Cowboy Caviar

 

Cowboy Caviar with Tortilla Chips

Why wait for a party? Here's a great snack for when you want to eat some beans and veggies. You'll get so much protein from the beans. 

I used chickpeas, black beans, and black-eyed peas. 
Using this chopper makes quick work of the chopping! 

There's even a $5 coupon on Amazon available now. The chopper works so well!

Place in a large bowl:

1 can rinsed black beans

1 can rinsed black-eyed peas

1 can rinsed chickpeas

1 orange pepper, diced small

1 small can white shoepeg corn, rinsed

1 jalapeño (diced very small, ribs and seeds removed)

1/2 small red onion, diced small

1/2 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped fine

For the dressing, in a small jar combine:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 T sugar

2 small cloves garlic, grated

Salt & Pepper to taste (needs a lot of salt!)

Dress the salad and stir to combine. Tastes even better the next day. Serve with warm tortilla chips.

Coney Island Sauce from Fall River

At our recent party, I served boiled hot dogs with Coney Island sauce. There are so many different versions and recipes out there! I adapted this recipe that I received from a friend of mine.

I was very pleased with the results. One guest commented, "I can't get this in my mouth fast enough!"

Coney Island Hot Dog restaurants can be found all over the Fall River area. Each establishment seems to have their own take on the sauce. The hot dogs are small, so you must eat at least two. They seem to disappear in three bites.

"Dirty Nick's" in Fall River is considered the most famous of the hot dog places in this region. Now you can order their spice packets online so you can make their version of this delicious sauce.

http://nicksconeysauce.com/about_nicks/about_nicks.htm

I used Kayem skinless hot dogs (aka "Skinnies"), and served them in steamed buns. If you don't have ground chourice available to you, you could substitute another spicy sausage, or you could use two pounds of hamburger instead. Using the food processor is key to having the right consistency to the sauce.

1 Spanish onion (minced finely)
1-1/2 lbs ground hamburger
1/2 lb ground chourico
3 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T minced garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 T spicy mustard
1 small can tomato paste
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 T celery salt (or to taste)

In slow cooker, place ground hamburger and chourico, and then cover meat with water and turn on high. Once meat is cooked (several hours), drain hot water and place half the cooked meat into the food processor and finely grind. Place meat back in the crock pot. In separate pan, saute chopped onion in olive oil until soft. Place onions in crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook six to eight hours on low. You may want to adjust the spices.

Serve hot dogs with "the works" which means with sauce, yellow mustard, minced sweet onions, and a dash of celery salt.

Top Your Own Hamburgers

We had our annual birthday bash for our son on the 4th of July. Putting our new grill to good use, we cooked quarter pound hamburgers. I bought a wide variety of hamburger buns. Then, our guests chose from a bunch of different toppings. Everyone seemed to enjoy customizing their burgers.

Topping Choices

I sauteed sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms in olive oil and garlic, and then I added some Montreal Seasoning and fresh thyme at the end.

Another topping choice was Balsamic Caramelized Vidalia Onions. I sauteed the large slices of onions in olive oil. After they had softened, I added chopped garlic, a teaspoon of sugar or so, some Montreal Seasoning, and a splash or two of balsamic vinegar. I turned up the heat and let everything get nice and caramelized.

Next, I baked some extra thick cut bacon. I cooked these extra thick slices in the oven at 400 degrees on baking sheets covered in aluminum foil. Regular bacon takes about 20 minutes to cook this way. This bacon took about 30 minutes. It was a big hit! Both young and old cannot resist a slice or two of bacon.

I also provided an assortment of cheeses, including: American, Swiss, Cheddar, Blue, and Pepperjack.

For dessert, I served Cheesecake Bites purchased at Sam's Club, GB's favorite. But I also offered thick brownies which were made into sundaes.

I highly recommend you hold your own Top Your Own Burger party this summer -- a new twist on an old favorite. Try having a contest for the Strangest Burger, Most Boring Burger, Most Original, etc. Let me know how it goes!

4th of July Bash

We ended up having an extremely fun party on the 4th. The food came out great and the rain held out until the end.

I served the BBQ Beef Brisket (that I had tested a few days before) and it was a hit. My best reviews to date! (Please see July 1st post for recipe.)

We had about 21 adults and 14 kids. It turns out, however, that I bought too much brisket (15 pounds). I just had too many other food choices.

I was surprised how much the brisket cost ($60). I froze some and will bring the leftovers to another party tomorrow. Here's the whole menu.

4th of July Menu:

BBQ Beef Brisket (in rolls)

Sweet Italian Sausage, Onions and Peppers

Meatballs in Marinara

Hot Dogs (for the kids, mostly)

Baked Beans

Zucchini and Tomatoes

Homemade Cole Slaw

Store bought Red Bliss Potato Salad

Garden Salad

For dessert we had sliced watermelon, cheesecake bites and brownies with ice cream.

I spent yesterday cleaning up, for the most part.

So what's the photo of, you ask? My very thoughtful neighbor brought this chicken teriyaki on skewers as an appetizer. I loved how she presented it. There was chicken on one side, and on the other skewers were: green and red peppers, onions, and fresh pineapple. They went like hot cakes! She just marinated the chicken in bottled teriyaki sauce and grilled them. Highly recommended!