Sounds like a great combo - black eyed peas, cornbread, ham...I don't know of any new year's traditions here in New England. But at Christmas I did make a cornbread stuffing with my garden limas (frozen) and corn (frozen) and a little touch of bacon. No red pepper as one of us is allergic to bell peppers. No ham as no one but DH and I will eat it.
What do you do with the cabbage?