Homemade Salsa

If you are a regular reader (which is what...two posts a year?), then you know that in the past I have not been a green-thumb kind of girl. I grew up with a mother that I believe has 10 green fingers. Our house was filled with plants, we had a vegetable garden (that was my dad's project), and always had pretty flowers outside. I just didn't appreciate those things as a child...

Finally at 30-years-old, I tried my hand at the "plant thing". I figured if I have kept two kids alive this long...how hard can plants be??

I started with a flower garden a couple years ago and it actually did really well. I was very proud of that accomplishment. However...somewhere in August I stopped watering and weeding...so it took on more of a jungle-esque look. But some of them made it to the end of the season!

With how well the flower garden went, I fully intended on trying a vegetable garden the next summer.
That is, until this little cutie made his arrival in May.

Needless to say, a vegetable garden did not happen that year. I was just a tad busy.

Instead I continued to raid my friends' gardens and take whatever handouts I could get with no shame.

This year a garden crossed my mind...but in all honesty, since May of last year I feel like I've been playing catch up with life. So I knew a garden was beyond my capabilities.

One day a few weeks ago my mom was babysitting and she bought me a couple tomato plants, weeded my whole flower bed, and planted them for me. Have I ever mentioned how great my mom is?? So I now have two tomato plants! Woohoo!

Since my mom already did all the work of weeding the flower bed, I decided to plant some flowers. This year due to budget and time constraints, I planted flower seeds. 

This was about a week ago.

So far I have learned I'm not a very patient person...

 

In preparation of my potential future plethora of tomatoes, I thought I'd post a great recipe for homemade salsa. I don't claim that this is better than any other homemade recipe, but I made it last year and thought it was really flavorful. I found it at Kim's Healthy Eats.

However, I was politely informed it was not nearly hot enough. Thanks hubby.

 

I already had almost all the ingredients. Believe it or not, I had never bought a jalapeno pepper before. So that was a fun experience of trying to act like I knew what I was doing at the grocery store. The recipe calls for 2-3 and since I had no experience with them, I stuck to two. Which was not good enough for my fire-breathing husband. I'm pretty sure I could pour a bottle of Tabasco in and it still wouldn't be hot enough. (insert eye roll here)  
Some of us that also like to eat salsa also enjoy having taste buds left after eating it.
Next time he will just get his own special batch that will probably melt the container I store it in.

It's really quite simple.
Roughly chop up all of your ingredients.

I put all the veggies and cilantro in a bowl and then tossed them with the vinegar and lemon juice.

So pretty!

Toss it in your food processor (or blender).

Then pulse it until it's the consistency you like.

Donesies.
So simple and easy. And so yummy!
I don't know about you, but no salsa tastes better than fresh salsa.

I kept a large portion for us in a plastic container in the fridge. And then passed some on to friends in some jars.

I'm really looking forward to making more this summer with my own tomatoes.
Finger's crossed I can keep them alive!

Homemade Salsa

• 3-4 lbs tomato (I say any kind, the original recipe says red/yellow grape tomatoes)
• 1/2 small red onion, peeled
• 2 or 3 small jalapeño peppers (or 10 if you are my husband)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• large handful of cilantro
• 2 splashes of red wine vinegar (around 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 lemon or lime juiced

Roughly chop tomatoes, onion, and peppers.

Add all ingredients to food processor or blender.

Pulse until desired consistency.  

Enjoy!