Lobster Mac and Cheese

Jay's parents live on Lake Winnipesauke, and when we go up to visit them, we try to make it to our favorite resteraunt "The Canoe"....Lobster Mac is their specialty and we order it everytime. Since it's about a 2 hour drive for us, we don't get to go all the time. I've created a version of it, that's just as good.

1 (2 lbs) Lobster, taken out of shell and chopped

4 T. Butter

4 T. Flour

2 1/2 cups milk

2 cups shredded Asiago cheese

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (white)

garlic powder

cavatapi style pasta (you can also use shells or elbows)

When I buy my Lobster, I have the market steam it for me while i finish shopping. It is so much easier than trying to do it at home. When I come home, all I have to do is shell it. If you prefer to cook your lobster at home, do this first.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and sprinkle with garlic powder. Add the flour and whisk to remove any lumps, cook for about 1-2 minutes to take away the raw flavor of the flour. Slowly add the milk and continue to whisk until lumps are smooth. Bring up to a slow boil, so that the sauce thickens and turn down heat to low. Add the cheese, half at a time and stir with wooden spoon until melted and smooth. Once melted, remove from heat. Cook pasta while making the sauce. Drain, and add chopped lobster to the pasta, pour the sauce on, stir to combine and enjoy immediately.

Porcini Mushroom and Gorganzola Risotto

Every Thursday night, myself and two of my very best friends get together for our "Girls Cooking Night". We take turns picking out a new recipe that we want to try and have a great night making and eating it. A couple weeks ago, Risotto was the topic and this is the recipe I brought for us to create. It was amazing! Risotto is a classic italian rice dish. Aborio rice is short grain and almost has a pasta like quality. It is very creamy when cooked completely, lending to a very elegant and velvety mouth feel. Adding the mushrooms gives this dish a well rounded tone, while the gorganzola gives a little earthiness and punch. I have made quite a few risottos and each time i try to add something a little different. Be creative with it. Sometimes, i will make shrimp and asparagus, or butternut squash and carmelized onions, or chicken, sundried tomatoes and peas. Whatever your favorite combination, go for it.

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup (3 ounces) Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the porcini mushrooms. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 30 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and set aside.
Reheat the stock to a simmer and keep warm over low heat.
In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onions are tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of warm stock and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue with remaining stock, adding 1/2 cup at a time, and allowing each addition to be absorbed, until the rice is tender to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan, Gorgonzola, chives, salt and pepper. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Serve immediately.

Note: Most large grocery stores will sell dried porcini mushrooms quite readily, however, if you cannot find them, substitute for crimini, they have a very similar earthy and meaty flavor. I have also found fresh porcini mushrooms in my market, if you use fresh mushrooms, ignore the rehydrating step.

Rinaldi Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations....I have never eaten it any other way! My grandmother and mother, hands down, make it the best by far. I come close, but there is nothing like when one of them make it. To me, it is the ultimate comfort food. I love when there are leftovers so I can make a cold eggplant sandwich on a roll the next day. I have been caught midnight snacking right out of the fridge. My co-worker and friend Charlotte asked me today if I had a good recipe for eggplant parmesan ~ to me, this is the ONLY eggplant parm recipe. Which leads me to this post. Hope you enjoy, Charlotte!

2-3 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 eggs

1 cup flour

2 T. italian seasoning, divided

1 T. garlic powder

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt/pepper

oil

4 cups homeade sauce, or favorite jarred

Mix 1 T. Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper and flour together on a large flat plate. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and 1 T. Italian seasoning. Add 1/4 c. parmesan cheese to eggs. Set aside. In a large frying pan, heat enough oil to come up the sides 1 inch. Dip each eggplant slice in flour first, then egg mixture. Stack on plate until ready to fry whole batch. Place eggplant in hot oil and fry on each side until golden brown, about 1-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. In a large baking dish, place 1 c. of sauce to coat bottom of pan and arrange eggplant over to form a single layer. Add 1 c. sauce over eggplant and sprinkle with generous amount of parmesan cheese. Repeat layers until pan is full or eggplant is gone, making sure sauce and cheese is on the top. Bake uncovered on 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. It should be bubbly. Enjoy. Eggplant can be fried and frozen in between paper towels until ready to assemble.

