oh, and i love the formation of the question, nora!

i have a new year's day buffet tradition, and trying to serve hot black-eyed peas and collards is too much of a pain, so i've taken to making a cold/room temperature black-eyed pea salad with the greens tossed in with some vinaigrette. i hope that counts!

I used to alternate--elaborate and ritzy ham dinner with Hoppin' John on the side one year, earthy cassoulet the next. After more than 50 years, my Filipino aunt married to a Czech uncle says it's his superstition that you never eat fowl on New Year's or else all your good luck flies out the window. NOW she tells me! No wonder my luck seemed to change every other year! From now on, I'll wait until the depths of January to bake a cassoulet.

I'm picking up a salty Va. ham on Wednesday and will give it a good long soak before Saturday. I'm making thirschfeld's lentils
( http://www.food52.com/recipes/8541_fugly_lentils_and_drunken_pig ) except I'll shred the meat and serve it off the bone, along with Hoppin' John with plain white rice on the side, roasted buttered brocolli and soft yeasty crescent rolls for us Yankees and a pan of cornbread for the hillbilly side of the family. Hog heaven with carbs on the side--that should start this new year off right.

We do a choucroute garni every year - pork and cabbage! This year we'll use our first batch of homemade lacto-fermented saurkraut. Can't wait!

Champagne and Texas Caviar for me (black eyed pea salad)!

Thought that this looked good.

http://ruhlman.com/2010/12/hoppin-john.html

I love Hoppin' John and I love collards too. Bring on the bitter greens! But I've already ordered my New Year cotechino from Corti Bros.

Got my bag of peas all ready; I do mine with smoked sausage and tomatos and diced chiles. I detest collards, along with turnip greens, kale, and all greens of that nature, so I will be making Suspiciously Delicious Cabbage. Will also have potato salad, and roasted pork loin. Got books to read and football to watch. Ready for another holiday weekend!

Well @aargersi, Hoppin' John by definition contains black-eyed peas. So you're covered with Hoppin' John and collards, for sure. The Champagne & cake (no oysters) come for me, on New Year's Eve.

or lentils! http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/newyearsday/luckyfoods

And blackeyed peas! Happy new Year!

and

champagne and oysters and cake