Super-easy Sunday: Salsa!

In honor of the most recent Cinco de Mayo and thanks to the fact that I'm feeling decidedly lazy today, I give you my super-easy recipe for salsa.  This recipe tastes just as delicious as homemade fresh salsa, but doesn't take nearly as much effort.  To top it off, it's so tasty no one will ever guess how easy it is.

What You'll Need

Supplies

1 large bowl                                                                   Knife for chopping

Can opener                                                                     Measuring spoons

Cutting board                                                                 Mixing spoon

Ingredients

1 24 oz jar of salsa                                                        Cilantro

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes                                    1 tsp minced garlic

1 10 oz can Rotel                                                           Tortilla chips

Now Let's Make Salsa!

Careful, it splatters.

Open your jar of salsa and pour it into the large bowl.  Use your spoon to scrape the sides of the jar, making sure to get all that tomatoey goodness.  I usually use mild Pace salsa (because I'm a total baby when it comes to spiciness), but any salsa should do. So, use your favorite!

Open the can of diced tomatoes and the can of Rotel.  Do NOT drain the liquid from either. Add both cans, liquid and all, to the bowl of salsa.  Again, I like to use mild Rotel, and an off-brand could work just as well.  Stir everything together until you've got a fairly even blend.

Take your cutting board and knife, begin chopping your fresh cilantro. You don't want to do too much, as it can overpower the rest of the flavors in the salsa. I usually chop until I've got a handful.  To chop the cilantro, gather the leaves in as tight a bunch as you can. Hold the leaves together with one hand and, starting at the leafy end, chop the cilantro until you've gotten enough. I usually cut cilantro fresh from my herb garden, but if you're using store bought, make sure to wash it thoroughly first as it tends to be gritty. Add the chopped cilantro to the salsa bowl.  Measure 1 tsp of minced garlic and add it to the salsa. Mix thoroughly until you've achieved an even blend.

Chill in the refrigerator until cold enough to serve. I like my salsa cold, but you might not so follow your preferences.  Serve with tortilla chips and impress your friends!

Yeah, that's right. Nom!

   

Attack of the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

Mmmmmm, tasty spaghetti monster. Spaghetti, or more particularly, spaghetti sauce is a long standing favorite in my family.  Believe it or not, there was a time when I refused to eat it (thankfully I grew out of picky eating and here I am today).  My mother makes some of the tastiest sauce you can find, and naturally she taught me. The real trick to great spaghetti sauce is getting your balance of herbs right; something Mom is really good at, having worked in the nursery (that's plants obviously, cause you can't cook small children) business ever since I can remember. Don't have great herb-sense? Don't worry I kindly reduced my usual haphazard slinging of stuff into the pot into measured amounts below (you're welcome *smiles sweetly*).

What You'll Need

Supplies

Cutting board                                                                   Large stock pot

Knife for chopping                                                            Long-handled mixing spoon

Small knife or kitchen scissors                                        Can opener

Ingredients

1 large white onion                                                           Marjoram 

1 lb lean hamburger meat                                                Oregano

1 pkg hot italian sausage                                                 Rosemary

3 large (29 oz) cans tomato sauce                                       Thyme

2 large (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes                                     Basil

1 (12 oz) can tomato paste                                                   Bay leaves

Olive oil or butter                                                               Salt and pepper

Now Let's Make Spaghetti Sauce!

To begin, you need to peel and dice your onion. Cut the non-root end off your onion. Peel back the outer layers of skin and discard. Moving around the onion, slice through the onion in straight, evenly spaced lines, stopping just short of the root. (Incidentally, I'm pretty sure this is how Bloomin' Onions are born).  Now, with the end that you cut off facing your knife, begin chopping your way through the onion, moving towards the root. And, voila! Diced onion.

Fun fact: I cry so hard when I cut
onions that I'm a danger to myself
and others.

