Off the Hook: Hopecake

This is a gift for a friend of mine who watched the election returns with me. In anticipation of the evening, I baked some "Obama cookies" that were based on a Snickerdoodle recipe but were iced with a loose approximation of Barack Obama's logo:



We joked about making cupcakes with the logo, which would either be "Hopecakes" or "Copecakes", depending on the election's outcome. So, based on a pattern from bittersweetblog.wordpress.com, I made the following "Hopecake" out of Red Heart Sport (in Cocoa, Ivory, Dutch Blue, and Heart Red).

On the Table: Black-Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas are a part of my annual New Year's Eve tradition. I don't make this recipe the traditional Southern way (there's no bacon or pork product involved!). I make the recipe a little differently every year; this year, it was based loosely on this recipe.

Ingredients:

Counter-clockwise, from center: black-eyed peas, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, and canned diced tomatoes.

Black-Eyed Peas
Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 can of black-eyed peas (15.5 oz)
1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cook the onion in oil over heat; add spices and tomatoes and heat/stir for another 2-3 minutes. Add black-eyed peas. Serve over rice or couscous.

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Unfortunately, there was one casualty in making this recipe.... my favorite wooden spoon kicked the bucket during one hearty thwack on the side of my wok. Ah well-- I suppose that's a symbolic way to end the year; out with the old, in with the new!


Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2009 from all of us here at the Sleepy Pumpkin HQ!