My Little Secret

I'm not a very good cook. My secret is that I befriend good cooks, they give me their recipes, and I make those recipes often. "My" two most requested recipes really belong to my friends Mary and Camille. Beware! If you make either one, you will eat it ALL!!!!

Mary's Southewestern Salsa

2 cans black beans, drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 red pepper, chopped (sometimes I also use green, yellow, or orange)
1 sm. purple onion, chopped (or 1/2 lg. onion)
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (scissors work best!)
2 cloves garlic, minced (jarred kind works great)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can Rotel
1/3 c. lime juice
1/2 c. olive oil

Mix canned and chopped ingredients together; sprinkle with seasonings, then pour liquids over and stir. Ingredients can be adjusted to taste. Chopped ingredients can be prepared in the food processor but the result isn't as pretty. Mary serves hers with lime flavored corn chips but we like Tostido Scoops. Keep in tightly covered container (unless you want everything to smell like salsa) in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Camille's Apple Pie

unbaked pastry for 9" pie (Oh, just go ahead and just pick up a frozen one! This pie is so good no one will notice.)
4 large tart apples (I use Granny Smith)

1/2 c. sugar (or Splenda works okay)
1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. sugar (or Splenda)
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. butter (Smart Balance is a healthy alternative)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (Camille says they are optional. HA! No way, woman!)

Pare apples and cut into slices.
Mix 1/2 c. sugar with cinnamon; set aside.
Mix 1/2 c. sugar with flour; cut in butter until crumbly and stir in nuts.
Arrange apples in pastry-lined dish, layer by layer. Sprinkle sugar-cinnamon mixture over each layer. Sprinkle sugar-flour-butter-nut mixture over top to form crust.
Bake until apples are tender - about 1 hr. at 375.