UPDATE: The Luckiest Meal Ever

Based on the meal I just ate, 2008 promises to be the luckiest year ever... no, it's not because the traditional New Year's Day lucky meal was so delicious. In fact, it was quite the opposite - this was the most disappointing meal I've made in a very long time, one in which everything burned. But we ate it anyway, all in the name of good luck. And on the bright side, there's nothing like a terrible meal to make you appreciate good food.

I'm not really sure how it happened but it might have something to do with the 40 year old crock pot I used to cook the hoppin' john. As for the kale... well, I have no idea how I managed to burn it. But one thing is for sure: after eating charred kale that smelled of old cigars, hoppin' john with burnt ham and peas, and dry, lackluster cornbread, I think my husband and I deserve a little extra luck this year.