Tasty Tuesday. . .er...Wednesday...whatever, it's tasty time.

If this tells you anything about how my week is going, I just now realized that "Tasty Tuesday" posting opportunities had past. Even though I am fully aware that today is Wednesday. And that Wednesday almost always comes after Tuesday. Really, I blame the 3 day weekend. And reduced sleep. And I had dinner with Dear Old Dad (it's what he calls himself) last night, so I blame Japan-time, even though we had dinner right here in the U.S. But now that I think about it, we DID have pancakes. That's probably why when my alarms went off (yes, alarmS) this morning I laid (lay, lie. . .lain...)...I stayed in bed, trying to figure out WHAT THE HECK WAS GOING ON??? Was it night? Was it a weekend? For some reason I thought it was about 8:30 p.m. and I needed to get up and get ready for bed.
So, that's my week. And I could have skipped "Tasty Tuesday" all together, but I figured that I didn't want to disappoint the hundreds of you...ok the ONE of you who might have read last week's first ever T.T. (heh heh) and been waiting patiently for the second installment.
This week, I am introducing you to the first recipe that I really "experimented" with. Some kids experiment with drugs, with hairstyles and colors, with. . .other choices. I experimented in the kitchen. Once, when my parents and brothers were out of town on a mission trip, I made dinner for my sisters and (very indulgent) grandparents. We had "pizzas" on canned biscuit crusts and I'm pretty sure there was sliced cheese involved. And a chocolate cake with blue lemon-flavored frosting for dessert.
Did I say this was the first recipe I experimented with? What I mean was this was the first recipe that I consistently thought about, tried out (on many, many people)and tweaked until I was completely satisfied with it. I've grown so comfortable with it that now I enjoy coming up with variations. (It's SALSA by the way...yummy saucy salsa!) Last summer I was at the farmer's market, corner produce stand, and local orchard every time I had the chance. I won't go into all that (because this has lasted long enough already), but let's just say that every sunday our community group classroom smelled like the heaven that is onions and garlic and jalapenos, because I would bring it by the bucket for people to take home and try out. And I LOVED it!
Also, you might want to buy some gum, this stuff is BOLD. and p.s. I LOVE CILANTRO.
This makes a HUGE batch.


Cilantro Addiction Salsa

2 large cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2-3 large cans diced tomatoes.
1-1.5 cups of vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 T salt

Dump these in a bowl, stir around, let them sit while you do the other stuff. Also, if you like smoother salsa, exchange the diced tomatoes for more crushed. This is the winter version, in summer, use fresh tomatoes that have been seeded.

4-6 jalapeno peppers, fresh
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 large white onion, or 2 medium/small
1 large bunch of cilantro, washed and dried on paper towels

Onion-chop roughly. Throw into a food processor/chopper. Pulse until fine. There will be some chunkier pieces, this is ok. Pour in with tomatoes, stir.
Garlic-peel, and place whole or after a chop or two, put in food chopper. Cut the stems of jalapenos, cut open and scrape out seeds (leave them if you like heat). Chop into a couple of pieces, put in food chopper. Pulse the garlic and jalapenos until it forms a frothy green liquid. Keep some kleenex nearby as this will probably jalapeno-ize your house. Add that mixture to the tomatoes. Cilantro-pull off any brown or soggy/over wilted leaves. Chop roughly and place in food chopper. I use stems and all, I don't know if that's proper or not but who gives a rip. Pulse until very finely chopped. Add to the tomato mixture. Stir very well to mix all ingredients. Taste, add more salt if necessary. More lime juice if needed. Whatever else, if needed.
This batch makes plenty to share and freeze. I don't usually can (ok I don't EVER) b/c I don't like the way the heat makes this mushier. But you can certainly try if you'd like. It should keep in the fridge for a week or so. If it tastes like moonshine, throw it out.
Enjoy!