Texas Caviar

A Good Luck Dish for the New Year! 

It’s not too late! Goes together in minutes. And it’s darn good! Yep, having this again this year. I love it!!

This is great just as a side salad with burgers too.

 

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Summertime Appetizer

Last of the tomato harvest has found its way into this creamy cheesy appetizer. Add prosciutto wrapped figs and melon and you have a dinner on a steamy day when no one wants to consume a large meal. The cooking is minimal and the tastes are fresh and light. Add a little sparking wine to help beat the heat too.

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Eggplant Rollup

Appetizer or dinner this eggplant treatment is not usual, and fun to do! Definitely Italian in flavor making it so delicious. Cheesy basil stuffed tender rolls of eggplant are so good. Add a plain red sauce or not. It’s Perfect!

Apparently I’m into eggplant. I have quite a few recipes with this ingredient. If you’d told me when I was younger this would be one of my favorite vegetables I’m not sure I would have agreed. Here are a few other eggplant recipes you might enjoy.

 

Roasted Eggplant Dip

Orzo with Eggplant

Eggplant Appetizer

Eggplant Parmesan

Ratatouille

Tangy Roasted Vegetables

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Fig Chutney

Dinner tonight with wine of course! My little fig tree produces the best figs. It’s that time of year. So tonight I had Fig Chutney with mascarpone on toasted country bread. It was scrumptious! This is a versatile recipe. Not into all the spices just eliminate what you don’t like. Add lemon zest if you are into it Chopped apple can be added too. It’s hard to go wrong!

If you’re into figs you might like to try these recipes too, Fig Topping & Fig Bars

 

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Small Batch Chow Chow

 

 

What a great recipe to make with those pintos! Start both recipes from scratch and they’ll be ready to serve together. What do you do when the garden begins to slow down? You throw a collections of vegetables together and make Chow Chow! I just didn’t have enough green tomatoes to follow my cousin Margaret Costa’s recipe. So I pulled together what I had in my garden to fill in. And because I wanted it today I changed the process a bit.

What you can do with Chow Chow is endless. Mix in with rice, add to deviled eggs or chicken salad, serve over meats, beans, black eyed peas, potatoes; or the way I like it …. over scrambled eggs. Just about anything!

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Good Ol’ Fashioned Deviled Eggs

And Much Much More

Old Fashioned Deviled EggsMy food critic informed me his favorite deviled eggs are his Mother-in-law’s! But he doesn’t even like eggs! How can that be! Deviled eggs are a personal thing … there’s no one perfect recipe. My fav’s my Grandmother’s (can’t duplicate it) but you had to be quick to get a taste. I’m not exactly old fashioned but I love old fashioned recipes. I’ve gathered together a few I feel will please using cookbooks from the distant past. Choose one or two to try. And for that really special occasion use the sauce recipe too.

Deviled egg recipes usually have both mayonnaise and mustard but don’t limit yourself when putting your recipe together. Any number of different ingredients can be added to personalize yours. Enjoy!

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Olive Dip

Olive DipWinding down … Summer about to end. Squeezing in as many barbecues as possible. Enjoying icy wines in the now less than 3 digit heat. If you’re doing the same and need a new quick dip recipe here it is! This recipe is inspired by the 3 ingredient dip recipe in the latest Wine Enthusiast magazine. The September edition has a beautiful Porchetta, a Beer Braised Chicken and so many more delicious recipes. It’s an amazing issue!

I’ve changed up the recipe because I love Greek olives but any black olive will do. I’ll bet homemade green olives would work, Leonard! (My cousin, who cures his own.) Instead of Parmesan (I was fresh out) I used Asiago. Take a look at this easy recipe. You’ll love it!

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Hot Ham and Cheese

 

Here’s a twist on an old time favorite. Feeds a group easily. Make it your own by adding a few of your favorite condiments. I love this for my guy who’s looking forward to a great lunch after golf. Take this recipe and change it up with small bread slices for that special tea or reception. This actually can be served without the baking. Just a handy recipe to have around.

 

Enjoy!

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