By the end of the week I had what seemed like a bushel of tomatoes on my counter. I didn't feel like making tomato sauce but some fresh salsa with home-baked tortillas sounded like the perfect Friday night treat!
The great thing about salsa is that pretty much anything goes. In this recipe, I used tomatoes, canned black beans and roasted corn as the main ingredients with cilantro, lime and a bit of chipotle sauce to finish it off.
The sweetness of the roasted corn really makes this salsa! I actually broiled it because we were out of propane. I shucked it and stuck it right under the heat until the kernels darkened (rotate it so it broils evenly).
Don't get too caught up in the quantities - just throw in whatever feels right or is on your counter!
Ingredients
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 small can of black beans
1/2 red onion, diced
1 medium jalepeno, diced
1 ear of corn, roasted or broiled
dash of cumin
couples dashed of chipotle hot sauce
dash of salt
What to do:
Cut niblets off ear of corn.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.
I must confess that I am much better at baking "flowers" than growing them. As I type, my husband is replanting our garden. It seems this year that mid-April on the westcoast was too early to plant veggies! April and most of May has been colder than usual and we even had frost. The frost destroyed all of our little veggies but this weekend, the weather seems to have turned the corner and we're replanting. I've also bought herbs to grow inside - mint (orange and chocolate), thyme, cilantro, 3 types of basil, and chives (regular and garlic) - so far I haven't killed thouse but there is still time :)
I recommend baking these cookies the day before you need them as they taste much better after resting for a day. The recipe is simple, and egg free (bonus for anyone with an allergy). The icing is simple too.
So remember...stop to smell the flowers...and eat a couple too!
Adapted from Marie Nightingale's Favorite Recipes
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Icing:
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1 tsp vanilla
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add almond extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour and salt.
- Add flour mixture to butter and sugar.
- Mix until combined and dough comes together.
- Using sall cookie scooper or tablespoon, form into balls.
- Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10 - 12 minutes and golden around the edges.
- Cool completely.
- Once cooled, sift the icing sugar and cocoa into medium bowl.
- Add the vanilla and water and stir.
- Frost each cookies with about 1/2 tsp of icing.
