Texas Caviar

recipe from Home Run Recipes

2 cans black eyed peas
1 can shoe peg corn

Rinse and put in a bowl.

Add 1 can Rotel tomatoes

Chop and add the following:
1 green pepper
1 bunch green onions
3 jalapeno peppers (make sure you get all the seeds out...they are the spiciest part)
½ bunch cilantro
3 avocadoes (I add at the last minute)

Mix everything together with 8 oz Zesty Italian Dressing. Serve with Frito Scoops.

We use our chopper to prepare all the produce, but you could also use a food processor, or just a knife works too.

ENJOY!!

Two-Bean and Rice Salad

1 recipe of garlic dressing (below) or 3/4 c bottled Italian salad dressing

3 c chilled cooked rice

1 15-oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 10-oz pkg frozen peas, thawed

1 c sliced celery

1/2 c chopped red onion

two 4 1/2-oz cans diced green chilies, drained

1/4 c snipped fresh cilantro

Combine above ingredients in large bowl.

Pour garlic dressing or Italian dressing over mixture and toss. may be served immediately or cover and chill for up to 24 hours.

Of course you can change this up to suit your individual tastes.

Garlic Dressing:

1/3 c white vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

2 T water

1/2 t salt

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t black pepper

Oreo Truffles

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Tammy

1 bag Oreo cookies

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
Almond Bark

Crush your entire bag of oreos. Mix in cream cheese. (I don't add all of it at first because I don't want to much. I gradually add cream cheese until it is a consistency that will stay together.) Set in fridge for about 30 minutes. Roll into balls, then freeze. Then dip in melted chocolate almond bark. (there are many different dipping chocolates, this is just the cheapest and it tastes pretty good)

**For Tanzi's baby blessing I used the cool mint oreos and actually did 2 bags with the 1 (8 oz) cream cheese

Cake Bites

This is my sister-in-law, Tammy's, recipe. SO delicious!!

1 cake mix, made according to package directions
1 can of frosting
1 box of pudding
almond bark

This is just a general idea of how to make them. You can combine many different flavors. Bake cake (adding entire box of pudding to mix) according to package directions. When cake is done, take a fork and crumble the cake. After the cake is cooled, mix in frosting adding just enough to hold the cake together. Set in fridge for a couple of hours. Roll into small balls and freeze. Then dip in chocolate. I also like to drizzle chocolate on top for aesthetics.

Some of the flavors I have done:
-Devils food cake, chocolate pudding, mixed with peanut butter frosting, dipped in chocolate

-Strawberry cake, strawberry pudding, mixed with strawberry frosting, dipped in white almond bark, drizzled with pink candy melts

-yellow cake, vanilla pudding, cherry frosting, dipped in white almond bark,drizzled with pink candy melts

-red velvet cake mix, chocolate pudding, cream cheese frosting, dipped in chocolate

Give it a try and let me know if you come up with a good combination!!

Chicken Salad with Watermelon and Peaches

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (season chicken with favorite seasonings and grill it)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. dried dill or 1 tbsp. fresh dill
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
2 peaches, seeded and chopped
2 cups chopped and seeded watermelon
Greens and/or bread (mini baguettes, french bread, toasted regular bread)

Mix together chicken, yogurt, mayonnaise, dill and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, gently ix in chopped fruit. Serve over greens and on bread.

Strawberry Whip Dessert

1 1/4 cups crushed pretzels
6 tbsp melted butter
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pureed strawberries
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tub (8 oz) thawed Cool Whip topping

Mix pretzel crumbs and butter in 9x13 inch pan; press onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Beat cream cheese and condensed milk with mixer till blended. Add strawberries and lime juice; mix well. Gently stir in Cool Whip. Pour over crust. Freeze six hours or until firm. Let it stand at room temperature to soften slightly prior to serving.

This desert is fat free and calorie free and to be enjoyed without guilt!

Fruit Salad With Lemon and Honey Syrup

Syrup:
1 cup water
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Salad:
Any fruit you have works perfectly
chopped peeled cantaloupe
seedless grapes
sweet cherries, pitted and halved (about 1/2 pound)
chopped peeled peaches (about 2 peaches)
pomegranate seeds (they make everything seem more fancy)
apples
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Preparation

To prepare syrup, combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and cook until mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). cool syrup.j

To prepare salad, place all the fruit in a large bowl. Once syrup is cooled pour syrup over fruit; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Toss with mint just before serving.

Teff Waffles

Combine:
1 1/4 cup Teff flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
16 oz. plain yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs
1. Combine flour, soda, powder and salt
2. Beat in yogurt, butter,eggs until smooth
Add water or milk to decrease thickness