Southern-Style Potluck

My friend Sun throws great potlucks at her apartment, and I made it to the one she hosted last Thursday. This one focused on Southern foods.

I decided to make Hoppin' John, something I've never made before, and I'm not sure I've ever tasted it, either. I used a recipe from Paula Deen's Lady & Son's cookbook I bought at Lady & Son's restaurant in Savannah, GA, when I was there a few years ago.

It was a really easy recipe:

2 cups cooked rice (I made extra basmati rice when we made the green curry meal).

2 cups black-eyed peas (I used canned)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

garlic powder to taste

Heat rice and beans; add pepper and onion. Cook about 10 minutes. Veggies should still be crunchy.

I also added quite a bit of salt and pepper and some Frank's Red Hot sauce to spice it up a bit.

Everything else at the potluck was great. We had cornbread, mac and cheese, pulled pork sliders with coleslaw, collard greens, hash browns, pimento and cheese spread with crackers, apple pie, pound cake and sweet tea and/or lemonade and vodka drinks.

Everything was delicious, and I literally waddled out of Sun's apartment!