Note: This is somewhat time consuming: most of the work will come from preparing the eggplant, cutting, dipping, frying. I try to do as many eggplant as i have time for. I then will layer them on paper towels and place in large freezer bags in a single layer, so the next time I want eggplant parm, i don't have to go through all the trouble. I can just take out, assemble and bake. Also, this version doesn't have mozzerella, like most resteraunt versions. Believe me it doesn't need it. However, my one suggestion would be to use good parmesan cheese...Not the generic in the green bottle. It makes a difference. In my family, i can remember growing up we used to get parmesan cheese in the big blocks from the italian shop. My favorite part was helping my grandpa grate it down, and put it in big pans to dry out! mmmm

Homeade Ravioli

If you haven't tasted homeade pasta...it is a must! It can be quite hard to manage and the process can take a long time also. I have found that this recipe is great because it allows for homeade pasta dough that doesn't take a long time to put together and also allows for creative cooking as well. You can fill these soft little pillows of heaven with any combination of filling that you desire.

Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup boiling water

Filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg
1/2 cup finely shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Basic Marinara Sauce:

3 T. olive oil

1/2-1 onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes - less for milder sauce

1/4 cup red wine

1 lrg can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup packed basil leaves, chopped (fresh)

salt/pepper to taste

For the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour and water. Stir to combine with a wooden spoon until dough comes together into a large ball. You may have to use hands to form bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

For Filling: combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

To form the raviolis, cut the dough in half, working with half at a time. Make sure you work surface is clean and lightly dusted with flour. Roll out dough until about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Place rounded teaspoons of filling about 1 inch apart and 1 inch from edge. Fold dough over the filling and press down around filling to secure the dough. With a small round cookie cutter, cut the dough in round ravioli shapes. Seal edges if need be. You don't want any loose filling. Place on cookie sheet until ready to boil. Drop into boiling water and cook for about 5-7 minutes. They will float to the top. Place in serving bowl with sauce.

To make sauce:

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onion until soft and translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and crushed tomatoes. Turn heat down to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes. Add basil. Toss with raviolis.

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ok, so I know I have been MIA for a while...had to take a break to finish school (got my RN) and land a job. Now that I have some more time to devote to this blog ~ I have chosen one of my favorite comfort foods. Pasta. I was seriously in the mood for garlic tonight and this dish is loaded with it. I love the contrast between the bitter broccoli rabe and the sweetness in the sausage.

5 T. olive oil

5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 lb rigatoni pasta

salt/pepper to taste

2 bunches broccoli, cut into large florets (discard stems)

1 lb sweet italian sausage

1/4 cup white wine

parmesan cheese

Bring pot of water to a boil for pasta. Cook according to directions. In the last five minutes throw in the broccoli and let cook with pasta. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid for sauce. Drain.

In a frying pan, heat 1 tbl olive oil and saute garlic slices until slightly brown and crispy along with pepper flakes. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Transfer garlic to seperate bowl and set aside. Take sausage and squeeze the meat out of the casings to get crumbled sausage. Brown in pan with remaining oil. Once sausage is brown, add the 1 cup reserved water, 1/4 cup wine and reserved garlic with oil. Let come to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss sausage and sauce with pasta and broccoli. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve.

As a general rule, whenever I cook pasta I use the largest pot I can find and season it well with salt. This ensures that your pasta will taste great.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I love anything buffalo sauce....I even toss it on popcorn! Here is a dip that has been created to incorporate buffalo style chicken....and I love dips. (favorite food on earth). I'll turn anything into a dip.

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

2 (8 oz) pgks. cream cheese

1 cup ranch dressing

3/4 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo wing sauce

1 cup. shredded cheddar cheese

Pour wing sauce over shredded chicken. (I do this a couple of ways, the easiest, buy rotisserie chicken and peel skin off and shred it. Or boil/steam 3 chicken breasts and shred them)

Set aside for 30 minutes. Beat together cream cheese and ranch dressing. Fold in chicken and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Spread into small baking dish or pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the cheddar cheese on top and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve with crackers.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

My two favorite desserts are carrot cake and cheesecake, they have this at the Cheesecake Factory and I have to get it every time. But since I don't go there very often, I decided that I'd try to make my own. It's just as good. It was requested that I post this recipe from a good family friend Heather......Here it is!

