I feel kind of silly asking this, but what is Rotel?

not silly! It's tomatoes and chiles together---Rotel is the brand name. :-)

Yum! This sounds wonderful. And we could all use a little prosperity... or even just a little autumn!

Funny... my calendar says the first day of fall is Thursday 9/23?!?! Either way, fall is my favorite and I'm so glad it's here (or almost here)! My sweet husband is from New Orleans so we eat Hoppin'John every year. I love it enough to eat it twice a year... I'll try your recipe next! :)

First day isn't until Thursday!

Stephanie, I hate to sound picky, but the first day of Autumn is actually tomorrow, the 22nd...

LOL!! which day is it?
I thought I learned in first grade that the seasons changed on the 21st.

right?

maybe not...

:-)

My calendar says it is fall on the 23rd. I say it's fall when the leaves start changing and they JUST started! Barely though!

This sounds really good, it doesn't particularly LOOK good but it sounds good! Thanks!

It's a mystery. I see a lot of blogs saying it's the first day of fall, but both my calendars say it's on the 23rd! Anyway, no worries because I learned a few years ago that I LOVE hopping john! It's the collard greens, they are so good.

I've been cooking with tons of greens this year (being a southern gal and all). I've found that if I cut them smaller and add them in about 1 hour before serving, they don't ever get bitter. And believe me, I had some bitter stew mishaps along the way. The greens are greener though, which can alert picky eaters.

Technically it becomes fall at 9:00pm my time so you are right, the first full day is tomorrow which is why the calendar show that. I counted today too!

Yum! I grew up on Hoppin' John, so I was excited when I saw this recipe. I made it for dinner tonight. It was delicious, and cheap! I only had to buy some Kielbasa and Kale, and we were ready to go. I added a few things to zip it up... garlic powder (I was too lazy to chop garlic) and minced onions for a more savory flavor; an extra cup of water to make it more soupy; and some veggies I had wilting in the fridge. I added grated carrots and chopped mushrooms.

The flavor was fabulous. It was rather spicy. My girls liked the soup, but the spice was a little difficult for them to deal with. It was also a bit too salty. Next time I make it, I will cut out both the salt and pepper. I'll probably also use mild Rotel or possibly just a can of diced tomatoes. Overall, this recipe was great. Thanks for sharing!

Stephanie, I also thought today (and all 21sts) was the first day of the season, so you are not alone! Anyway, I'm thrilled about the recipe it's come at exactly the right time. thanks!!

I always learned that it was the 21st.

Plan B

You're right, there's confusion about the first day of fall. But here's a good explanation:

"There are a few explanations on why the equinox dates differ in the Gregorian calendar. The varying dates of the equinox are mainly due to the calendar system – most western countries use the Gregorian calendar, which has 365 days in a year, or 366 days in a leap year. According to the National Maritime Museum, the equinoxes generally occur about six hours later each year, with a jump of a day (backwards) on leap years. An extra day is added in a leap year to minimize a gradual drift of the equinox date through the seasons."

Full explanation is here: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/september-equinox.html

This sounds yummy! I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Stephanie, Your website and your book look wonderful. Slow cooking fits with my busy schedule....but I only know a few good recipes, even in looking through some of the older slow cooking cookbooks. I'm glad to have come across your site and book. I've added your blog to my blogroll. Thank you for sharing your creativity.

How is it possible that it has been nearly two years since the challenge ended? What happened to 2009? Or 2010 for that matter?

Anyway. *ahem*

Do you have any suggestions for dealing with a really warm slow cooker? I tried your lasagna recently, cooked it on low, and it was done- over done- in four hours.

I think your sentiment is perfect. :) I made a pot of black eyed peas about a year ago and they were awful. I don't know what I did wrong - but this recipe is a keeper.

I have a Paul Prudhomme recipe for Hoppin John that I do in the slow cooker - very similar to this but with two differences: no kale (uses celery, onion and bell pepper sauteed with browned bacon cubes instead) and starts off by sauteing half the soaked black-eyed peas in half of a spice mixture made up of 1 T salt, 1 T paprika, 2-1/2 t black pepper, 1-1/2 t garlic powder, 1 t onion powder, 1 t white pepper, and 1 t dried basil (the rest of the spice mixture's thrown in the pot). If you're looking for something with a little more kick, this'll do it!

