Chips and Mind Readers

We all have those people in our lives close to us, whether friends or family, that think like we do, finish our sentences, or read our minds.  My sister Kandice knows me so well that when I say, "Put your worst arm backwards," during a game of Catch Phrase, that I mean, "Put your best foot forward."  My friend Laura is consistently finishing my thoughts and sentences and vice versa-well, we do work together all day.  And I'll find myself cooking a lot of similar things that my friend and pro blogger Christine is cooking on the same day, like pasta and fresh vegetables or homemade salsa.

My dad gave me a fairly decent of harvest from his organic tomato garden recently, and I had full intent of making a fresh spicy tomato salsa.  The same day, my friend Christine made this amazing strawberry salsa with some cinnamon sugar chips.  I've had those cinnamon sugar chips she makes too and they are yummy, especially with a mango citrus salsa!


Well my day got away with me that day (more like 4 loads of laundry and 'meet-the-soccer-coach')and I didn't get to that salsa, but I had those cinnamon chips in my head all the next day.  So much so, that I had to go home and make some.  And have chips.  And salsa.

So I made that tomato salsa with my own modifications of course, to go with the big bag of fresh tortilla chips we picked up this past weekend for Friday night family movies and tacos.

Homemade Cannibal Can-able Salsa

9-10 vine ripe tomatoes
4-6 jalapenos, seeds removed (watch the seeds and avoid eye contact!)
1/2 onion, roughly cut
1/2 bell pepper, roughly cut
1 green onion, roughly cut
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 cup cilantro
2 Tb vinegar
2 Tb sugar
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper



Boil 6-8 cups water and add tomatoes.  Boil tomatoes for about 5 minutes, until skin begins to break open.  Remove to plate to cool slightly.  Carefully peel tomatoes and remove woody stem area.

 

In food processor combine, garlic and onion and pulse to desired size.  Add to large pot.  Pulse remaining ingredients, excepts vinegar, sugar, seasonings and tomatoes.  Add to garlic and onion mixture.  Finally pulse tomatoes to desired size.  Add to pot with remaining ingredients.  Bring to boil, reduce to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until salsa has gone from a pinkish hue to a bright red.  Skim off any foam on top.  Cool slightly and serve.

 

May be canned in can bath, leaving 3/4 inch head space.

 

Makes about 3 cups salsa.  Servings vary.  Prep 10 min.  Cook 15 min.

 

These restaurant style chips from our local market went perfect with this salsa.  The salsa was a bit of spicy with a touch of sweetness from the vine ripe freshness of the tomatoes.  I brought this salsa in to work today and it received rave reviews.  Spicier was also requested (hence the 4-6 jalapenos).  I kept it dialed down for this version, as I was feeding some Finicky Sharks who do not like spicy food.  But they did enjoy this salsa.

 

For a quick cool down, enjoy some Slow Churned Light Horchata Ice Cream and make these sweet chips to go with it.

 

 

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut 6 flour tortillas into strips, triangles, squares, whatever your fancy.  Spray cooking sheet with coconut cooking spray.  Lay out tortilla pieces evenly on cookie sheet.  Spray those with more coconut cooking spray.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with 3 Tb sugar combined with 2 tsp cinnamon. 

 

 

Dip into your ice cream, eat alone (as my 2 year-old loves) or enjoy with some fresh fruit salsa like my friend.

 

Do you have a mind reading buddy?  And a favorite chip?

 

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