Cheesecake:

2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Carrot Cake:

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash salt
1 can (8 1/2 oz) crushed pineapple packed in juice, well-drained and juice reserved
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
Dash salt

To make cheesecake, in large bowl of electric mixer, beat together 2 pkgs cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar until smooth.
Beat in 1 tablespoon flour, 3 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile prepare Carrot Cake: In large bowl, combine oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, blending thoroughly.
Stir in 1 cup flour, baking soda, cinnamon and dash salt, mixing well.
Stir in drained pineapple, carrots, coconut and walnuts.
Spread 1 1/2 cups carrot cake batter over bottom of greased 9-or 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
Drop large spoonfuls of cream cheese batter over carrot cake batter; top with large spoonfuls of remaining carrot cake batter.
Repeat with remaining cream cheese batter, spreading evenly with a knife. Do not marble with a knife.
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 50 to 65 minutes or until cake is set and cooked through.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
When cake is cold, prepare Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting.
In a bowl of electric mixer, combine 2 oz cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon reserved pineapple juice and dash of salt. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency.
Frost top of cheesecake. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving. Makes 1 (9-or 9 1/2-inch) cheesecake.

Giambotta

This "vegetable stew" reminds me of summer. I love when my mother makes this dish, it reminds me of being home and my childhood. I post this today because I just planted my vegetable garden and it made me think that I'll be able to make this soon.

2 T. Olive oil

1 green zucchini, cut lengthwise and then in slices

1 sm onion, sliced

2 medium potatoes

1 clove garlic, chopped

salt/pepper

2 T. fresh parsely

3 T. fresh basil

1 can diced tomatoes

string beans, about 1-2 handfuls, parboiled

parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute on medium heat onions, zucchini and potatoes for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt, pepper, parsely, basil and tomatoes and continue frying. If the liquid absorbs too much, add a little water. Cook until zucchini and potatoes are tender. Add parboiled stringbeans when the zucchini and potatoes are almost finished. Serve with grated cheese.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

I love making Jam. It's a great way to use up all your fruit. In our yard we grow quite a bit of rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and cherries. The strawberries and rhubarb are ripe right now, so this is a perfect time to make this jam. If bottled correctly it will last for years in the pantry...and is so yummy. It's also great to give gifts of homeade goodies.

1 cup cooked red-stalked rhubarb (about 1lb rhubarb and 1/4 cup water)
2 and 1/2 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 and 1/2 quart boxes )
6 and 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. butter
1/2 bottle liquid pectin or 1 envelope of certo pectin

Jam jars and lids

Wash rhubarb and slice thin or chop; do not peel. Add water, cover, and simmer til tender. (about 1 minute)
Sort and wash fully ripe strawberries; remove stems and caps. Crush berries.
Measure prepared rhubarb and strawberries into a kettle. Add sugar and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubbles over the entire surface. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and pectin. Skim foam off top.
Fill and seal containers. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.
Yield - 7 or 8 half-pint jars.

Cranberry Orange Scones

These scones are wonderful to have on hand. They hit the spot when nothing else will do for breakfast. For an afternoon snack cut in half and toast under the broiler with butter and a cup of tea/coffee. You can really adapt this scone recipe to include any of your favorite flavors. Get creative, you can use lemon and walnuts, blueberries, etc..

2 Cups Flour
4 T. of Butter (1/2 STICK)
1 T. Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 Egg
1 C. Craisins
2 tsp. Orange Zest
1 to 2 T. Sugar for the tops

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Grease cookie sheet.
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients until size of peas. You can use a fork or a pastry blender to get desired size. Add remaining ingredients, mixing just until dry ingredients are moist. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Pat down into a circle until about ¾ inch thick. Cut into wedges and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheets for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 8 scones. If you want the icing on top...just mix some confectioner's sugar and a drizzle of water and orange zest until you have a thick glaze consistency and drizzle ontop of scones.

