Printable Recipe

1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can tomatoes and chiles, drained
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
4 green onions, diced
1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve as a dip with chips!

Holly's Note:
My uncle found this recipe in the local paper and fixed it one night when we were all together for dinner. It was delicious and so easy. I think that it would only get better as the flavors marinate.

Printable Recipe

1 can Chili (we prefer no beans)
1 block/cube Cream Cheese

Place the cheese and chili in a bowl. Microwave it for about a minute. Stir it together and serve with tortilla chips.

Holly's Note:
This is the perfect dip for game days or any time you need a quick appetizer. It's our favorite.

Printable Recipe
Makes 2 loaves

2 ¼ cup warm water
2 T. sugar
2 pkg. active dry yeast (4 1/2 t.)
1 T. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
6 cups flour

In a large mixer, combine water and sugar and yeast. Allow it to soften/proof for about 5 minutes. Add salt, oil, and half the flour; mix well. Add remaining flour. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. I just set my timer. Stir the dough down and allow to rest 10 more minutes. Repeat until dough has been stirred 5 times. It takes about an hour. I just go about my business listening for my timer. It's also very forgiving and if you can't mix/rest 5 times, 3 or 4 is ok too.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 2 or 3 times. Divide dough into two loaves. Roll each loaf into a 9x13 inch rectangle (give or take). Roll from long side and pinch edges.

Place on baking sheet sprayed with Pam. Cover and allow it to rise about 30 minutes. Again, it's really forgiving if you're in a hurry and can't let it go that long. With a sharp knife, cut 3 gashes at angle on top of dough. Bake 400 degrees for 30 min, checking at about 20 minutes.

Holly's Note:
Delicious! I found the original recipe at Real Mom Kitchen. There are some awesome recipes there. This is a delicious bread that is fairly easy. The original recipe said that it was really soft, so I spritzed water on one loaf. Both loaves came out nice and brown. Once they cooled, both were soft, but still crusty. They were pretty dense loaves. I think they need a bit more than 30 minute rising time.

They are perfect with the Carrabba's Italian Seasoning mix. I also think it would be a great food storage recipe, because it doesn't need anything special or extra. It's nice and basic.

Printable Recipe Here
Makes about 24 breadsticks


1 1/2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
1 T. yeast
1/2 t. salt
3 - 4 1/2 c. flour

In a large bowl (I used my mixer), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for about 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, I used about 4 1/2) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Grease a bowl with shortening and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for ~45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. I couldn't let it go that long.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Roll into a rectangle and cut into strips with a pizza cutter.

You can then roll each piece of dough into a twist or just leave it as a stick, which is what I did. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Cover and let the dough to rise for about another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with the garlic seasoning of your choice or Parmesan Cheese and garlic salt. 

Holly's Note:
I made Stuffed Meat Shells the other night and wanted a bread roll recipe that was easy, inexpensive and didn't make oodles of rolls.  I adapted this recipe from Our Best Bites, which is an awesome cooking blog. It's one of my favorites.

It sounds like it takes a long time, but it really didn't. I started them about 4:00 (I hadn't planned to do bread ahead of time) and wanted dinner on the table by 6. It was perfect. I think they'd be very forgiving if you couldn't let them rise the whole time. I actually got almost 24 breadsticks.

I sprinkled some with cinnamon and sugar which my son absolutely loved. I sprinkled some with my Carrabba's Blend and they were good, but we actually preferred them plain.