A new twist on an old tradition

We're from the South.  Southern people have a tradition of eating blackeyed peas on New Year's Day.  If you eat the peas, you will have good luck in the new year.  On New Year's Eve, I talked to my family in Florida and they all had their peas with pork, collards, and corn bread ready to cook.  I knew there was no way for us to cook all of that, we had plans to be up early and spend the day in Sequoia National Park (more on that later).  So, we prepared our peas in a different way.  We made Texas Caviar!  The recipe I used called for a great variety of veggies, even pickled jalapenos.  I did add more of the bell peppers, celery, and cilantro...next time I will also add more of the jalapenos.

It was so good!  The kids all liked it, too.  It takes a little time to chop all of the veggies but you can make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge (it's actually better the next day).  Perfect for a busy day like ours.  Fill a cooler with sandwich fixins and some of this "caviar" with chips for scooping it up and you will have a great picnic to take with you.