Pasta alla Puttanesca

This is my absolute favorite quick pasta sauce. It combines some of my favorite flavors, such as olives, artichokes, garlic and anchovies.....mmmm. Don't be afraid of the anchovies, they dissolve in the sauce, but give it such intense flavor, you can't leave it out. This sauce comes together very quick.

1 lb pasta, use your favorite, spaghetti, linguini, cavatapi

3 T. olive oil

1 tin anchovies, with oil

3-4 gloves garlic, chopped

1 T. red pepper flakes

1 can quartered artichoke hearts, you can use marinaded ones also (about 1 -1/2 cups)

1/2 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1 can straw mushrooms

1 can diced tomatoes (sometimes I use 2 cans, depending on how much sauce i want)

1 T. capers

parsely

fresh basil

salt/pepper

Boil and drain pasta according to directions.

Heat olive oil in deep frying pan and add anchovies, cook for 1-2 minutes until they start to dissolve, add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1-2 minutes more. The house will start to smell amazing. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the artichoke hearts, olives and mushrooms, saute for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, season with salt, pepper and parsely and cook for about 15 minutes. Toss in 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil. Add sauce to cooked pasta and toss with grated cheese!

Chicken Cacciatore

This is another classic italian chicken dish, it's very easy to make, so it's great for nights when you need a simple dinner, but it stands up with BIG flavor. This is how I do it.

8-10 pieces of chicken ( i use thighs, drumsticks, breast with bone in)

3-4 T. olive oil

1 can crushed tomatoes

4-5 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 green pepper, sliced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 T. fresh parsely, chopped

1 T. hot red pepper flakes

1 glass wine, white or red (whichever I have open)

salt/pepper

flour for dredging

Dredge chicken pieces in flour until lightly coated. Heat olive oil in a deep sided frying pan and fry chicken pieces until golden brown on all sides. Add the onions, pepper, mushroom and garlic and saute until slightly softened. Add parsely, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add the wine and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, simmer for about 1/2 hour to 1 hour until sauce is thickened and chicken is fall off the bone tender. If sauce becomes to thick while simmering, add a little water to thin out. Also, I am a huge fan of using fresh mushrooms as opposed to canned, however, canned straw mushrooms will work great in this dish, if you are unable to get fresh ones.

Steak Pizziaola

This recipe reminds me of my childhood. I can remember walking into grandma's house and smell this cooking. I used to love to sneak a piece of bread and dip it into the pot to try and get some of the topping (my favorite part). I know this isn't a typical steak recipe, but it's a traditional italian way to cook steak, that doesn't involve lighting the grill. The key to making a juicy wonderful steak is the cut of meat.....believe me, I've tried this so many ways and with different meats and sirloin is by far the best to use. You can also try this with pork, if you don't eat red meat.

2 sirloin steaks

1 cup whole canned tomatoes

4-5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 T. red pepper flakes

salt/pepper

parsely

oregano

2-3 T. olive oil

handful grated parmesan cheese

Put enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a deep frying pan. Place half of the tomatoes on the bottom of the pan, break the tomatoes with your hands as you add them to the pan, so they stay in big chuncks, but the juice gets into the pan. Place the steaks on top of tomatoes, and top with remaining tomatoes, (again, breaking up with hands), garlic, and pepper flakes. Season generously with parsely, oregano, salt and pepper. (I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements for the herbs, but i just eyeball it) Top with heaping handful of grated parmesan. Cover and turn of high for 1-2 minutes, then drop heat down to low and simmer until steak is tender, about 1 hour. It is very important to cook this low and slow or you will end up with tough chewy meat. Not good.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

These are my favorite stuffed pepper! My grandmother makes these all the time and I can't seem to get enough of them.

6-10 lg. Cubanelle peppers

1 loaf crusty italian bread

1 can anchovies, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

2-3 lg. garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

olive oil

salt/pepper

parsely

Trim off crust of bread and break into small pieces over a large bowl. Add anchovies and their oil to the bread. Add garlic, cheese, salt, pepper and parsely. Toss well. Add crushed tomatoes and mix well to make a moist stuffing. Use your hands to squish everything together. Drizzle enough oil until mix is very moist. Pack stuffing into each pepper about 3/4 of the way full. (stuffing with expand when cooking). Fry in pan with oil on all sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Be careful when turning with tongs, as you can squeeze the stuffing out. These can also be baked for a more healthy approach.

