The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

Pat Pfeiffer - Correspondent

Bright leaf colors are coming out now, and it seems like each morning there is more color out there. Some are saying it looks like an early fall. If you like to be “Up North” for the Colorama season, better start making your plans. Bow, bird and bear hunters are already spending time up north. It’s a great time to be out in the woods, or on the lakes for fall fishing. Fall is a wonderful season for photographers and artists, too. A lot of folks here might tell you any time is a good time to be out in the woods. There is beauty in every season and something wonderful to see all year round.

One good reason to come “Up North” for autumn is the Art in the Square event in Crandon this coming weekend. Art, crafts, good food and drink and fun activities abound, all in the cozy fall weather. Then in a couple weeks there is the big craft show for Cranberry Fest in Eagle River that draws large crowds. That is followed by Pumpkin Fest a week later in Three Lakes. This could be a good time to start Christmas shopping. So many unique items can be found at such shows. So don’t close up the summer cottage just yet. There are a lot of excellent reasons to come up north in the fall.

It’s been another of those weeks without a lot of newsworthy happenings, but nearly everybody has been busy. Gardens are producing, hunters are out there doing their thing, and then of course the many chores to get ready for winter occupy local residents. There has been an increase in firewood gathering this summer in anticipation of higher fuel bills. Or maybe it is like the wise old Indian said when asked if there was some Native wisdom to predict the weather, “I know it is going to be a severe winter.” When asked how he knew this, he replied, “Because white man has big wood pile.”

Calendar and Almanac

September is National Potato Month

This week (17-24) is Constitution Week

Sept. 20 — Big Whopper Liar Day

Sept. 20 — Eat an Apple Day

Sept. 20 — Wife Appreciation Day (Sounds like a good night to take ‘someone’ out for dinner)

Oct. 11 — Hiles Harvest Dinner — Potluck dinner at 5 p.m.

Texas Caviar

We enjoyed a cookout at a friend’s home a few weeks ago, and Texas Caviar was one of the delicious appetizers our hostess served, and it was a hit! I failed to get her recipe, so I looked it up online and found there are just about a ‘gazillion’ versions of the recipe. I picked out three that sound pretty good. I eliminated those where you started with dried peas and beans. Canned are quicker, easier! My advice is to make it look pretty, as hers did, with a variety of colorful ingredients — for example, not just green pepper, but use red and yellow pepper, too. Yellow corn would be as good as hominy. If you have one of those onion choppers “as advertised on t.v.,” with the smaller dicing blade, this is an excellent time to get it out for chopping up those peppers. Some recipes suggested serving with blue corn chips, and that would add even more color. Adjust jalapeño peppers to your liking. Cilantro can be omitted. Some people love it but some just can’t stand it. This is one of those recipes like chili, where every cook will come up with their own delicious version, so have fun with it. “Ole!” or “Whoopee ti yi ay!” or something suitably Texan!

Texas Caviar, Version 1

Sauce:

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 cup vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

Boil together above ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Combine the following:

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can whole white corn, rinsed and drained

1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup celery chopped

1 small onion chopped

1-3 tablespoons jalapeño pepper chopped

1 small jar pimento

Pour sauce over other ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Drain to serve with tortilla chips.

Texas Caviar, Version 2

Only about half a teaspoon of very finely chopped jalapeño was used, to keep the heat level down. You could, of course, adjust it according to your own taste. Slightly sweet, not too spicy.

1 yellow bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 jalapeño peppers

1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

1 (11 ounce) can white shoe peg corn

1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing

4 roma tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro, optional

Remove membranes and seeds from peppers. Dice peppers and place in a large bowl (jalapeños should be finely chopped).

Drain and rinse the black beans, black eye peas, and shoe peg corn and add to peppers. Add Italian dressing and stir well.

Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours. Drain. Dice roma tomatoes and cilantro and stir into mixture. Serve with tortilla chips.

Texas Caviar, Version 3

1 (14 oz.) can black eyed peas, drained

1 (15 1/2 oz.) can white hominy, drained

2 med. tomatoes, seeded & chopped

4 green onions, very thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 med. green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4-1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (as desired)

1 c. Pace Picante Sauce

Combine all ingredients; mix lightly. Cover; chill at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain. Makes 7 cups.

School’s in Session

Watch for kids on the way to and from school — on foot and driving; stop for school buses with flashing lights. And remember that education, for all of us, never ends.

“The strength of the United States is not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of the education and the character of our people.” Claiborne Pell (1918 - )

“Education is the best provision for old age.” Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)

“You don't need fancy highbrow traditions or money to really learn. You just need people with the desire to better themselves. “Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, Accepted, 2006

Tell us what you think...

Comments »

The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Rhinelander Daily News.