Fiesta Bowl Fare

We went to a friend's house to watch the Fiesta Bowl last Monday, and since she's a diehard Ohio State fan, I had to make her some buckeyes! But there were some Texas fans there too, so Texas caviar was also in order.

I actually didn't much care for the Texas caviar recipe that I made (it was a little bland, even after 3 jalapenos and half of a red onion), so instead, I'll share a Bobby Flay recipe that I've been making for years. It's not true Texas caviar since it doesn't use black-eyed peas, but it's phenomenal!

Buckeyes

Adapted from Recipezaar

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tray of chocolate bark coating
• Lollipop sticks (this recipe makes about 30 buckeyes)
• ~2" deep block of styrofoam

Directions:

• Stir together the butter and peanut butter, then sift the powdered sugar into the peanut butter mixture. Mix everything together until well-combined.
• Roll into 1" balls and place on a baking sheet (I lined the sheet with a Silpat for ease in clean-up). Chill the peanut butter balls in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• While the peanut butter balls are chilling, melt the chocolate bark coating in the microwave.
• Remove the peanut butter balls and push a lollipop stick into each one. Hold the lollipop stick and swirl the peanut butter ball in the melted chocolate bark coating. Don't cover the entire ball; you want to be able to see a bit of peanut butter.
• Push the stick gently into the styrofoam. Continue coating the rest of the peanut butter balls in chocolate and storing upside-down in the styrofoam block.

• Let cool so that the coating hardens. Remove the lollipop sticks before serving.

Verdict:
It's a pretty standard recipe, but I like the method of cooling the chocolate so that the bottom is circular, rather than flat. I also like using chocolate bark coating rather than paraffin wax mixed into the chocolate -- it's not as shiny, but it has a firmer texture so that the chocolate cracks (rather than gives) when you bite into it. I'll be honest; these are way too rich for my blood! One bite is plenty for me. But most people go gaga over these!

Corn Salsa/Wannabe Texas Caviar

Adapted from Bobby Flay's Bold American Food

Ingredients:

• 2 ears of fresh corn or 1 can of whole kernel corn
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced (add another one if you like a bit more heat)
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 c. cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• Squeeze of lime
• Salt and pepper

(On occasion, I've added 1/2 of a can of black beans and reduced the amount of corn in the recipe to just 1 ear or 1/2 of a can.)

Directions:

• Mix all of the ingredients together.
• Taste and adjust the ingredients or seasoning as needed (it always needs adjusting!).
• Let sit for about 30 minutes before serving.

Verdict:
We usually eat this as an accompaniment to grilled fish, but it's great just on its own also. It's got a nice blend of sweet from the corn and bell pepper and spicy from the jalapeno and red onion, and the balsamic gives it a much richer flavor. Scoop it up with some Tostitos for a salty bite!