In your large stock pot, add a small amount of olive oil or butter. Turn the stove eye to medium heat, and warm the oil. Once the oil has warmed (not sizzling, you don't want to burn it), add the diced onions. Saute the onions over medium heat, using the long-handled spoon to move them about occasionally.  Be careful not to let the onions burn; if they start browning in spots, you're not moving them around enough. Saute until the onions are translucent and tender.

Now it's time to add the meats. This is when I find it's easier to press a kitchen assistant into service, since they can stir the cooking hamburger meat while you deal with the sausage. However, if you do not have an assistant handy, simply remove the pot from the stove eye for this part. Open your hamburger meat and add it to the stock pot, using your spoon to break it up a bit. Use the leanest ground beef you can find (ground turkey works, too, if you swing that way), since excess grease will affect the consistency of your sauce.  Next, remove the casing from your hot italian sausage. Using your hands, break of smallish pieces from the sausage and add them to the pot. Continue until all the sausage is used. (Can't find hot italian sausage? Add 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes to compensate). Saute until the meat is no longer pink, stirring as needed.

I could live off tomato products.

Once your meat is ready, you can begin adding the tomato products (flex your wrists; this is a lot of can-opening). Open all your cans. Add all three cans of tomato sauce to the stock pot.  Drain the juice from your diced tomatoes, then add both cans to the stock pot. Lastly, add your entire can of tomato paste, scraping the sides of the can to access all the gooey, tomatoey deliciousness (Also, try not to burn tonight's dinner while editing your blog post!).  Stir the tomato products into the meat and onions well, making sure to get a fairly even mix.  Turn the heat up to just under high (about 8 or 9).  You want to bring the sauce to a light boil before moving on to the next step.  Stir regularly, making sure to lift sauce up from the bottom to avoid scorching.  Once the sauce has started to bubble plenty, reduce the heat to a medium-low setting (about 3). This should be enough to maintain a slow simmer.

Not pictured: bay leaves.
Cause I'm lame

Now it's time to add the herbs!  So, remember when I said I'd give you measure amounts? What I meant to say was somewhat measured amounts (yes, yes, I'm mean).  Turn your hand palm face up and cup it. This is now your measuring utensil! To give you a little perspective before we do this, the spoon handle in the picture is about 1" wide (click to enlarge!). To the stock pot, add one handful Marjoram and one handful Oregano.  Add half a handful of Rosemary and half a handful of Basil.  Add about half as much Thyme as you did Rosemary. Toss in two or three bay leaves. Deep breath, you're done. (Please note that these amounts pertain to dried herbs. If you're using fresh, you'll need a whole lot more.  Drying herbs increases their potency).

Nom vigorously! Napkins advised.

Stir the herbs into the sauce, making sure to mix them in thoroughly.  Allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the noodles. Check the box of noodles for the proper water to noodle ratio. Bring the water to boil. Add noodles. Cook until tender. Drain immediately. Serve covered in Spaghetti Sauce and preferably topped with parmesan cheese. Spaghetti sauce keeps for about 2-3 months in the freezer before taste is effected.

Also, super big thanks to all my readers. My views doubled in the month of March compared to February. *Happy dance*

   

Stew on This!

Today's post is on one of my family's favorites: Brunswick Stew. This stew is largely southern in its roots, but beyond that there's a bit of a debate about its origins. There's no really set way to go about making Brunswick Stew; it's basic ingredients consist of tomatoes, lima beans, corn, and okra, but meat and other ingredients vary (seriously, the original recipe called for squirrel). So anyway, this is my family's recipe, and its probably a good bit different than another recipe; that's just the nature of this beast. This recipe goes at least 4 generations back, though I'm sure it's evolved along the way as it passed from cook to cook. Oh, and traditionally this thing is cooked most, if not all, of the day; that's why it's a stew.  So, plan accordingly and start no later than noon.

