Fish is the only food that is considered spoiled
once it smells like what it is.
-P. J. O'Rourke
January 31, 2012
January 13, 2012
Two Tex Mex recipes!
When I'm in the mood for Tex Mex flavor, I want it fresh and I want it now! Once you make read over these 2 recipes, make them and taste for yourself- you'll never go back to the stuff from a jar again!
This is so fresh and tasty you'll want to put it on nearly everything from your tacos, to grilled chicken, fish and even your eggs!
First and foremost wash all produce in warm soapy water or use a product such as veggie wash to get waxes and unseen ickies that can cause you or your family members to get sick. Remember- germs and bacteria are everywhere!
Use either Beef Steak or Hot House tomatoes for these recipes. Remove the seeds. I use these kind because of the juice and flavor factor. I use Roma Tomatoes in all things Italian.
And please oh please practice Pepper Safety! Be caredul handeling fresh peppers because chili peppers have oils in thier skin that can cause you some major discomfort if it comes into contact with your nose eyes or mouth! So please always wear some sort of rubber or plastic gloves when handling them! Also wash all items that come into contact with said chili peppers in HOT soapy water to remove all trace of the oils! And always wash your hands after taking off those gloves, it never hurts to be safe!
Please check out Miss Vicki.com for a guide to peppers with pictures!
Pico De Gallo
This is how I make mine...
3 large Hot House tomatoes diced
3 Fresno Peppers (seeded and diced)
1 medium Red Onion
Fresh Cilantro to taste (I like a lot of cilantro so I used a lot)
Lime juice- about half a lime depending upon how big your lime is
¼ to a ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Mix together, let sit for an hour or more to get the onions to lose thier bite and the tomatoes to absorb the other flavors.
Now this can be as spicy as you want it. The peppers I used are at the medium (a #5) spice level. You can use Jalapenos if you like yours with more heat, or like it nuclear hot? Use a hotter chili pepper such as a Habanero-OUCH! That hurts my tongue and my tummy just reading it!
Salsa- Sandie Style
Again, I can't stress this enough...Use the freshest ingredients available to you!
4 Large Hot House Tomatoes
1 medium to large onion (I like to use red onions because of their sweeter flavor)
1 small to medium Bell Pepper (I use any color but green because the green ones taste like grass to me- silly but true)
1 clove minced garlic (now here is where I use my roasted garlic because it doesn't have that harsh raw garlic taste and here's an extra bit of trivia roasted garlic doesn't produce gas in your body like raw garlic does).
3 chili peppers- your choice depending upon how hot you like it! Use Miss Vickies Pepper Guide to help you make your choice. Me, I used those Fresno chilis and it came out just fine!
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lime
Cilantro- I used half a bunch- it was yummy!
You can also expand this by adding other goodies such as:
frozen corn (about a cup)
1 can of Black Beans (thoroughly rinsed)
Pineapple, Mango, Raspberries , Grapes, etc.
Just think about all of the different kinds of salsa out there on the grocery store and gourmet food store shelves and remember that you can make it at home without all of the preservatives, additives and you know it's fresh and good for you!
This is so fresh and tasty you'll want to put it on nearly everything from your tacos, to grilled chicken, fish and even your eggs!
First and foremost wash all produce in warm soapy water or use a product such as veggie wash to get waxes and unseen ickies that can cause you or your family members to get sick. Remember- germs and bacteria are everywhere!
Use either Beef Steak or Hot House tomatoes for these recipes. Remove the seeds. I use these kind because of the juice and flavor factor. I use Roma Tomatoes in all things Italian.
And please oh please practice Pepper Safety! Be caredul handeling fresh peppers because chili peppers have oils in thier skin that can cause you some major discomfort if it comes into contact with your nose eyes or mouth! So please always wear some sort of rubber or plastic gloves when handling them! Also wash all items that come into contact with said chili peppers in HOT soapy water to remove all trace of the oils! And always wash your hands after taking off those gloves, it never hurts to be safe!
Please check out Miss Vicki.com for a guide to peppers with pictures!
Pico De Gallo
This is how I make mine...
3 large Hot House tomatoes diced
3 Fresno Peppers (seeded and diced)
1 medium Red Onion
Fresh Cilantro to taste (I like a lot of cilantro so I used a lot)
Lime juice- about half a lime depending upon how big your lime is
¼ to a ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Mix together, let sit for an hour or more to get the onions to lose thier bite and the tomatoes to absorb the other flavors.
Now this can be as spicy as you want it. The peppers I used are at the medium (a #5) spice level. You can use Jalapenos if you like yours with more heat, or like it nuclear hot? Use a hotter chili pepper such as a Habanero-OUCH! That hurts my tongue and my tummy just reading it!
Salsa- Sandie Style
Again, I can't stress this enough...Use the freshest ingredients available to you!
