Salsa Revisited

Well I just tried the salsa recipe again. I'm getting closer. The flavor is much better - not so tomatoey - but it still seems to be missing something. Here's what I tried this time.

In a slow cooker, I put:
10 plum/Roma tomatoes
8 cloves garlic (inserted into slits cut into 8 of the tomatoes)
1 medium white onion
4 jalapenos
2 serranos

That cooked on high for about 3 hours. I let it cool for about 45 minutes. Then I added a lot of salt and at least 1/2 cup of cilantro (I didn't measure it out this time). I blended that with my immersion blender. Unforunately, I overdid it a bit and it's a little soupy now. But I think it will thicken up a bit as it cools. I finished it off with the juice from 1 lime and a little more salt. This tastes mild at first....but the heat hits you after the fact. So if you don't like hot salsa, I'd cut back on the peppers. Or take out the seeds, which I didn't do.

I also thought about cutting back on the number of tomatoes but I like the volume of salsa that it makes (about 4-5 cups) so I decided to stick with 10 tomatoes this time.

It was much better though than the first time. Still missing a flavor....I just don't know what. So if anyone else tries it out and comes up with a good combination, let me know. I'll keep working on it.

California Dreaming

I just got back from my wonderful vacation in California. 10 days is a long time to travel with an 18 month old but we all had a good time - aside from filthy motel rooms, a stolen credit card, a lost iPod and various lost sippy cups/toys. But my best friends got married and I think I made a new friend, Kelly. There were other good things that happened....but that's for another posting.

We spent a couple of days at Sequoia National Park. It was a nice time to be there - very few visitors. We didn't get to see everything because many of the roads were closed due to the snow. But it was beautiful up there and amazing to see the sequoia trees.

After that, we headed to LA for the wedding. It was so nice to spend time with my friend before her wedding. And I got to know her friend, Kelly, which was really fun. I was surprised at how many of our friends from Colorado went out to the wedding.

I know I have more to share our the vacation....but I'm too tired right at the moment. (On a completely unrelated topic.....I am trying the salsa recipe again this week with some variations so I'll let you know how it turns out.)

Reflections

My best friend is getting married next week (!!!) and is going to French Polynesia for her honeymoon. That's where I went on my honeymoon 6 years ago and right now it's all I can think about. I would HIGHLY recommend the islands for any vacation.

In order to prepare you, D, for what you're going to experience, here are my recollections of arriving in Papeete, Tahiti.

1. The international airport: This is the first time that I'd ever climbed down from that large an airplane. There is no jetway. The airport itself basically has no exterior walls. You walk through customs (little desks separated from each other by bamboo "walls") and then to the baggage claim. Again, no walls - just open air. (The domestic side of the Papeete airport is a whole other story....dirt floor, chickens running around....nothing like any airport I'd been in before.)

2. It was HUMID! We arrived around 7pm local time (after getting up about 4:30am MST and 7pm in Tahiti was 11pm for us) and it was still hot and humid.

3. The smell. Once we left the baggage claim and went outside to find transportation, the sweet smell of the tiare flower was everywhere. I can still remember the scent and I wish we had something like it here. Yes the tiare flower is related to the magnolia but for my money the smell just can't compare.

I'll stop there for now. I could go on for pages about how wonderful Tahiti was. The picture to the left is from Moorea - looking back at the island from our overwater bungalow at the hotel.

Good Intentions

When I wrote my first blog, I got all excited about it and had lots of ideas about what I could write. But write two postings in one day? I didn't want to seem pathetic. (Why I thought that was pathetic, I have no idea.) So as time went on and I didn't write anything, I couldn't think of anything to write.

Now that I've written my second blog posting, I am excited about this again and have lots of ideas. So I'm over the whole "pathetic" thing and I'm posting again today. Here's what I intend to write about on this blog (this is mostly so I won't forget and decide that I have nothing to say).

• My family - probably mostly my 17-month old daughter
• My life (past, present & future) and random thoughts
• Recipe reviews and possibly cookbook reviews
• Mysteries

So there you have it.

(By the way, I know the photo has nothing to do with this posting.....I just wanted to put it in.)

People love to say salsa

So one of the things that I thought I would do in my blog is to review recipes. I will be honest and admit that it wasn't my idea. But I after having two people (the only 2 people to read my blog: Hi Denise and Kelly!) ask me to do this, I think it's a good idea.

I LOVE to cook. Cook, roast, bake, braise (ok, maybe not braise since I've never done it but I had to think of another cooking verb), you name it. Since I like to do a variety of things in the kitchen, the reviews will be of anything and everything.

I hope that you will recognize the title of the posting...it is from Seinfeld. And while I am a big Seinfeld fan, I need to state now that Seinfeld is NOT the reason that my daughter is named Elaine.

But I digress. My first recipe review is "Slow Cooked Salsa." I LOVE Mexican food and I always think it would be so much cheaper to make my own salsa. But I never got around to trying it. I recently came across a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and today I tried it.

First of all, it was extremely easy to make. No chopping involved. That's definitely my favorite thing about this recipe.

If you like a thick salsa, you won't like this. This is a thin, restaurant-style salsa. I happen to like that...but not everyone does.

I have two issues with this recipe. I guess my first one is really more an issue with my appliances than an issue with the recipe. My food processor is old and the seals just aren't there. So I knew I couldn't put the salsa ingredients in without having salsa all over my kitchen counter and floor and cabinets. I tried my best blender (I have 2) but it just couldn't tackle the whole tomatoes. So I grabbed my immersion blender which actually worked very well.

My other issue is with the flavor. Although I actually put in more garlic and onion than the recipe called for, the tomato flavor is overwhelming. It needs the bite of onion, garlic and jalapeno to balance it out. I think more of those ingredients next time will help quite a bit. I also found it needed a lot of salt. Of course my husband thinks that I could live on a salt lick (which he threatens to buy for me)...but really it was too bland for anyone.

As I said I will definitely make this again and keep trying to get the blend of flavors that I like. Here's the recipe as it appears in the magazine. I will note the small changes that I made. Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Salsa

10 plum tomatoes

2 garlic cloves (I used 4)

1 small onion, cut into wedges (I used a large onion)

2 jalapeno peppers

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 tsp. salt, optional (I used a couple of teaspoons at least and it still really wasn't enough)

Cut a small slit in two tomatoes (or in my case 4); insert a garlic close into each slit. Place tomatoes and onion in a slow cooker. Cut stems off jalapenos; remove seeds for a milder salsa. Place in a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or till vegetables are softened; cool. (I didn't let it cool first. Oops!)

In a blender or food processor (or with an immersion blender), combine tomato mixture, cilantro and salt. Cover and process till smooth. Refrigerate the leftovers.

The notation in the magazine says that you can cook this on low too. Assume that 1 hour on high is equal to 2 - 2 1/2 hours on low.

My first blog

At the urging of my dear friend, Denise, I am entering the 21st Century and creating my own blog. I have to admit I've never read a blog (until I read hers today) and I truly have nothing of interest to write. Which is why this is the "life of a Plain Jane." In fact, I used to be called Plain Jane at a sandwich shop in Denver.

Many years ago, I worked in downtown Denver and frequently visited a bagel sandwich shop. I never wanted anything on my bagel but turkey and cheese. Just plain. They all eventually knew my order and always greeted me as "Plain Jane."

That's pretty much how I view my life. I like my life but it's definitely not exciting. Just the life of a normal person - nothing glamorous. Just plain.

And this posting will be plain too....I don't have any pictures on this computer. Maybe my next one will have something...we'll see!