What You'll Need

Supplies

1 big stock pot or iron kettle                                   Knife for chopping and dicing

1 long cooking spoon                                               Measuring cups (liquid and dry)

Cutting board                                                          Measuring spoons

Ingredients

64 oz broth                                                              2 sticks butter

52 oz diced tomatoes                                               40 oz chicken, shredded (2 1/2 lbs)

4 onions, diced                                                         1 cup apple cider vinegar

32 oz frozen lima beans                                           1 cup sugar

32 oz frozen corn                                                     1/2 cup ketchup

24 oz potatoes, chopped                                           2 Tbsp mustard

10 stalks celery, finely minced                                6 cloves of garlic, minced

16 oz frozen okra                                                     Salt and pepper, to taste

Now Let's Make Brunswick Stew!

Before we begin, I have a few notes on ingredients, since, as I've said, the ingredients in Brunswick Stew are by no means set.  For the meat, you want to make sure to use something that can be shredded.  You can achieve that by boiling a chicken (hey presto, you've got your broth, too!), or by using leftover smoked chicken, like I did.  Or, you can do a combination of meats; sometimes I add in pulled pork barbecue.  It's up to you and your taste. Also, if you have the veggies for this recipe hanging around fresh, that's awesome! (I don't, and I'm cheap, and I'm lazy).

Finely minced, as it should be

To start, we need to do some prep work.  You may notice that some of those ingredients have additional descriptions attached, and it's time to make those happen.

• If you haven't already shredded your chicken, do so now.  If it's easy to do, just pull it apart with your hands, being mindful to weed out any bones (especially those long prickly dangerous ones).  If you can't use your hands, or are using cooked chicken breast, pull a fork along the meat to begin the shredding process.  Set the meat aside. 
• Chop and dice your 4 onions, wipe your eyes and set them aside. 
• Chop up your potatoes into small, bite-size chunks.  Don't bother peeling them, but do wash them ahead of time. Set the potatoes aside.  
• Now, take your 10 stalks of celery and dice them up. Now mince, mince I say,  until it's very fine. (I hate celery but know it adds necessary flavor; mincing it fine makes it less noticeable). Set the celery aside.  
• If you need to, mince the garlic and set it aside, too. (I always use the jarred, pre-minced stuff).

Take a deep breath, the prep work is done.  Put your big stock pot on the stove, and add the broth to it (veggie or chicken broth, I'm not picky).  Set the heat to medium-high, which is about a 7 on my stove.  Add your cans of diced tomatoes, juice included.  Then add the add your veggies: onions, limas, corn, potatoes, celery, and okra.  Give it a stir, stirring from bottom to top, scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking.  Cut the 2 sticks of butter into chunks, dropping them into the stew as you go. (stop cringing at the amount of butter and look at all those veggies!).

I forgot a picture when the meat
went in, so you get potatoes.

Once this mixture has heated through, add your meat and stir it in thoroughly.  Let the stew cook for a while.  Stir it regularly during this interval, making sure to stir from the bottom to prevent sticking.  When the veggies are soft enough, begin mashing them up whenever you stir until you've got a thick mush.  It's okay if some of the veggies are still in good shape; you just want a large portion to be mashed up.

After the stew has reached the aforementioned mashed state, add the vinegar and sugar, and stir them in thoroughly. Then add the ketchup and mustard (yes, that's right ketchup and mustard. Shut up! It's tasty). Stir these in well.  Lastly, add the minced garlic and salt and pepper, to taste, and stir them in well.  Reduce the heat to a low setting so that the stew will simmer. Continue to cook for at least an hour before serving, but keep in mind that the longer it cooks, the better the flavor will be.

Brunswick Stew with Irish Soda Bread

Serve with a thick slice of bread. I recommend Irish Soda Bread without the raisins, as it's thick heartiness suits Brunswick stew particularly well.  If you have any leftover stew (and you will, unless you're feeding a horde), you can store some for leftovers and freeze the rest.  This stew freezes really well, and it's great to be able to pull some out during the winter.