Sweet Bean Dip

In a large bowl, combine:

1 can each chick peas, black eyed peas, and shoepeg corn, rinsed and drained

1 each vidalia onion, red and green peppers, finely chopped

You can also add celery if you like.

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 vegetable oil
2 tsp water
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

I usually get this going while I'm chopping the veggies. Once it has boiled for a minute or two, I turn off the heat and let it sit until all the chopping is done.

Pour this mixture over the bean and veggies and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve. I find Fritos Scoops hold up the best for dipping.

Thanks to Cheri for this recipe - it's been a big hit!

Apparently, man cannot live on bread alone.

On a recent visit to beautiful Providence, RI, seven friends spent the weekend catching up, bonding, relaxing, and just generally being happy to see each other. Conversations ranged from fashion to baby names and lots of thing in between, but we spent a lot of time talking about kids. The funny things they do and say, the not-so-funny things they do and say. We could spend years trying to figure out how to make them be the uber perfect people we envisioned before we actually had them, but we may still be no closer to an answer. Ain't life just a kick in the pants that way?

Not willing to let go of the warm and fuzzy feeling I get from being with some of the people I love most in the world, I came up with an idea. Though we may not see each other on a day-to-day basis, we can still support each other from afar. Those kids (and their parents for that matter) have to eat. And even though I never tire of grilled cheese, experts say that it might be a good idea to eat more than just bread and cheese at every meal. As much as I don't want to admit it, that might actually be true.

Here's the idea: this blog becomes our communal recipe box. Got a recipe that you want to share? Send it to me and I'll post it. That way everyone benefits and everything is stored in one central location.

Thanks to Heather for the blog title suggestion! And I'll work on making the blog itself a little more attractive (once I figure out how to do that!). I'll post the first recipe shortly - please send me anything you want to share!