Garden Salsa

When I stopped by my parents house one day, they loaded me up with some gorgeous fruits and vegetables from their garden. In particular, tomatoes, peppers and onions.

My mom made a fresh batch of salsa while I was there and it was so good that I had to make some when I got home.

I kept it very simple and only added a few ingredients plus a pinch of salt.

I chopped up 1/2 an onion and one green chili pepper and one banana pepper

I pulsed in one regular juicy tomato, two roma tomatoes and a pretty yellow heirloom.
I added a pinch of salt and that was it. It was so delicious and fresh. You can also add jalapeno chiles, fresh garlic, cilantro, lime juice, pepper, etc.

If you like a more chunky salsa, use a food chopper. Homemade salsa is the best and if you can get fresh fruits and veggies from your garden or a neighbor or the farmer's market, that's the way to go.

Quick Snack from Left Overs

I had a dinner party the other night and I made some yummy pesto pasta and served it with a loaf of ciabatta bread. Today I was craving something, but I wasn't sure what. I think I was just hungry. As I peered into the fridge, I spotted the ciabatta bread and a block of Parmesan. So...

I cut the ciabatta into thin slices, drizzled them with olive oil and stuck them under the broiler to get them slightly crispy. When they came out, I rubbed them with a fresh garlic clove, topped them with grated Parmesan and cracked pepper; then put them back under the broiler to melt the cheese.

They looked and smelled yummy, but they needed some color and flavor. So I topped them with some left over slices of cherry tomatoes and fresh cut basil from my basil plant (used in the pesto sauce).

They were very good - crispy, buttery, cheesy with a hint of flavor and spice from the pepper and basil and a cool bite from the tomatoes. Yum.