I stumbled across fresh black-eyed peas at the grocery store this weekend and thought they might be worth a try.

I am not a fan of black-eyed peas. Give me pintos, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, limas and green beans. I like lentils and split peas, too.

Black-eyed peas taste muddy to me, until I found a recipe last year that actually gave them some flavor.

Now, I can’t find it and I have these fresh peas …

So, I went searching.

Martha Stewart’s recipe is close to what I made, but I know we used lower-sodium chicken stock instead of water and that I added some dried coriander and a little fresh thyme.

So here’s what I think I made:

New Year’s Black-Eyed Peas

1 pound fresh shelled black-eyed peas, or a 1-pound package (2 1/2 cups) dried black-eyed peas

5 whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 ham hock

1 small bunch curly or flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 tsp. dried coriander

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper

The juice of half a lemon or 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Rinse the fresh peas and put in a stockpot and cover with enough stock to make about two inches of liquid. Add water if necessary.

Add the peppercorns, bay leaf, onion, ham hock, coriander, thyme, parsley (including stems) and garlic.

Cover, and bring just below the boiling point over medium-high heat. Uncover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook just until the peas are tender when bitten, about 45 minutes.

Taste the peas to see if more salt is needed. Add pepper to taste and the lemon juice or vinegar, which will brighten the taste of the dish.

Collard greens are not a favorite at our house, either. We like kale, Swiss chard and spinach, to name a few.

Creamed spinach is a bit of a luxury, but also better than plain greens.

Creamed Spinach

2 10-ounce packages of baby spinach

4 Tbsp. butter

1 small to medium onion, diced

1 large clove garlic

4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups milk, or one cup milk, and 1 cup cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Scant 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Rinse the spinach in cold water, then transfer to a dry pot or pan and cook until just wilted, 3-5 minutes. Lift spinach out and put in a colander to drain.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the onion and garlic and cook just until softened. Add the flour and stir together and cook another minute. Slowly add milk and cream while whisking to create a basic white sauce. Cook for a minute or two to cook out the flour taste. Then add drained spinach, parmesan, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

For pork, we generally have pork loin or a pork roast of some sort. The shoulders were enormous, so we’re having a boneless pork sirloin, well marbled and tied in a little net to hold it together.

Some people are brining their pork . Instead, we’re going to marinate it with a good dose of vinegar, oil, herbs and spices.

Our roast is about 5 pounds. So, for my marinade, I’ll use :

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup oil

a sprig of fresh rosemary,

a couple springs of fresh thyme

2-3 sage leaves, depending on size

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Freshly ground black pepper and about 1 tsp. kosher (coarse) salt.

Mix vinegar, oil, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt in a measuring up. Place roast in a plastic bag, add herbs and garlic, then pour over the liquid. Seal bag and marinate at least 1 hour, or for more flavor, 4 hours.

Remove marinated pork from bag, place on a rack in a roasting pan and pour remaining marinade over the roast. Cook at 350 degrees until desired doneness, 145 degrees for rare, 160 for medium.

Serve with a simple baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon.