Kitchen

[novamc1]

@PickyPicky3 

Traditional lore maintains that eating Hopping John on New Years Day brings good luck throughout the year, and woe be to those who don't serve it on that special day.

<<Hoppin' John, also known as Carolina peas and rice, is a peas and rice dish served in the Southern United States. It is made with cowpeas and rice, chopped onion, and sliced bacon, seasoned with salt. Some recipes use ham hock, fatback, country sausage, or smoked turkey parts instead of bacon. A few use green peppers or vinegar and spices. Smaller than black-eyed peas, field peas are used in the South Carolina Lowcountry and coastal Georgia; black-eyed peas are the norm elsewhere.>> (from Wikipedia)

 It takes a while to make a good version at home, but a decent canned version can be found  at the grocery store  (the Margaret Holmes brand).  My  husband loves black-eyed peas and rice--no surprise, as  he was born and raised in Georgia.

[chickenbutt]

I think that the heaviness of construction, of a well-made enamel-coated cast iron (LC is the best!), contributes a great deal to an outstanding result.

You're not going to get the same thing from a thin aluminum pan.  I know those seem popular here and are fine for some things, but I'd either stick with LC or, if you like aluminum, the only way to go is hard-anodized.

[dmqshopper]

Since I cannot lift the heavy ones, what would you use instead?  I don't own a dutch oven, but want one.