Old Fashioned New Orleans Creole Bread Pudding

When most of us think of bread pudding, we think of a simple country dessert, born out of leftover bread that is tossed together with a belly warming custard. It really is like a hug y'all!

Does look a little bit like a hot mess doesn't it?  Well it was a delicious hot mess and I think we have all bases covered here for health, and wealth, and prosperity and forward progress into the new year.  The Cajun ate the entire plate, including every single drop of the greens which frankly, took me by surprise. I am impressed.

1.  Black-eyed Pea Jambalaya - Deep South Hoppin' John

If you're gonna do a Hoppin' John, might as well make it a Deep South Hoppin' John! The Trinity, plus bacon, ham, smoked sausage, black-eyed peas - loaded with layers of flavor like a jambalaya should be, and with just enough of a Cajun kick, this one is a winner.  

2. Smothered Pork Roast and Gravy with Rice

My hands-down favorite on the entire plate. A pork shoulder smothered down in a garlic and onion, rosemary and thyme infused gravy, and cooked in covered Dutch oven, low and slow. Don't miss this one. A-mazing.

3. Greens and Black-eyed Peas

This actually started off as a Greens and Black-eyed Pea soup, but I just used a slotted spoon to extract out the goodies so it could be plated.  Just excellent.

4.  Smothered Cabbage

This one hasn't made it to the site yet, but it's basically sliced cabbage, smothered down with cooked ground beef, tomatoes, onion, garlic, some rice and some seasonings. A deconstructed cabbage roll so to speak. Pretty darned good way to consume some cabbage.

A delicious hot mess!

As to all of you, I want to thank you all for being a part of this experience here with me. I appreciate your visits, your comments and emails, the stories, the memories, and the recipes that you have so freely shared with me. I appreciate and value your friendship, much more than I suppose any of you will ever know. I am humbled and I thank you.

I wish you all health, prosperity, joy and happiness in the new year. May you always have a table full of plenty, with good home cooked food, precious time spent with friends and family, and making memories to treasure all of your life. Happy New Year to you all.

“In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.” 

Love to you all.

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I don't know about 'round the rest of the country, but most Southerner's wouldn't dare allow the New Year to pass without eatin' some kind of pork, often a roast, sometimes a ham, a big ole mess o' black-eyed peas (or some other form of southern cowpeas) and greens of some kind, often either collard greens, turnip greens, or good ole, basic southern fried cabbage.

It's a tradition, steeped in both superstition and hope for better days ahead that we participate in the first of every year, and important enough that even people who don't particularly care for greens or black-eyed peas - such as The Cajun himself - make sure that they at least have a bite of both of 'em - though to be honest, tradition says it is best to ensure that you get at least 365 peas in your body on New Year's Day just to account for the whole year. Might as well just eat a "mess of 'em" I reckon, just to be on the safe side!