Salsa Verde

This is a recipe I got from my parents' neighbor. Her husband is from Mexico and is a professional chef, so he definitely knows what he is doing when it comes to this stuff! I use it both as a dip for chips, and also as enchilada sauce, or to smother burritos with. This makes a lot, but can be easily halved. It also freezes great, so I would recommend making the full batch and freezing half for the next time you want it. Enjoy!

Salsa Verde (Green Enchilada Sauce)

2 lbs. tomatillos, husks removed
2 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos, halved and seeded
1 medium onion, quartered
3 chicken bullion cubes
3 cups water
1 Tb. sugar (optional)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
salt and pepper to taste

1. Rinse tomatillos to remove the stickiness. Pound each garlic clove to open (don't chop). Place tomatillos, garlic, jalapenos, onion, bullion, and water in large pot. Boil until tomatillos and onion are tender, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, if desired, and stir to dissolve (this cuts down the acidity from the tomatillos).
2. Drain tomatillo mixture (reserving the juices) and place the tomatillo mixture and 1/2 cup of juices in a blender. Add cumin, chilies and cilantro. Blend until smooth, adding more liquid as needed to reach your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pico de Gallo

I love Mexican food. Corey and I probably eat Mexican food more than any other cuisine. Something about the freshness and spiciness just entices me every time. With so many tomatoes, peppers, and even a few onions from our garden, it's the perfect time to make a big batch of Pico de Gallo to go with any of your favorite Mexican foods (I had it with this amazing Bajio Chicken Green Chile Salad, and it is also great with my favorite Enchiladas, Taquitos, Southwestern Beef Wraps, or a delicious Cafe-Rio Style Burrito...I'll be posting that recipe later this week). Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (I like to use seeded Roma tomatoes because they are nice and firm, you'll need about 5 medium)
1/2 cup diced red onion
3 Tb. chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 - 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/4 cup diced green pepper (optional, I throw this is if I have it on hand but it won't make or break the salsa)
garlic salt
fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days. Eat with chips and dip or serve with your favorite Mexican dish, you really can't go wrong with this stuff, it is delicious!

Homemade Salsa

In the middle of the winter I crave more fruits and vegetables more than any other time of the year, and there's not a whole lot that is in season. That's why I'm glad I discovered this salsa. I got the idea on The Sister's Dish, but wildly adapted it to my own tastes. It uses canned tomatoes, which seems a little strange for delicious salsa, but I promise you won't be disappointed. It's even more delicious than my favorite Jack's Salsa from Costco.

Homemade Salsa

1 - 2 Tb. lime juice
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles
Salt & pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste, if desired

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until salsa reaches desired consistency. Enjoy!

The Essentials: Mustard

I love mustard. It comes in a wide variety of types. Enough so that you can eat it with just about anything. It's pretty much the perfect condiment. You should always have at least one kind of mustard (probably plain yellow), but expanding out into some different kinds is a great idea. Here are some of the basic types that I like to keep in the fridge:

Plain Yellow American Mustard- It's mild and bright yellow in color. Perfect for hot dogs and hamburgers. You can put a lot on things and not be overwhelmed. My personal favorite kind is Plochman's, but the most popular is French's.

Dijon Mustard- This is more of a yellow/brown color and has a tangier taste than the plain yellow. It's the classic French way of preparing mustard, with a little wine mixed in there. It's great with roast beef and on sandwiches. My personal preference (at least as far as those commonly available) is a French brand Maille, which is still sold in most grocery stores. The same company also makes the american line, Grey Poupon, so that's pretty good too.

Honey/Honey Dijon Mustard- This is pretty much dijon mustard with the addition of some honey to make it sweeter. Perfect on sandwiches or with chicken. I particularly like it on a turkey sandwich. My favorite here is the Grey Poupon brand.

English Mustard- It's bright yellow, but it's pretty hot so you only use it sparingly. This is the perfect roast beef mustard. Perfect in small amounts. The standard is Colman's.

Whole Ground Mustard- This has the whole mustard seeds in it. More of a grainy texture with a stronger vinegar taste. I like to just put in on crackers with cheese. But it's good with most anything. Right now I'm going through a bottle of French stuff from Sur La Table, but most makers have this type.

Chinese Mustard- It's pretty mild in taste with a very light brown color. It's really easy to prepare (being just the ground mustard and water) so you can actually make this at home using just the powder. It's usually a dipping sauce for various fried or stir fried items. I haven't found a particular brand that I prefer yet. They seem to be fairly similar. There are also pre-prepared kinds.

Those are just some of the basics. There are hundreds of other varietys and variations. With different igredients added, or ground to different textures. Experiment and try them out. You'll probably find something you like.

The Essentials: Tapatío

I know that Aubrie keeps calling this a recipe blog, but I like to see it as more of a general food blog. That's probably partly because I'm not so big on writing recipes down. I just wing it. But here's a feature that I'm going to introduce, I'm calling it The Essentials. It's basically the things having to do with food and cooking that I think are absolutely essential.

Tapatío:

I'm very big into hot sauce. I put it on everything. And really I mean everything (try it on pancakes sometime). Generally I keep somewhere between 3-6 kinds in the fridge (4 at the moment). These range from from mango flavor to one that includes lime juice. Mexican style, Chinese, Indian, all different kinds. But by far my favorite is Tapatío. It's a Mexican style hot sauce that has one important difference from many others. It's not vinegar based. That's why it's my favorite. The lack of vinegar taste makes it possible to put large quantities on or in food without overwhelming the flavor with vinegar. I highly recommend it. If you only have one kind of hot sauce, it should be Tapatío.