The Secret is in the Egg

I think I could do at least a whole week of cooking posts, so maybe I will. But for now I wanted to share our New Year's Day recipe. This was a yummy soup that I made to use up a bunch of collard greens that we got from our CSA this summer. With the ham (symbolizing forward motion), black eyed peas (luck), and greens (prosperity) it seemed like a perfect dish for New Year's Day.

I needed some help from one of my junior cooks, because I wasn't feeling 100% on New Years Day. It's weird, because it seems like a night that starts with a nice glass of eggnog, progresses to wine with (and by with I mean, before during and after) dinner, and ends with a to go cup of Irish cream would make for a great start to the new year. (I think I just put my finger on the holiday weight gain. Note to self: Make a belated new years resolution to steer clear of egg based drinks.)

Anyway, Jack was glad to oblige. He tore up the kale.

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He sampled some carrots, and he stirred.

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And when I wasn't looking, he put Luke's egg full of silly putty in the crock pot. I noticed it hours later. The silly putty was sort of melty but completely contained in the egg. So I just threw it away and didn't tell anyone. Then, to be thorough, I threw Jack's silly putty away too. The soup was delicious though! I plan to defrost some of the leftovers for dinner next week with cornbread.

Recipe - basically this. But I used dried beans instead of canned. And instead of a piece of ham I used a giant ham hock. And I did it in the crockpot instead of on the stove. Note to self - high temp next time. And I added carrots and celery. I used collard greens the first time I made it and kale the second time. It works either way. Don't forget the silly putty.