Need a quick salad for your New Years Eve party?  Try our Texas Caviar with Avocado.  Add crackers and you will have a great dip.

2 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
6 oz. Italian dressing
cayenne pepper to taste
2 avocados - peeled, pitted, and chopped

In a large bowl, mix black-eyed peas, tomatoes, sweet onion, jalapeno peppers, Italian dressing, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the avocados just before serving.

No-bake candy balls have the flavors of a margarita mixed with vanilla wafers and pretzels. These are quite rich.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers

1/2 cup pretzel crumbs (about 1 cup pretzels)

1 (16-ounce) pkg. confectioners’ sugar, sifted

3/4 cup frozen margarita or limeade concentrate, thawed

2 (3-ounce) package cream cheese

1 teaspoon tequila, or to taste, optional

1 teaspoon Triple Sec (orange liqueur), or to taste, optional

Rind from 1 lime, grated fine (divided use)

1 (2.25-ounce) shaker green decorator sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

Preparation:

Place half the vanilla wafers in bowl of food processor fitted with knife blade. Process to fine crumbs. Remove crumbs and reserve. Repeat with remaining wafers. Add pretzels (about 1 cup) to food processor and process to fine crumbs to make 1/2 cup crumbs.

In large bowl, combine wafer crumbs, pretzel crumbs, powdered sugar, margarita concentrate and cream cheese. Add tequila and Triple Sec, if desired. Stir until well blended. Divide mixture in half. Wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap and set aside.

Combine half the grated lime with decorator sugar and half with granulated sugar on small saucers or in small bowls, stirring to distribute lime peel evenly. Remove plastic wrap from 1 portion of the dough and shape into small 1-inch balls. After shaping each ball, roll each in green or white sugar. Work quickly, because the treats dry quickly. Repeat until all dough is used.

Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Yield: 7 dozen

2 cups Chex honey nut snack mix (8.75 ounces)

2 cups Chex sweet and salty snack mix (8.75 ounces)

1 cup thin pretzel sticks, broken into 1-inch pieces

1 cup salted cashews

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Pour snack mixes, pretzels, and cashews into large bowl. Set aside.

Using a double boiler on the stove or the microwave, melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter, stirring to combine. Add vanilla and mix until smooth.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal, turning over gently until all pieces are evenly coated. Pour mixture into large plastic bag (a cooking bag works well) with the powdered sugar. Seal and shake until all the pieces are well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

Yield: about 8 cups

I love the fall season!  I hope you will enjoy this Carmel Apple Pie recipe as much as we do.

2 pastry shells, 9-inch

4 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored, thinly sliced

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 lb Caramels coarse chopped

2 tablespoons Flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup Milk

Milk for top

Sugar for top

Preheat oven to 375?. Fit 1 round of rolled pastry into a 9-inch pie pan.

In a large bowl, toss together apples, sugar, cinnamon, caramels, flour and milk. Spoon mixture into pie shell.

Top with the remaining rolled pastry. Fold the edge of the top pastry under the bottom pastry. Pinch together and flute the edge all around with a fork. Cut several slits in the top so the steam can escape during baking. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Pie is best served slightly warm.
8 Servings

I received this recipe from my friend Bob Tyndall http://blackjava.ca/crab-cake-recipes/

Thank you Bob for a easy and delicious recipe.

3/4 pound pork sausage links, sliced
1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
1 (16 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried parsley
crushed red pepper to taste
salt to taste
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce with mushrooms
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium
high heat until evenly brown. Drain and return to pan.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a
boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al
dente; drain.

To the sausage add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, crushed
red pepper, salt and garlic. Stir in mushrooms and pasta sauce.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
Stir in cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

SERVES 6

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 (8 ounce) carton chive & onion cream cheese
• 1 tablespoons butter
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 6 slices bacon

1. Flatten chicken to 1/2″ thickness.
2. Spread 3 tablespoons cream cheese over each chicken piece.
3. Dot with butter and sprinkle with salt; roll up.
4. Wrap each with a bacon strip.
5. Place, seam side down, in a greased pan.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 400F for 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear.
7. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
8. If you are making these ahead for future use, freeze these uncooked on a cookie sheet in your freezer. When solid, wrap and put in a ziplock bag or vacuum seal desired quantities.
9. To cook from frozen state, thaw before cooking and follow directions above.

A great breakfast smoothie.
1 cup cubed fresh or canned pineapple
1 banana, sliced
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1/3 cup frozen passion fruit concentrate
1/2 cup water
2 ice cubes
1 tablespoon wheat bran or oat bran (optional)

Combine pineapple, banana, yogurt, passion fruit concentrate, water, ice cubes and wheat bran or oat bran.

  Using a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Serve immediately.

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup natural chunky-style peanut butter
6 cups crispy brown rice cereal
2/3 cup chopped dried cherries or  dried cranberries

Cooking spray

Combine honey and peanut butter in a large pot and heat over medium-low heat until melted, about 2-3 minutes. Add brown rice cereal and cherries and stir to combine until mixture is sticky. Press into a 9 by 13-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let cool, then chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Cut into 15 (2 1/2 by 3-inch) squares.

1- 15 ounce can pumpkin
1- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1- 18.25 ounce yellow cake mix
1 cup walnuts or pecans
1–1/2 sticks melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 9×13 pan. Completely combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, salt and sugar. Mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix. Gently pat down with spoon. Sprinkle with nuts. Drizzle with butter. Making sure all dry ingredients are wet. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool and cut in squares. Top with Powder sugar.

A new twist on Potato Salad

2 potatoes
1 sweet potato
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and chop.

Combine the potatoes, eggs, celery and onion.  Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture, toss to coat. Refrigerate and serve chilled.