Jen's Texas Caviar

My sister makes this side dish often each time we visit NY in the summer and my husband absolutely adores it!! He has also made it a few times and it has become a family favorite. It has a satisfying bright taste and is oh so good!

TEXAS CAVIAR

1 can black eyed peas

1 can black beans

1 jar of banana peppersaq  

1 medium Vidalia onion

1 cup celery

1 jar of pimentos/roasted red peppers chopped

1 can of shoe peg/white corn

1 cup sugar,

1 1/2cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Adjust sugar to taste and serve with

1 bag lime tortilla chips

Fruit Pizza

I just love fruit and fresh fruit is always a tell tale sign to me that spring and good things are just around the corner! I keep thinking if I load my fridge with fresh veggies and fruits that it will bring out the warm weather! So far, it hasn't worked.

Nothing like a refreshing dessert. Fruit pizza has a sweet tender dough. A sugar cookie dough, topped with a smoothe cream cheese tart frosting and the brightness of any fruit you so desire to top. You can bake this on a pizza round or in a 9x13 pan. I also prefer to have my dough a bit on the thicker side, 'cuz you know; that's how I roll but please feel free to make it anyway your little heart desires.

This dessert was made for our March Birthday celebration and it is always a crowd pleaser. Ann Trujillo made this dessert! Gotta love it!

The recipe is from Allrecipes. And also adapted from two peas and their pod

FRUIT PIZZA

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Frosting:
1 package cream cheese, softened (8 oz.)
2 T sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon

Fruit:Strawberries
Blueberries
Peaches
Kiwi

CRUST
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a pizza pan with cooking spray or a 9x13 pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until smooth.
3. Mix in egg, vanilla, and lemon zest.
4. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt;
5. Stir into the creamed mixture until just blended.
6. Press dough into pizza pan.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool.
8. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugars, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
9. Spread on the cooled pizza crust.
10. Arrange fruit on top of the pizza. Chill until serving time.

Basil Pesto Bowtie Pasta

Basil & BowTie Pasta Salad


1 lb bowtie pasta
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
4 oz fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 large roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
3/4 -1 cup basil pesto
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 Tbls olive oil

Cook bowties according to pkg directions, drain and set aside.

Put olive oil in small saute’ pan, add pine nuts and garlic to room temp olive oil. Cook over a moderate temperature allowing garlic to infuse oil. Saute’ until nuts are just turning golden color making sure not to burn garlic (about 2 minutes). If there is excess oil* drain through a paper towel and return nuts to pan. Do not leave on paper towel as you do not want it to soak up all the flavored oil. Set aside.

In a large bowl fold the pesto into the pasta allowing it to lightly coat the pasta. Carefully stir in the nuts, cheeses and tomatoes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

*You should be able to see the oil on the nuts, but there should not be standing oil in the pan.

Mexican Corn on the Cob

Warrior's Gfriend likes to eat her corn like this. It is even better if you choose to grill your corn. I have never had it this way but find it quite pleasing to the taste buds.

Corn on the cob
Melted Butter
Chilli powder
Fresh limes
Melt butter & sprinkle chili powder to liking, add lime juice & 1 tsp. salt. Brush over corn and devour.

GRILL THIS BABY!
Wrap in tin foil & place on grill be sure to turn every 2 minutes. Take off when corn shows grill marks, 5-10 min. Voila~

Grilled Dinner

This is a recipe we use frequently during the summer months. It is quick, easy, and the best part - no cleanup!

Grilled Summer Veg with Kielbasa

Serves 4

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

~8 small red potatoes, quartered

Baby Carrots

2 ears corn, cut into fourths

one yellow squash, sliced in 1 inch pieces

one zuccini, sliced in 1 inch pieces

one lb kielbasa sausage sliced into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces

2 Tbls butter

Seasoned salt such as McCormicks Garlic and Pepper seasoning

Soak the potato and corn in water about 45 minutes before you plan to prepare this dish.

Pull out a layer of Heavy Duty Tin Foil large enough to fold over ingredients with several inches to spare. Place the corn, potaotes and sausage in the center of the foil. Tope with the onion, squash and zuccini. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with seasoned salt.

Fold the foil up from both sides and then fold the foil closed at least three folds to seal in moisture and steam. Form triangles of foil at each end and then fold in several times to seal.

Place the foil package on a hot grill, seam side up and cover grill. Let the vegetables cook about 20 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is. Then turn for an additional 10 minutes cooking time. (Cooking time depends a lot on your grill, so watch them close the first time and adjust as necessary.)