Hi Stephanie! I just wanted to thank you so much for your book and blog! My husband just started a new job (after a year and a half looking, praise God!) and is gone 12 hours a day for training right now, plus I work 2 part time jobs, and we have 2 teenaged boys. Planning the week's meals ahead and using the slow cooker 2-3 times a week has saved my sanity! I got a bunch of slow cooker cookbooks from the library, and yours is the best! So far I've made the Vietnamese chicken, the black bean soup, and the shepherd's pie recipes. I'll be ordering your book on Amazon soon, because the book is due back at the library and I can't give it up! Thank you, thank you!

I'm going to read the original black eyed peas post in a second, but I was wondering if someone could tell me why my black eyed peas still taste undercooked(chewy instead of mushy inside) after this has been in the crockpot for 12 hours? We're having this for football watching tomorrow, but right now the beans aren't very tasty. Smells great though! Thanks for any suggestions!

Looks Delicious! and easy too!

I've never heard of hoppin john, but it sounds like something I'd like! Thanks for sharing!!

I just made this today and it was wonderful! I had a couple cans of blackeyed peas so I used those along with a can of northern beans. I also made a pan of sweet cornbread to eat with the meal. It was delicious!

Delicious! I made it with bok choy, because that's what my corner market had for greens - the woman there said it's great for stews, because you can't overcook it. And she was right, it's great in this!

I hope the Hoppin' John has been working its magic, Steph! ;-) Thanks for letting us know that it freezes well; that's very helpful!

xo,
Shirley

I made this yesterday, with some substitutions. All day I kept thinking, why am I doing this - nobody's going to like it. I was wrong - it was quite a hit. Thanks so much!

This is similar to a latinamerican dish called "Gallina Pinta".
Have never tried it, but will someday. Thanks!

What a cool blog.I don't do enough slow cooking,and have been meaning to keep the crock pot out of the closet,and keep it on the kitchen table.The recipes here sound awesome,and just wanted to thank you!!

Sheri..:)

This is my next adventure on my "cook a pot of beans a week" task. Thanks so much.

I mistakenly took the black eye peas for black beans and I subbed a couple of other ingredients...my dish obviously didn't come out nice looking as yours, but I must say it still tasted delish! Next time I'll see how it turns out with the black eyed peas. Thanks so much for this recipe!

YUM!! This was delicious! I made it for my husband, who is from the South, and he didn't recognize it as his mom's Hoppin' John, possibly because it lacked fatback and hogjowls. He loved it anyway! I added a chopped onion, some garlic, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper, some extra (wilting) greens, and doubled the rice. When I make it again (and I will!), I might add another cup of rice and more Rotel.

Just great!!

yum! just had my first bowl. i am a bit new to slow cooking, my problem i am too inpatient to wait for it to be done :) i added a bit of minced garlic and a bit chopped spring onion (from my garden) and used my canned tomatoes and cut in some cilantro instead of the Rotel. it is safe to have the cooker on while i am at work? can't wait to try some more of your recipes. amy

I made this for dinner today, but I left out the collard greens - I just think they are too bitter. The whole family loved the taste. Next time I make it, I'm going to throw in some spinach

This was a HIT with my family!! Hubby even said to please repeat this! YAY!!!

Spunfull: We LOVE it with spinach. YUM!! ;-P

Had to come and post - this is our favorite recipe on your site. We like it spicy so I use two cans of rotel, turkey smoked sausage and a mix of both collards & kale. Simple and delicious... will be making it for New Year's to bring luck in the coming year!

Happy New Years!

I made this recipe overnight and WOW is it good! What a wonderful treat to start my year off with something as delicious as this. Thanks for all your recipes -- I use them a few times a week! Hope you and yours have a great year!

Keep crockin'!!!!

Steph~I vegetarianized this recipe here
( http://www.veggieconverter.com/2011/01/hoppin-john-vegetarian-black-eyed-peas.html ) ... and loved it. I really don't like black eyed peas normally. But these were so good. Yum, thanks for all you do.

My husband loves this ,as a matter of fact the recipe he uses is on the table with the grocery list . Guess i am goin
g to the store soonly.

This is one of my favorite dishes, although I never used Rotel. Going to try your recipe today. Happy New Year to all!

This was a big hit at our house. Making it for the second time now!

Made this last night for NY Day's dinner. It was a HIT!!! I put in regular long grain white rice at the 8hr 30 min mark, and continued cooking 30 more mins. I also added red chili flakes. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

Made this today for the 2nd time. Great tasting and so very easy. I used Kale and made extra rice. Served with corn bread. Happy New Years.

I have made this a few times and it is great. Easy, delicious and makes plenty! Just as anonymous says I make extra rice and cornbread.

This recipe is FABULOUS!!!! I had some leftover bacon and threw that in the pot along with the recipe's ingredients. Absolutely delicious!