I blame the egg...

Needing a pick-me-up, I thought I would make a batch of Peanut Butter Nutella Cheesecake Bars all by myself (translate that:  I get to eat the whole pan myself).  However, they did not turn out well at all.

I blame the first egg I used.

Look carefully and count the yolks.  Yolks ... as in plural.  Yes, a single egg had THREE yolks.  Not knowing what to do, I cracked the second egg.  In hindsight, I would have at least just added the white part of the second egg.  I learned my lesson as to why I see real chefs crack eggs into small dishes first.  Or maybe that is just for television.  Either way, had I used a dish, I would have not used the first egg.

Granted, I also used the 8x8 pan, for which the recipe calls, but which I have not been using.  I did the same on the English Toffee Bits Blondies, when I tried to make a second batch.  Both desserts simply wouldn't cook.  I was in culinary mourning all last night.  I would proffer the poorly baked bars will be in my freezer for a long while.

Being low on chicken and not able to grocery shop until the 28th, I decided I would thaw out the Ossian smoked ham I was gifted eons ago and take a stab at cooking black eyed peas, since I need to eat a lot of protein in my diet with my innards and low blood sugar issues.  I grew up eating them on New Year's Day and have had this inexplicable deep-seated longing for black eyed peas for a few months now.

I have perused recipes for months and saved a few to my recipe folder.  I thought I remembered picking one, the one that called for soaking the black eyed peas in beer overnight.  So, I permanently borrowed a bottle of beer and set them to soaking in a bowl early this morning when I was feeding Amos.

I thought I remembered picking one, the one that called for soaking the black eyed peas in beer overnight.   What is wrong with that sentence?  Yes, the word remember.  Why in the world would I think that I actually remembered something??  Yes, well, it turns out I was remembering bits and pieces of several recipes.  So, I chose the ingredients I liked most and made a recipe, rather cheekily entitled Myrtle's Medley Black Eyed Peas.

I mean, who would choose olive oil when butter is an option?  And, if a recipe calls for white sugar and you are using ham and bacon, who wouldn't switch it to dark brown sugar??  And, given the option of ham or bacon, who wouldn't choose both???

Having never cooked black eyed peas myself, I was very nervous.  When cooked well, they are bloody fantastic.  When not cooked well, they are a wretched disaster of bland ickiness.  What was really nerve-wracking was the fact that around the 75 minute mark, I started hearing popping sounds, as if I were making popcorn.  I was not!  However, I still dared to remove the lid to reduce down the liquid once the black eyed peas were soft.

In my opinion, my medley recipe was tasty.  I get that not everyone likes black eyed peas, but if you are partial to them, have never cooked them yourself, and are looking for a place to start, then you might try them this way.  Of course, if you peruse all five recipes from which I drew ingredient inspiration, you might find yourself not discarding out of hand the onions and the minced tomatoes and adding them to your own medley recipe.  Although, being from the South, I will note that I have never seen or been served black eyed peas with any sort of tomato in them.

In any case, my hankering is sated, by the good gifts of my Creator that are black eyed peas, smoked ham, bacon, and all that other deliciousness combined together into a tasty bowl of culinary satisfaction ... if you are a Southern transplant who occasionally is blind-sided by her roots.


PS  In case you were interested, Myrtle Two was declared the winner of the throw down.  Apparently, potato salad is really, really tasty the second day.  So, Lemon Garlic Basil Potato Salad was the clear winner.  I cannot wait until the 28th, for more red potatoes will definitely be in my shopping cart!


I am Yours, Lord.  Save me!