Hoppin' John New Year 2023

Here's my version of Hoppin' John.
Happy New Year 2023.
Pyramid Goblets below are from some years past.

The cup portion is pinched lump of clay,
and the bottom is made from a slab of clay,
cut into rings to form the pyramid base.

For the Hoppin' John, I started out with three smoked ham hocks
I put in water to cover them, with an rough cut onion and bay leaves.
It took about three hours for the meat to practically fall of the bone.
Remove meat from the broth and reserve the broth.
Let the meat cool off and start removing the meat.
The skin is tough and look kind of fatty although
I don't think it was fat but collegen
I cut the skin up in two inch pieces
 and froze that for flavoring for other soups or bean dishes.

I got this much meat which I had cut up into small pieces.
In another pot I sauteed chopped onion, four stalks of celery,
and three carrots (didn't have any peppers).
I added the broth and a teaspoon each of oregano, basil and thyme.
After the vegetables cooked a while I added one cup of brown rice.
I cooked the rice till it was soft,
 then added two packages fresh frozen black eyed peas.
I couldn't find any fresh peas nor dried peas, probably sold out.
This is a meal that will stick to your ribs for sure.
Happy New Year 2023.