Quick Homemade Salsa

This was my first attempt at growing tomato plants, upside down, in galvanized buckets. I'll make some minor adjustments this year. We aren't allowed to have a garden in the front yard and the backyard is completely shaded. What do you do? Grow them in pretty buckets in the front yard! By the way, see that beautiful stick? My Caleb made that just for me to support my very heavy tomato plants!


I made this recipe just this morning while the kids were working on math. It's quick and easy and the flavors are absolutely fabulous. Everyone here likes it because it's somewhat smooth. No chunks to chew. Besides slurping salsa on a tortilla chip is fun. We only slurp in the privacy of our own home. Mostly.

Now there's a reason why there aren't fresh tomatoes in this recipe. First, this recipe starts with the word quick, and second, fresh tomatoes in this part of the world at this time of year are, well, horrible. Honestly, I don't know how grocers get away with selling them as tomatoes. If you happen to live in a place where a tomato looks like a tomato, smells like a tomato, and tastes like a tomato, good for you. Use all fresh ingredients and change the name of this recipe to Homemade Salsa or Fresh Homemade Salsa or I'm so Lucky I Live in Place that has Fresh Tomatoes Year Round Salsa. Or something like that.

Last time I made this, my Rachel dug in and absolutely loved it. We enjoy slurping together! After we had eaten the salsa together a couple of different times, I was caught off guard when she read the recipe and said, "This has tomatoes in it?" I kid you not. "What do you think that red stuff is, Honey?" I just love that girl!

Quick Homemade Salsa

What you will need:

1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can Ro-tel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon Old El Paso Jalapeno slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 lime, juiced

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until almost smooth. If you like your salsa a little chunkier, don't process it as long. Makes about 5 cups.

Enjoy!

Braking News!

We just had lunch together and this was part of a conversation going on as we talked about Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

Specifically, Rachel was talking about Pip...how his parents were dead, how he went to live with his sister and her husband, two people who were very poor, and that he only owned one set of clothes (tragic!). That is, until he went to live with Miss Havisham.

And so we pick-up the conversation here...

Rachel

"So when Pip went to live with the old lady, he thought he was all Hooty-tooty."

Me, laughing hysterically

"Hooty-tooty?! Did you just say Hooty-tooty?! Do you mean Hoity-toity?! It's Hoity-toity!"

I don't know, maybe you just had to be there. We all just laughed and laughed. I even told her this was a newsworthy "blog" moment. "Great, just great!" she said.

Now about a minute later Caleb screams, "Chicken!" which you need to understand takes on a whole new meaning at our house. Now we're all laughing hysterically.

Some time ago, I had meat from the freezer thawing on the counter top. Rachel went up and took a look at it and, filled with excitement, let out a little scream, "Chicken!" That wouldn't have been a big deal except the thawing meat was actually pork chops, which everyone knows looks nothing like chicken.

And so at our house we call these little slips Rachel's Euphemisms. They are so adorable and wonderful and memorable. Thank you, Sweetie, for bringing us so much joy and allowing us to laugh together.

And listen, yes, I know how to spell Breaking news. But I didn't want it to say Breaking news. I am not, after all, CNN or Fox News. I wanted it to say braking news on purpose! So there.