salsa – The Cookbook Experiment

Fresh Salsa…and a new Grand Baby!

So here we are in August again! We have been having a very hot, very dry summer. We had at least 6 weeks of daily temperatures above 90 degrees! The hubby has been needing to water not only his garden but also his bees! I have learned much about bee keeping since he has started this particular hobby. One thing I have learned is that bees need a water source just like dogs, cats, and other animals do. If there is no water available for the bees, they will go searching for a water source. And since a neighborhood pool was built behind our property several years ago, we certainly do not want our bees to make their way over there when they get thirsty!

Last Friday my daughter, the other Mrs. G of this blog, gave birth to her first baby…our first grandson! I was blessed to be able to make it to the hospital several hours after he arrived. He is a sweet little bundle of joy!! I miss him like crazy! Mommy, Daddy, and Sammy, III are doing well and adjusting to each other! I am so so proud of Barbi and her man! It is really quite amazing to see your firstborn holding her own firstborn!! Barbi is a great mom, and my son-in-law is a great dad!! I loved watching him be a hands-on new daddy!

Now to that fresh salsa recipe! Even though we’ve had to water the garden quite a bit this summer, we’ve been blessed with fresh veggies! When I made this recipe yesterday, I used our own tomatoes, green onions, garlic, and hot peppers! My hubby loves this salsa fresh, but it is also good cooked. If I make extra, I usually just simmer it for several minutes and let it cool. Once cooled, I put it into freezer bags and freeze it to have the fresh summery taste during the winter months!

10 medium tomatoes
1 lg. bunch cilantro (I use half)
1 bunch green onions
1 medium/large red onion
1 clove garlic
1 green bell pepper (yellow, red, or orange bells work, too)
8-10 hot chili peppers (or whatever variety of hot pepper you enjoy)
1 lemon
pickling salt to taste–about 2 tbsp.

Process all vegetables coarsely in food processor. Mix together in large mixing bowl. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over mixture and add the salt. Stir together. Makes about 2 quarts. Keep refrigerated and use within a week or so.

New Food Processor!

Last summer when I was chopping tomatoes to make some fresh salsa, my old food processor died. Yes, died…right in the middle of a batch of tomatoes I was chopping. That food processor had been a faithful friend for 24 years! I had bought it used just before we were married and had used it a lot over the years. Since that time last summer, I have been using a mini food processor that came with my blender. It wasn’t the best to use for large batches of tomatoes and such, but it worked and was better than nothing.

Last week my guys surprised me with a brand new processor for my birthday! I am thrilled!!! The other day I used it for the first time to chop tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. for a fresh batch of salsa! It is amazing…and so very quiet compared to my old one!

Breakfast Quesadillas

It is hard to believe that June is nearly over! The days seems to be flying by! We are continuing to have lots of rain, usually for just a few hours each day. With the hotter temperatures, it feels like we are living in a rain forest!! At least we do not need to water the garden! We are enjoying our own fresh tomatoes and peppers right now, and are eagerly awaiting the corn! The stalks are over 6 feet tall!!

I came across this recipe a few weeks ago in an insert in our local newspaper. It is a nice change to the oft-served scrambled eggs and bacon! Since I didn’t have all the ingredients called for, I did my usual substituting and had a terrific hearty meal for my guys!

6 slices of bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled

4 eggs, beaten

1 jalapeno pepper, diced

1 tsp. diced fresh chives

salt to taste

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese or Mexican blend cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. thick salsa

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

olive oil

Put about 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet. Lightly stir fry the pepper and chives until just tender. Add the eggs and cook until done, stirring frequently. Remove eggs to a plate, and divide eggs, bacon and cheese into 4 servings. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Place one tortilla in the skillet. Layer some eggs, cheese, and crumbled bacon on one half of the tortilla. Fold other half over the top of the filling and gently press together. Lightly brown for a few minutes. Flip quesadilla over and lightly brown on the other side. Make sure cheese melts. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 4 large quesadillas or 8 small ones if you cut each one in half.

Mix sour cream with salsa. Serve on the side of each quesadilla. I served a slice of fresh tomato with a sprig of fresh cilantro!

Making use of the garden goodness

As I mentioned in my last post, the summer went by all too quickly. I did manage, however, to finally get my kitchen/dining room painted! After 11 years with the same white walls, this is a definite improvement! The color is Hazelnut Creme!

While some of our fruit trees and bushes did well this growing season, our garden left a lot to be desired. Whether it was too wet and then too dry, or too hot for too long, the point is that the results of our labor in the garden were slim! The hot peppers produced the most. We had a few tomatoes, but I longed for more for canning and home-made salsa. Tim had to make an unexpected trip to PA last week and brought me some very nice tomatoes and zucchini grown by Mennonite farmers nearby his parents’ home. Here are two recipes for making the best use of these two garden veggies.

Zesty Zucchini Skillet

4 c. chopped zucchini

1 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. dried oregano (I used Italian seasoning)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. picante sauce (I used salsa)

1 med. tomato, peeled and chopped

1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used cheddar)

In a large skillet, saute the zucchini, onion, and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir in picante sauce; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tomato; cook for 1-2 more minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese.

This recipe brought rave reviews from both Russ and Ben, who normally don’t like zucchini!

Fresh Salsa

10 medium tomatoes

1 lg. bunch cilantro (I use half)

1 bunch green onions

1 medium/large red onion

1 clove garlic

1 green bell pepper

8-10 hot chili peppers (or whatever variety of hot pepper you enjoy)

1 lemon

pickling salt to taste–about 2 tbsp.

Although my kids prefer the cooked salsa I make, this fresh salsa is Tim’s favorite! Enjoy!