A few notes: It is important that your squash and zuccini be sliced large and placed on top of the other vegetables to prevent their overcooking. For larger groups you can make this dish in a disposable aluminum roaster pan and seal the top with foil. In this case I stir the vegetables about 20 minutes into cooking and then add the squash and zuccini to avoid overcooking.

It's Berry Time!

Fresh Berries in Honey Lime Glaze

Equal Parts Fresh Lime Juice and Honey

(for example: 2 Tbls Lime Juice, 2 Tbls Honey)

6 Cups Assorted Fresh Berries such as Strawberry, Blueberries, Blackberries, Bing Cherries

Wash and drain the fruit. Mix the Lime juice and Honey thoroughly. Pour over fruit and gently stir to cover. Allow fruit to set an hour or so on the counter or up to 4 hours in the frig. I like to serve at room temp.

It sounds simple, but I always have people asking "What did you do to this fruit?!" :)

Vanilla Punch Bowl Cake

This cake may not look visually appealing but it will tickle every taste bud on your tongue. You will love this! It tastes a little like strawberry shortcake! It is so good and definitely one of my favorite summer desserts out there.
Vanilla Punch Bowl Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (bake as directed and cube)
2 regular pkgs of vanilla pudding.
1 lg. family size cool whip or 2- 8oz containers
2 quart size strawberries (washed and sliced sweeten slightly if necessary with sugar)
2 pints blueberries (washed)
Alternate cake cool whip and fruit.
For a festive feel for the 4th of July decorate like the flag.

Chocolate Punch Bowl Cake

This was Keawe's request for his graduation cake. It is extremely good!
Chocolate Punch Bowl Cake
1 box choc. cake mix (bake as directed and cube slices when cooled)
1 lg. family size cool whip container or 2- 8oz. containers.
1/3 cup mini choc. chips
1/3 cup heath bar candy crushed
1/3 cup chopped nuts
2 small pudding pkgs.
Layer cake, pudding, cool whip etc, 3 times in a punch bowl and top off with candy mixture.

Chocolate Eclaire Cake

Stupid Easy and Crazy good!
The pictures for this cake did not do it justice. It really comes out in pretty layers but it was the first slice and a corner piece. I was too busy licking my fingers to put the camera down to take a better picture. This is very much like the ice box cakes!

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) Cool Whip
3 cups milk
1 (16 ounce) package graham cracker squares
1 (16 ounce) package prepared chocolate frosting

In a medium bowl, thoroughly blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk.
Arrange a single layer of graham cracker squares in the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan. Evenly spread half of the pudding mixture over the crackers. Top with another layer of crackers and the remaining pudding mixture. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.
Spread the frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of the pan. Cover, and chill at least 4 hours before serving.
Make vanilla pudding according to directions.
Layer graham crackers on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Top with vanilla pudding, layer crackers and top with pudding and then add
the final layer of crackers. Frost the top with chocolate frosting. Let set in
fridge for 3 hours. If you would like to add another layer of pudding and crackers this is fine.

Simple Fruit Salad

2 Sunday's ago our family had dinner at a friends home. She made this great fruit salad. My children really enjoyed it. It was light and fresh and hit the spot. This happens to be one of Kai's favorite. Does it surprise you? She seems to love the simplest of meals. I love that!

Fruit Salad

Two Cans of Tropical Fruit Salad (fruit cocktail)
One Can of Pineapple Pieces
2 Bananas sliced
All cans of fruit are drained
1 Container of Cool-Whip Lite (reg. size not family size)
I used the family size although good, it was a litte too much.

I also was looking through my pantry to add pistachio pudding to the cool whip but we did not have any. It reminds me of a dessert similar to the one that was my favorite when I was a child. I hadn't had it in a while. I will have to dig for the recipe.

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

This is so good and great for large groups.



This is a dessert that we had the other night at a friends house. It was really good and you will be surprised at how simple and easy it is to make.
We just made this dessert for FHE. We have our FHE on Wednesday nights.

Layer Icecream Sandwiches then Cool Whip in a
pam sprayed container. Repeat and Freeze overnight.
Before Serving Drip Hot Fudge, Caramel and Nuts over the top.

I chose to layer the chocolate and caramel sauce in between the layers in the middle of the dessert as well and not just on the top.
The pictures are from our dessert that we had on Sunday night.