Happy New Year 2014!

Love from the 17th Annual New Year's Day Papa Johns Black-Eyed Pea Chili Party!

I hope you got lucky.

Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Yeah. It's on.


I can't believe this will the the 17th year. Love you Dad.

Lucky '13

Continuing the tradition in honor and in celebration of my father, this year market my 16th New Year's Day Black-Eyed Pea Chili Party. Truth be told, this was the first year I considered not hosting it. It's a lot of work, surprisingly ridiculously expensive, a huge mess, and a lot to pull together in the 326 hours I had between arriving back from Nashville and the knocks at the door. But as always, I loved it. And thanks to all of you who took me aside during my constant state of divided attention to have quiet, focused moment and say how much you appreciate the party and look forward to it every year.


Last year was the first year that I ran out of chili. I always over-shop on cheese, crackers, dips, nibbly bits etc. and make such a fckload of chili that I can send some home to those who couldn't make it but sent tupperware in their stead (which happens more often than you might think and I find immensely flattering) and even have chili for lunch almost the rest of the week. Last year by the time Aaron arrived desperate for a spoonful of good luck, which I thought was a decent amount remaining in the third smaller pot was merely a single pea. Which he gladly devoured and hoped it would be lucky enough to count.

This year I bought a second 16-quart pot. When I got the ingredients home from the store I thought I had again bought more than could possibly fit in my pots. By the end of cooking, I had prepared 8 gallons of chili.

By midnight, this is all that was left:


We also ravaged through six batches of cornbread.

I altered the recipe slightly this year, cutting a financial corner and not adding a handle of Jack Daniels, and I used sweet chili peppers rather than warmer ones, but did compensate with a bottle of hot chili sauce. It was a different flavor to be sure, but met with rave reviews and I will say I was quite please with it and wished I could have had enough for lunch the rest of the week.

So this was the first year of two enormous pots (generally it's one enormous, two small), and the first year that everyone came...and stayed. One of the fun features of the NYD-BEP party is that it's almost like a parade. About a hundred or so people make it through my tiny studio apartment, but not all at the same time. There are about four of five who stay all day, and the rest of the party almost completely tuns over every 45 minutes or so. So while this year the total number of guests dropped from about 120 to 60 (I did consciously try to make it smaller this year), many who did come stayed for several hours, and the NYD core stayed almost all day. And despite there being more of an epic mess than ever before (really? who knocks a lit candle into a laundry basket and leaves it burning there...twice?), I was able to keep my cleaning compulsion under check long enough to enjoy an after party.

As usual however, my attention was divided moment to moment and many plans were left uncompleted, such as setting out the camera with a sign encouraging people to take pictures. I never get more than half dozen pics of the day, and only at the beginning or end of the night. Here are the few I have from the start of the party, and while we're at it let's celebrate my total party peeps who at 1:00 in the afternoon came directly from their late-night-into-early-morning and apparently into-the-afternoon partying and were still going in their club wear.






I really can't love Lizzie enough. She's always decked out spectacularly and adorned with fresh flowers. However, 16 hours of partying later, all she had protruding from her bosom was a petal-less stem. Which was also kind of awesome.

Love is all around. No need to waste it.












A very happy new year indeed!

And yes, some of us got lucky.

yes, we're gonna get lucky.

If you know what I'm talking about, the chili party is on.

American Courage

So you say you want a resolution:

NYD in SF

My good friend Ireland brought his boyfriend and three kids to the New Year's Day chili party. They went to another party afterwards and he sent me this note:

We went to another New Year's party yesterday and apparently Pollo was there. I only knew that because just as we were leaving, a 6 or 7-year-old came running down the hall saying, "Pollo's here...as a boy!"

I love this.

Happy 2012

Let's make it count.

As in past years, the holiday time in TN was too packed to post, even though there was ample material.

And the very special Annual New Year's Day Papa John's Black Eyed Pea Chili Party, was a huge success this year, of not also a huge expense, and it was the first year I didn't send out invitations but just made  Facebook event, and it was the first year I ran out of food.  I made a ridiculous amount of chili and four batches of cornbread, and it was gone so early.

And as I was manic host all day, I did not get much quality time with my lovely guests, and didn't get to take any pictures.

Next year:  (1) cauldron, (2) designated photographer, and (3) a sign-in sheet.  There were so many people and the day was such a blur I would love to remember who all was there, and get a better headcount as it related to bar and food consumption.

Thanks to all the lovely people who spent New Year's Day with me, and this might have been the best batch of chili yet! (I tasted it while cooking sure, but at the end of the day I never got a bowl myself—I even ordered take out for dinner as I was out of food.  Locusts!  All of you.)

Considering the emotional and physical toll of the holidays, I have never been happier toy get back to work.  And considering my recent creeped-out experience at the Hallmark Store while in Nashville, I'll leave you with this awesome image I stole from Regretsy.  Sort of sums up a lot of the holiday feelings.

If you know what I'm talking about

It's on.  Anytime after 1:00.

The Annual New Year's Day Black-Eyed Pea Chili Party

Is on again.



Come for the chili, stay for the love potion.

Happy New Year

This year's Annual New Year's Day Papa John's Black-Eye'd Pea Chili Party was again a hit. The crowd was smaller than expected but perfect for the space. I didn't send out the Evite until after Christmas so many people never read the invitation, and I never got around to calling the 120 invitees personally.


Most commented that the invitation was really unnecessary as I have been doing this on eight years now and people should just know. True, but there are always first timers I like to include.

Most people who know me also know if I invite you for 1:00 and you show up at 1:00, I'm likely to be in the shower. I keep pushing the time back for this party to allow for Eve recovery (mine and theirs), but it was really odd this year as the invitation was for anytime after 1:30, and people didn't appear until 3:30. But they did and mostly all at once. No drama or trauma this year, always good (but not always the case), and a great crowd of guys. Also refreshing this year is that everyone left at a reasonable time and I was able to clean up and make an appearance at Sundance by 9:00.

It was a long day and an unusual crowd but I was happy to be there. And I am rarely happier than when I am dancing. Dinyar mentioned something that stuck with me. We were both appreciating how special Sundance Saloon is, and how happy we are when we are there. He said that he felt this was the perfect metaphor for life. "It is about the dancing. The pure act and joy of dancing. It's not about the destination or the goal or the ending. It's in the dancing." And in the doing.

I forget that all too often.

Think on that, and have a happy new year.