4 Large Hot House Tomatoes
1 medium to large onion (I like to use red onions because of their sweeter flavor)
1 small to medium Bell Pepper (I use any color but green because the green ones taste like grass to me- silly but true)
1 clove minced garlic (now here is where I use my roasted garlic because it doesn't have that harsh raw garlic taste and here's an extra bit of trivia roasted garlic doesn't produce gas in your body like raw garlic does).
3 chili peppers- your choice depending upon how hot you like it! Use Miss Vickies Pepper Guide to help you make your choice. Me, I used those Fresno chilis and it came out just fine!
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Juice of 1 Lime
Cilantro- I used half a bunch- it was yummy!
You can also expand this by adding other goodies such as:
frozen corn (about a cup)
1 can of Black Beans (thoroughly rinsed)
Pineapple, Mango, Raspberries , Grapes, etc.
Just think about all of the different kinds of salsa out there on the grocery store and gourmet food store shelves and remember that you can make it at home without all of the preservatives, additives and you know it's fresh and good for you!
What country did that garlic come from?
I'm always on the look out to make the food I serve my family and friends from freshest ingredients I can find. Lately I have to say that I am quite disturbed by what I have found in my local grocery store. The more I learn about how much of our nations food is outsourced to foreign countries astounds me.
While living in England I accepted that the fruits and vegetables available in the local grocery stores were imported on a more Global scale than I had ever experiences before. BUT and this is a huge but- in England it was clearly labeled where your food came from, almost to the point of having large heavy print showing you that your produce came from places such as Germany, South Africa, Egypt or Belize. While living in England I got to witness first hand the heavily advertised nation wide campaign to buy British meats and produce. The first thing I thought to myself was "Wow, America should do this with thier meat, fish and produce". I tell ya, I followed this campaigns advice and only bought Grown in the UK food stuffs and I bought from local butchers and farmers markets whenever I could. Now you're wondering..."Where exactly are you doing with this Sandie?" Okay I'll tell ya...
Yesterday I'm in my local grocery store and I'm picking up fresh fruit and veggies for the salsa and chicken pie that I was going to make (made them both and they were sooo good- recipes to come later). Once I got started looking at labels and country of origin I found that I could not stop. I had heard on the news that all canned mushrooms are now imported from Thailand- I checked that out for myself and OH MY GOSH it's true! Not that I could or would use canned mushrooms in any recipe of mine BUT I don't want to eat stuff that's grown someplace where there are little to no regulation on the kinds of chemicals and pesticides that are used in growing produce. I picked up a package of fresh Garlic- looked at the label and there it was in black and white "product in China". Garlic from China? Whatever happened to Garlic that's grown in Gilroy California? I have bought Gilroy grown Garlic for my entire life! I have also bought Washington State Apples, Maine or Idaho Potatoes and California Almonds. I want to know WHO is going to buy and cook with that garlic from China when there are so many recalls of every day items from China that are potentially hazardous? I also heard on the news that now all Limes are imported? Really? We can't grow Limes in this country? I don't believe it! Same goes for avocados, oranges, grapes, lemons. lettuce, tomatoes and so much more!
Take a stand and say NO to food imported from China. We've done it with our clothes and goods for our homes why not with your/our food?
While living in England I accepted that the fruits and vegetables available in the local grocery stores were imported on a more Global scale than I had ever experiences before. BUT and this is a huge but- in England it was clearly labeled where your food came from, almost to the point of having large heavy print showing you that your produce came from places such as Germany, South Africa, Egypt or Belize. While living in England I got to witness first hand the heavily advertised nation wide campaign to buy British meats and produce. The first thing I thought to myself was "Wow, America should do this with thier meat, fish and produce". I tell ya, I followed this campaigns advice and only bought Grown in the UK food stuffs and I bought from local butchers and farmers markets whenever I could. Now you're wondering..."Where exactly are you doing with this Sandie?" Okay I'll tell ya...
Yesterday I'm in my local grocery store and I'm picking up fresh fruit and veggies for the salsa and chicken pie that I was going to make (made them both and they were sooo good- recipes to come later). Once I got started looking at labels and country of origin I found that I could not stop. I had heard on the news that all canned mushrooms are now imported from Thailand- I checked that out for myself and OH MY GOSH it's true! Not that I could or would use canned mushrooms in any recipe of mine BUT I don't want to eat stuff that's grown someplace where there are little to no regulation on the kinds of chemicals and pesticides that are used in growing produce. I picked up a package of fresh Garlic- looked at the label and there it was in black and white "product in China". Garlic from China? Whatever happened to Garlic that's grown in Gilroy California? I have bought Gilroy grown Garlic for my entire life! I have also bought Washington State Apples, Maine or Idaho Potatoes and California Almonds. I want to know WHO is going to buy and cook with that garlic from China when there are so many recalls of every day items from China that are potentially hazardous? I also heard on the news that now all Limes are imported? Really? We can't grow Limes in this country? I don't believe it! Same goes for avocados, oranges, grapes, lemons. lettuce, tomatoes and so much more!
Take a stand and say NO to food imported from China. We've done it with our clothes and goods for our homes why not with your/our food?
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