Cinco de Mayo Recipe

I got this recipe from a friend of mine that is a caterer, so you know it's good. ;) She calls it "Texas Caviar" but I will give 10 points to whoever can think of a better name for it.  It's like a black bean and corn salsa or salad that is an entire meal (with chips) on its own.  Oh, and you definitely need to make it at least half a day ahead if you can't do it the day ahead.  It gets better with age.  So, here goes.

Texas Caviar (Corn and Black Bean Salad)

2 Cans Corn – rinsed and drained

2 Cans Black Beans – rinsed and drained

1 Can White Hominy – rinsed and drained

2 Bunches Green Onions – chopped

1 Bunch Cilantro – chopped

1 (6 oz) Can Diced Green Chiles (or 2 (4 oz) cans)

12 Roma Tomatoes – chopped (or 2-3 cans Rotel or similar)

2 Teaspoons (heaping) Jalepeños (or more, to taste)

Sprinkle of Crushed Red Pepper

Garlic Salt – to taste

Onion Salt – to taste

Pepper – to taste

2 Pkgs. Italian Dressing

        Sprinkle 1 mixture in dry

        Prepare 1 mixture according to directions and pour in 

MARINATE OVERNIGHT

3-6 Avocados – diced and mixed in just before serving (depending on your avocado preference)

SERVE WITH TORTILLA CHIPS

This stuff is delicious.  My whole family ate it.  It makes like 3 quarts, so Matt and I ate it for lunch for several days, and I was able to share a couple of servings with people.  Another great thing is that you can alter it to your preferences or what you have on hand, but I think it's best how it is.

Buena Suerte!

Popcorn treat that smells so sweet

Two weeks, two tries, and several successful popcorn balls. I realized recently that when we vowed to experiment to the point of perfection with popcorn ball recipes, it meant I would actually have to start trying. Discovering how easy they are has only made me sad we didn't get into them sooner.
Surprisingly, Dad has made for an excellent kitchen companion. We used the Jell-o recipe on Allrecipes. It's quite easy, but we increased the amount of popcorn called for on the second round we made. The aren't quite so sweet when there is more popcorn to spread the sauce around. We also tried some lightly salted air popped corn in place of microwave bags and the result was very desirable! Now it's your turn!

Pita Pita

Mmmmm. I made these gyros for a dinner party Sunday night, and they were a hit. I'm not sure the raw garlic and onions were a great choice for such a gathering, but fortunally we all ate it so the offensive odors were shared by all :)

I would suggest sauteeing the garlic or opting for garlic powder in the tsasiki sauce, but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing. The chicken marinade is to die for, and the pitas were delish- just don't roll too thin or overcook. I think I did both. They were still lovely, just a little hard. Stop reading, and start cooking.

We gobbled it up before I could snap a picture. Sorry Charlie.

Two Things I'm Loving Right Now

In no particular order:

#1 The Middle- ABC Wednesday comedy starring Patricia Heaton , Neil Flynn (the janitor from Scrubs) and their three kids. I stumbled upon this last week, and loved it. Actually I wasn't sure if it was good or just the best thing on at the moment, but now I know. It's great.
(I just read that the youngest actor's name is Atticus. It was meant to be)

#2 My Kitchen Cafe- great cooking blog. Found it yesterday, and I've already made two things. The kids loved the bourbon chicken. It was a bit spicy, and Macey still had thirds!

Healthy, delicious, quick-ish, good writing and great pics. What more could I want?


I'm off to clean the house. Or make cookies. Which will I pick?????