Texas Caviar

My dad has taught me a lot in the 27 years I have been on this earth. As a “Daddy’s Girl,” I spent the bulk of my childhood following him around the farm where I grew up mimicking his love for the outdoors, being exposed to The Who, The Stones and the Moody Blues and serving as his partner in crime. Due to our near-identical personalities, we have sometimes clashed but I know that our love for each other is one of understanding and acceptance that we are the same person – just in different bodies. It gives me comfort to know that wherever I go, I have a little (ahem, a lot) of my dad in me.

Through the years he has given me many words of wisdom. From the instruction to “Just follow the sun” if I were ever to get lost in the woods and needed to get home (which I only had to use once when I lost the trail and found myself in the middle of nowhere and, sure enough, I followed the sun and came out a mile down the road from where my house was) to “never forget from where you came” (which, just looking at this blog title, would suggest I won’t do that).

One other tidbit he taught me was to “Never pull for orange.” He said this in half-jest but it does prove to be a pretty wise mantra when it comes to deciding which team to pull for in a sporting event. This means I refrain from pulling for any teams sporting jerseys in burnt orange (Texas), neon orange (Tennessee), or just plain orangey-orange (Syracuse, Miami, and Florida). As with most guiding principles, there are times when one may have to abandon her directions. I added an addendum to the “Never pull for orange” rule so that it is “Never pull for orange. Unless they are playing baby blue.” Therefore, this afternoon, I spent two hours pulling for Clemson (they are of the orangey-orange variety) and was as frustrated as any Tiger fan when they lost to the Tar Heels.

Oh well, at least I had good dip while I watched it.

Texas Caviar
From Spark Recipes
(Luckily the University of Texas and its burnt orange color are not related to this dip. I can enjoy it with a clear conscience.)

1 can Black beans, drained
1 can Black eyed peas, drained
1 can shoepeg corn, drained
2 green peppers, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
2 bunches green onion, chopped
jalepeno peppers to taste
1/2 cup fat free Italian dressing

Mix all ingredients and let sit for an hour or two in the refrigerator. Serve with Baked Scoops. Makes a giant bowl, about 20 1/2 cup servings.