Bob's Salsa

My husband loves tacos. And he was lucky to grow up eating them about once a week at home. His father makes the most delicious salsa, and I recently learned how simple it is to make. When I lived with girlfriends, we used to do a taco salad night at least once a week. We would cook lean ground turkey meat with taco seasoning, chop up some lettuce, add some black beans or lard free refried beans, and top with taco sauce or store bought salsa. I wish I would have had this recipe then!

The canned tomatoes in this recipe are sweet and the rest of the ingredients are fresh. You can easily double to triple if you are doing a taco night for a large group.

• 1 large can organic whole peeled tomatoes (I prefer Cento or San Marzano)
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 yellow onion
• 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic, finely diced
• 1 can diced green chilies (he uses the Ortega brand)
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Chop and combine all ingredients in a large bowl. I am sure it can be done with a food processor... but I have only ever seen Bob chop by hand so I suggest you do the same. It is that simple. Oh, and make sure to include the juice from the tomatoes.

Your taco night just got healthier.

Love,

Sam

Peggy's Salad Dressing

Stop buying salad dressing from a bottle. Stop it. You know you never use it all, and you have several bottles just waiting to go bad in your refrigerator door. Most of them are full of additives and preservatives - gasp! And its tacky on the dinner table. Make your guests or family something from scratch. It takes 2 minutes, its delicious, its better for you, and everyone will ask you what brand it is and admire you longingly when you tell them you made it yourself.

My dear friend Madeline taught me this recipe when we were in college. She learned it from her mother, Peggy. This is the original recipe, but I have made it with garlic instead of shallot, with walnut oil instead of olive oil, I sometimes add fresh lemon juice, and I have tried all different types in vinegar.

• 1 small shallot, finely chopped



• 2-3 TBS good olive oil



• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar



• 1 TBS Dijon mustard



• 2 tsp honey



• salt and pepper to taste

I usually start by chopping the shallot and mixing it with the salt, pepper, and mustard until it makes a thick paste. Then I incorporate the honey and vinegar. Last, I slowly pour in the olive oil while mixing all the ingredients together.

Drizzle it over mixed greens right before serving.

My Hiatus

OK, so its been many months since a new post. Let me explain:

First, it is not for lack of cooking. In the past months, I have perfected my chicken and rice soup with beautiful healthy greens blended into the base, gained a new level on comfort with many white fishes, and hosted many many dinner parties. I have developed a love affair with linen napkins and if it weren't for our 900 sq foot beach cottage limitations, I would probably have a more extensive collection.

So the truth is twofold 1) I got discouraged by other cutsie-fancyman-coloful-technical blogs. I don't know how to do those things, and I have come to terms with the fact that I honestly don't care to learn. I just don't. I just want to cook good food and write about it... not spend more of my time in front of my screen feeling lost and frustrated trying to compete with other more professional food blogs. 2) I started wondering why I was doing it? I'm not trying to make money, I am not trying to sell ad space, and many times its not my original recipe - I am simply sharing a recipe from someone else (yes, Ina Garten, it is usually you). I would post my updates on facebook and sometimes just felt a little too boastful about the whole thing.

I have talked to friends and my husband about this struggle and I needed a few months to just figure out my motivation. But I have come to the conclusion that I don't have a conclusion. I am over thinking the whole thing. I am not trying to brag, my original motivation actually came when my friend Ashley one evening asked me how I knew how to roast a chicken. She asked me to send her the recipe. So that night I posted my first blog. I love entertaining and I love cooking, and I thought this would be a wonderful way to share my ideas with others. It may very well be a recipe I got from someone else... or it may be my own adaptation... or it may be an original. Whichever it is, it is something I think is worth sharing.

I feel many women in my generation are not confident in the kitchen. I do not mean this as a judgement or to say that just because my comfort level is high that I am any better at cooking. But I started out following recipes EXACTLY and then slowly started learning it was OK to make little changes here and there and slowly my preference for kitchen flavors and themes evolved. It continues to evolve. I also feel like people eat out too often and too casually. Its important to eat right, and its important to check in with your family and friends over a wonderful meal. Its intimate to have someone in your home. And its an amazing gift to make them feel comfortable and taken care of. And since getting married and taking ownership of my kitchen, I have really developed a greater appreciation for men and women who have the ability to cook and entertain well.

Anyway, all that said to announce that I am back. I am ready to recommit to blogging. I will try not to post it too often on facebook. And I hope it inspires you to cook more.

Love,
Sam