Memphis Style Ribs with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

I cannot believe I am going to post this recipe, but it seemed very fitting with the season. Ribs can be made a number of different ways and every one seems to have their own recipe, this is mine. I have tried to make ribs a few different way and this was by far the best i've come up with. First off - please, please, please....spend the few extra dollars to by baby back ribs. They make such a difference and aren't very fatty.

This isn't the type of recipe you just make on a whim, it's a labor of love recipe, so since you're going to put the time in, you might as well make your own bbq sauce. It adds that extra something special to make them your own. Do it!

4-5 lbs baby back ribs or meaty pork spareribs

Preheat OVEN (yes, oven! this is what makes them juicy, moist and tender) to 350 degrees. Place ribs in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan.

Dry Rub:

1 T. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. ground chili pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

For rub, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients thouroughly. Rub the spice mixture onto ALL surfaces of the ribs. Use all mixture. Use your fingers to get it into the meat. Don't be afraid to touch your food! Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until very tender. (and believe me, they will be!) Take out of oven, slather with bbq sauce and grill, covered for about 10 minutes or so, until ribs are browned, turning once and basting when needed. Serve with extra bbq sauce if desired.

Note: You can use soaked hickory chips on the grill for a little extra smoke flavor, just follow the directions. I have done it without and they are still absolutely fabulous, so don't worry if you don't have them.

Balsamic BBQ Sauce:

Combine 1 cup lager beer, 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 T. minced fresh garlic, 2 tsp. cumin, 2 tsp. Sirracha sauce (you can find this in the asian section, if you don't use a chili sauce), 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. ground black pepper and 1 tsp. liquid hickory smoke. (don't omit the liquid smoke, it's what gives it definition as a bbq sauce). Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for 25 minutes, or until reduced to 2 cups.

Mexican Fish

If you love mexican food and fish, then this dish is amazing! Jason's mother (Hi Lorna- if you're reading, thanks for the great recipe, it's one of my favorites) made it for us for dinner one of the first times we went to visit. I instanly fell in love with it. It's so cheesy and flavorful. A must try in my opinion. I actually made it for dinner tonight.

1 1/2 lbs cod fish (or any other similar white fish, tonight i used Haddock)

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup coarsely crushed fritos chips

Avacado

sour cream

Rinse off fish filets and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Place in baking dish, laying each filet next to each other. Top with salsa, spreading over the surface of filets. Then top with cheese. Sprinkle crushed fritos on top. Place in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Serve each filet topped with sour cream and avacado slices.

This would be pair well with cilantro lime rice and beans and a tall Margarita!

Texas Caviar

I start with this recipe, because it has to be one of the most requested recipes I make. And, fitting with the BBQ season, it's great to bring or put out! Anytime I make this, people go crazy. It really is a great twist on a salsa.

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can shoepeg corn, drained

1 small red onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 (3 oz) can sliced black olives, drained

1 (3 oz) jar pimentos, chopped

pickled jalepeno's, finely chopped

Marinade:

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Mix all top ingredients together in a large bowl. Heat oil, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan or microwave until sugar is just dissolved. Remove from heat, pour over bean mixture. Cover and place in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, drain marinade and serve with scoops tortilla chips.

Note: ok, so those of you who can't find "pimentos" (and sometimes i can't), use roasted red peppers. They are essentially the same thing. Also, if your store does not carry shoepeg corn, just get any canned "white" corn. It will work fine.

Little bit about me...

So, anyone who has grown up Italian, knows that it's all about family and FOOD! I've had a love for food and cooking ever since I was a child. I have so many memories, sitting in my grandmother's kitchen, watching and learning as see proceeded to prepare the most amazing dinner.....EVERY TIME! I loved going over and "helping", which is where I learned most of my cooking skills. I have tried to preserve the Italian tradition by trying to grow a garden every year and make tons of homeade goodies! I am constantly looking for new ways to improve, and perfect some of the oldies too! Hope you enjoy!