Authors #161 and #162 : From New Year's Peas to a New Year's Resolution (Piernas-Davenport and Miller)

 Gail Piernas-Davenport with illustrator Marion Eldridge shares a story of sharing in Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas and there's even a recipe for Grandma Louise's Hoppin John at the end.  Shante shares the new year with her neighbors in her quest for black-eyed peas.

 Ingredients for Hoppin' John include broth, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, blackeye peas, ham, and oil and cooked rice (not pictured)

Finished Hoppin' John over rice.  It was good with a definite southern flavor.

Squirrel's New Year's Resolution with pictures by Kathi Ember and text by Pat Miller gives us a look at squirrel who wants to make a resolution but isn't sure how to do so.  She helps her friends and finds the answer to her question as she goes through her day. See more of  Pat Miller's books at: http://www.patmillerbooks.com/books.html

Corn Pudding

Corn Puddin' 
Recipe from the VV5th ward cookbook
1 can cream of corn
2 eggs, lightly beaten, 
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
4 Tablespoons butter, cut into small chunks
         (we cut the butter down to 3 Tbsp and probably could have cut it to 2 Tbsp.)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat eggs, then add rest of ingredients.  Bake at 375 degrees F until it bubbles (normal is around 30 minutes). 

We were surprised at how good this was-we would probably only make it once a year but it was definitely tasty and different. This is from a neighbor who lived in the South.  She served her mission there decades ago and an old southern gentleman made this every month for the missionaries, telling them in was an old southern recipe.