking of the Carolinas, especially the Sea islands (a cluster of islands stretching along the coats of south Carolina and northern Georgia). Black-eyed peas, also called cow peas, are thought to have been introduced to America by African slaves who worked the rice plantations. Hoppin’ John is a rich bean dish made of black-eyed peas simmered with spicy sausages, ham hocks, or fat pork, rice, and tomato sauce.

This African-American dish is traditionally a high point of New Year’s Day, when a shiny dime is often buried among the black-eyed peas before serving. whoever get the coin in his or her portion is assured good luck throughout the year. For maximum good luck in the new year, the first thing that should be eaten on New year’s Day is Hoppin’ John. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, many southern families toast each other with Champagne and a bowl of Hoppin’ John. If it is served with collard greens you might, or might not, get rich during the coming year.

You can find a slow-cook version of Hoppin’ John at the link above. Here is a quick and easy version (the one I tend to default to in my morning after haze):

Quick Hoppin’ John:

* 1 chopped sweet onion

* 1/2 package of bacon

* 2 cans black eyed peas (mostly drained)

* 1 can whole green beans (drained)

* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

* salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon and set aside. Saute chopped onions in bacon drippings until clear. Add the beans and red pepper…add bacon broken in bite sized bits (easy to pick out for the non-meat eaters) and set to simmer. Serve with white rice and lots of hot sauce. Enjoy!

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Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 85 Comments

85 comments

  1. Kysen

    My favorite part of 2009 was Obama’s Inauguration. I honestly cannot think of anything else that even comes close.

    The low point for me was the passing of my best friend of 12 years…he may have had 4-legs, but he truly was the best friend a man could have. He is sorely missed.

    Those two events will be how 2009 is remembered by me years from now.

    Lookin’ forward to another year on Motley Moose…2010 ought be interesting politically due to the mid-term elections.

    Please be safe out there tonight.

    Don’t drink and drive…and keep a sharp eye out for those who do.

    Catch ya’ll next year!

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  2. John Allen

    President Obama a good year. Things will have to go better for the country for him to have a good year. If he has a good year then the rest of us should have a great year.

    Happy 2010

  7. rfahey22

    We were hanging out in a building behind the ball, but got tired and headed home.  There’s a better view from the TV, anyway.

  8. DeniseVelez

    donning my Southern accent in honor of the black eyed peas with ham hocks, rice and cornbread I’ll be eating today.

  9. sricki

    Of a whole new decade!

    Shouldn’t it be a doozy?

    Will it??

    No, probably not.

    But here are kittehs to spice up the thread!

    Happy New Year, Mooses!

  10. lojasmo

    My mother died today, after a very brief battle with metastatic esophageal cancer.

    We had been estranged for many years, due to her end-stage alcoholism, so I had, long ago come to terms with her death.

    Leaves me feeling a little empy and sad though.  My thoughts are with my sister, and grand mother.

    Cheers, moose.

  12. hubiestubert

    and my it be a damn sight better than the last.

    Back from the arena, getting ready for the Red Wings coming in tomorrow, and a passel of folks who are going to be rowdy and rambunctious.

    Last night was filled with some disappointment, tense game with the San Jose Sharks as the fellas lost their second game to the Sharks this season, after a loss in a shoot out on Monday to them, and the Sharks broke the Coyotes win streak at home–though, they did break the franchise record of 9 in a row, but we were really hoping to make it 11–with a 6/7 shootout that the Sharks clinched.

    Today, I rolled in, and one of the things that I love about our crew, is that I rolled in early to get ourselves set a bit for a sold out arena, and we were greeted with a New Year’s posole. We shared a small meal that was made special not just because Norma, our Garde Manger, is a great cook, but because we got to have a meal together without the pressure of a game looming, and have a few moments to ourselves, in our shared space and often second home.

    I also may be doing a guest spot later this year at Mesa Verde National Park, at the Metate Room. Aramark runs the food concession at the park, and we likewise run said restaurant. A few of us from Glendale Arena have been invited to do an exchange of personnel, and I’ve been asked to go and play there. It’s a nice joint, it’s a chance to work with a great chef, and learn a whole new cuisine–and show off a bit of my own. That was my little gift from the management at the Arena last night.

    I hope that everyone had a great New Years, and may this coming year be filled with joy and only pleasant surprises.  

  14. DTOzone

    spent New Year’s Eve at a friends’ house in the Hamptons, then went shopping today. While driving through the parking lot, I was listening to 90’s on 9 on Sirius. They played Tal Bachmann’s “She’s so High” and my friend and I were singing it and talking about how it reminded us of college.

    And then it hit us…Holy Shit, that was eleven years ago.

    where did this past decade go?  

  15. GMFORD

    That’s my best memory of ’09 with the banishment of Bush&Co running a close second.

    I got a copy of The Family for Christmas.  Scary stuff happening among the Theocrats.

  18. HappyinVT

    We’ve got lots and lots of snow.  I haven’t seen official totals and it’s hard to measure because of the wind last night but my car is nearly completely covered.

    I don’t want it to stop.

  19. Shaun Appleby

    Been away from the keyboard for awhile.  Wishing you all a prosperous and happy 2010.

    Went to a bar on 3rd Avenue and 83rd for an open bar night New Year’s Eve and neither my companion nor I can remember getting home.  She seems to think we went somewhere else later but I think she dreamed it.  We only had to walk three blocks, thankfully.  She was a bit worried we have no notion of the return trip but I told her it’s probably on YouTube somewhere if it was really interesting.

  20. HappyinVT

    would appreciate this from Brit Hume:

    The salient quote via Ezra Klein:

    The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.’

  22. louisprandtl

    Was at Minneapolis and Chicago mostly last week before getting back to East Coast. Field Museum was great (the creationists should visit the Evolution exhibit), while MN was all frozen and freaking cold. I saw some of you were/are at Brooklyn. I do spend some weekends at the city. Was at MoMA right before Christmas to watch Gabriel Orcorz’s exhibition, very interesting work. It was a good couple of weeks excepting a very disappointing evening at Le Pain Quotidien in Upper East Side. My experience with this chain was much better at London.

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