Happy New Year!

January 1 is probably the one day out of every year that I eat black-eyed peas. I've eaten them on New Year's Day of just about every year that I can remember. I used to just buy the canned variety, add a little salt and pepper, and call it done. This year, I decided to cook them myself in the Crock Pot. We like spicy food and these beans definitely had a kick. This is my new New Year's Day recipe:

6c. chicken broth
1lb. bag of black-eyed peas
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno pepper (1/2 if it's a big one)
1c. diced ham (leftover from holiday dinner)
4 slices bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 3/4 tsp. cumin
salt, to taste
1 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Throw everything in the Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low all day (8-10 hrs.). If you're ready to eat but the beans are not, just put it in the microwave, covered, and nuke it until liquid evaporates and beans are the consistency you like. Easy!