I should have posted this one too. Easy to make with fresh ingredients from your garden. Tomato Cucumber Salad This one's a favorite made by a local restaurant called Dinosaur BBQ. The recipe comes from their cookbook. Feeds 6 Ingredients Salad 1 1/2 lb tomatoes Pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper Pinch of sugar 2 medium cucumbers 1/2 large red onion 30 small fresh basil leaves Dressing 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar Black pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon dried oregano Core the tomatoes and cut lengthwise into 6-8 wedges. Cut each wedge in half crosswise. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and wake them up with a big pinch of salt, pepper and sugar. Cut the ends off the cucumbers and use a vegetable peeler to make long stripes in the skin. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and then crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Add to the tomatoes. Peel the onion and cut lengthwise into slivers. Dump the onions in with the tomatoes and cucumbers and give everything a good toss. Clean and dry the basil leaves. Stack them on top of one another and roll lengthwise into a tight cigar. Cut crosswise into thin strips and stir into salad. Throw together a batch of dressing. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour over tomatoes and cucumbers. Marinate the salad at room temperature for several hours. Refrigerate any leftovers.

These two posts might help you with the recipe arlinek. The first is from a guy who bought a package of the chili from Cupids and listed the ingredients. The second is from a guy who made a batch with canned chili, beer and canned tamales. You might want to add some of the seasonings mentioned in th e first post, ie cumin and oregano to get a better flavor. I might try this tonight, Hebrew National all beef hotdogs are on sale for $3. "I recently purchased from a Cupids location for $40.00 USD the chili as it is delivered to them from STOKES. The chili is delivered in two separate packages, the first being the Chili Sauce with meat and then the Tamale sauce with beef. On each was a label and here is what the ingredients are; Chili Sauce with Meat Beef Suet, Carrots, Cereal (Oats) Spices, Salt, Garlic Powder Tamale Sauce with Beef Beef, Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Water, Chili Pepper, Oregano, Cumin, Corn Meal, Salt & Garlic Powder I do not know the proportions of these ingredients, however I am certain that someone can figure that out now that I have supplied the ingredients. The guy that sold it to me instructed be to mix the two packages together and add water to the get the desired thickness. ThatÂs all Enjoy Richard" http://www.recipelink.com/mf/14/25164 and also this.... "I did some experimenting after reading the posts in this forum and came up with a close imitation of Cupid's chili dogs. Listen this. You will need: 1 pack of natural skin hot dogs hot dog buns 1 can of chili with no beans (Hormel's tastes a little strong. Find one that is a bit blander. I used a generic.) 1 can of Hormel's canned tamales some beer (I used Heineken) Steam the hot dogs and buns. Heat your can of chili in a pot. As the hot dogs and chili cook, take your can of tamales, stick them in a blender and liquify them (make sure to include all of the juice and no paper). Add the tamale mix to the chili. Now, what I noticed at Cupid's was a distinctive beer taste. So, I added beer to the Chili. This will give the chili a unique tanginess like no other. Pour in enough beer to taste. Not much is needed to give it that special spike! Stir all of the ingredients. It might be possible that the chili is too thin. Vaporize some of the extra liquid by leaving it on the stove for a bit and then letting it cool when you are satisfied with the consistency. This should thicken things up a bit. Slap a dog in a bun, add liberal amounts of mustard, and slather with the new chili/tamale/beer mix. I was quite surpised at how close this comes to Cupid's. It even has that reddish oily liquid at the top of the chili. Let me know what you think. Bon apetit!" and also this.... Here is a link that might be useful: Jonathan's Cupid Chili Sauce Imitation recipe

This corn salad is wonderful. I came up with it after making grilled corn the way they make it in India, and having some corn left over. So the first recipe isn't the salad, but if any of y'all are looking for something different this coming corn season, it's wonderful cooked this way... Spicy Fire-Roasted Corn with Citrus 1T cayenne pepper mixed with 1 1/2 T salt. 4 ears of fresh corn (or more, if you want leftovers for roasted corn salad) One lemon and one lime cut into wedges. Fill a salt shaker with the salt and cayenne pepper.* Shuck the corn and trim ends for corn skewers if you will use them at the table. If it's your first time roasting corn this way, it's a good idea to practice on one ear before committing all to the grill. Brush your hot grill (not the corn) with a bit of oil, and using tongs, place the corn on the grill. Keep an eye on the ears, and turn them occasionally to prevent too much charring in one spot. You do want some browning and a bit of char as the carmelized bits give the corn a wonderful flavor. The corn should be done in approximately 5 minutes, depending upon the freshness and size of the ears. Serve the corn with wedges of lemon and lime and the shaker of cayenne-salt. The diners rub the wedges all over the corn and then sprinkle with the cayenne-salt to taste. * If you have children eating who might be put off by the cayenne, make a second shaker with equal parts of salt and sugar for them to use instead. Leftover Roasted Corn Salad 2 ears leftover fire-roasted corn 4 T lemon/lime juice 2 T honey 1 t salt 1/4 t black pepper 2 cups assorted grated or chopped vegetables. (I like grated carrot, chopped red bell peppers, green onions, diced cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, crunchy celery, thinly sliced radishes and frozen peas, but just use up whatever odds and ends your refrigerator or garden produces! I've even added chopped apples or pears at times!) 1/4-1/3 c toasted, roughly chopped pecans, cashews or hazelnuts* 1-2 T minced fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, tarragon or parsley) -optional- Cut leftover roasted corn from cobs into a bowl and then gently scrape the little juicy bits from the cob with the blunt side of a knife into the same bowl. Mix the lemon/lime juice, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until the honey is completely dissolved. Toss the vegetables with the dressing, and let sit at least 10 minutes for the flavors to develop. If you are adding fresh herbs, toss them in just before serving. This salad is wonderful with any simply grilled meat or fish, and pairs quite well with rice or couscous as a starch. It can also be made hours ahead, although it might soften and the colors might fade a bit if you make it the day before. Sprinkle the nuts on top of the salad before serving. *Toasting the nuts really brings out their flavor. Before chopping, put the nuts into a pan over a medium-high heat. Shake the pan gently back and forth as though you were making popcorn until the nuts darken slightly and become fragrant.

Bringing this to the top again. This is my Mom's awesome carrot cake that I make regularly. Carrot Cake 2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp cinnamon 2 cups sugar 4 eggs, beaten 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 8 1/2 oz can crushed pineapple well-drained 3 1/2 cups grated carrot 1/2 cup chopped walnuts Icing: 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 tbsp sour cream 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup icing sugar In a large bowl sift flour baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar, eggs and oil and beat with electric mixer. Stir in carrots, pineapple and walnuts; mix well. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking dish. Bake in 375 degree oven 45-55 minutes until done. For icing, beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla. Add icing sugar and beat well. Cool cake and spread with icing and garnish with more chopped walnuts.