Let's Salsa

It's finally that moment at my house.  The moment when 5 lbs of tomatoes is sitting on my counter, fresh from the garden.  Now I can make salsa and go to my happy place.  MaryRuth told me she didn't have Mom's salsa recipe, so here it is along with a salsa I came up with.

Mom's Salsa

2-3 jalapenos, seeded and diced
5 lb tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb tomatillos, chopped finely
3/4 head garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped finely
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped finely
2 limes, juiced
2 TB salt
2 tsp vinegar

If you've gone through all the work to actually follow the directions and chopped everything finely, you just have to mix it together at this point.  Let's say you're lazy and have a food processor; process everything until finely chopped.  You can store this in the fridge for 2 weeks, if it lasts that long.  One note, the tomatoes give off a lot of juice.  You can keep it in your salsa, or you can strain the tomatoes after you chop them.  I like it both ways.

Guacaverde Salsa

1 lb tomatillos
1/2 package prepared guacamole
1 tsp salt
1 TB lime juice
1/2 jalepeno
dash chili powder
dash cumin
1/4 c diced onions
handful of cilantro

Process the tomatillos and jalepeno in the food processor until finely chopped, drain, reserving juice.  Mix tomatillos and jalepeno with the rest of the ingredients.  Add juice until desired consistency is reached--I usually aim for thin guacamole.

 

Homemade Hamburger Helper

This is a recipe from Jason's mom that she uses as a quick, go to recipe. The amounts are dependent on how many you need to feed.

Ground beef
Can Stewed tomatoes (provides the seasoning)
Tomato Sauce
Slices of American Cheese
Cooked elbow macaroni

Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Add the stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in the pasta. Layer cheese on top in the pan and let it sit while you set the table then mix it in once it's melted.

Not the Typical Quesadilla

I got this recipe a few years ago from a little cookbook at a grocery store checkout lane. This is my modified version. I always eat more of these than I should; they also make good leftovers.

Ranch Quesadillas

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cups (8 oz) Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Ranch dressing
1 medium tomato, diced and seeded
1/2 - 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, rinsed and drained (depends on how much you like)
8 flour tortillas, approximately
salsa (optional)
guacamole (optional)

Combine chicken, cheese, dressing, tomatoes, and chiles in a medium bowl. Place about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on each tortilla, then fold in half. Put quesadillas on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Cut in half or thirds. Serve with salsa and guacamole.

Summer Was Made for This

This salad is what summer tastes like for me: warm ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, cool cucumbers--yum! I got it out of a Weight Watchers cookbook and modified it a little.

Summer Tomato Salad

3 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
4 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. spicy or Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
2-4 tomatoes, diced
2-4 cucumbers, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/3 c. basil leaves, shredded

1. To prepare the dressing, in your serving bowl, whisk the vinegar, salt, mustard, and pepper together. Add the olive oil in a steady, slow stream while whisking constantly.

2. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, and basil to the dressing. Toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, tossing once, until the flavors are blended, at least one hour. (If you can wait that long, and mine usually needs to be on the table way before that. Plus I like it room temp.)

Notes:
I added the cucumber, so feel free to leave it out, but I find that when I have lots of ripe tomatoes that need eating, I also have lots of cucumbers that need eating. Also, I don't usually measure the basil. Put in what you think will taste good.