David's Famous Salsa!

Growing up in Tucson Arizona,

my best friend's dad made some amazing salsa.

I always wondered how he made it,

but he always said there wasn't really a recipe.

Over the years, I wasn't the only one that asked about it,

so somehow a fairly good recipe was put together

and lucky me, I was able to get my hands on it

and tried to recreate the deliciousness myself!

I was home visiting earlier this year and saw my friend's family.

I hadn't seen her dad in probably 15 years and it was great to catch up.

I asked him permission to share his recipe on my blog,

and since you're reading this, he of course said yes!

So without saying anything more,

let me show you how this yummy salsa is made!

The Goods:

Tomato Sauce

Whole Peeled Tomatoes

Salt

Oregano Leaves

Garlic

Garlic Powder

Green Onions

Cilantro

Dried Chili Tepins

Limes

Red Wine Vinegar

First thing you want to do is get all your ingredients prepped.

Chop up an entire bunch of green onions and set aside.

Mince one to two garlic cloves so you have a full teaspoon.

Chop up one entire bunch of cilantro and set aside.

Slice your limes in half.

In a blender, add ingredients in the following order:

Half the can of whole tomatoes (and juice), 

three quarters of the chopped green onions, 

all of the chopped cilantro, 

juice from the limes, 

red wine vinegar, 

salt, 

a sprinkle of garlic powder, 

minced garlic, 

crushed chili tepins, 

oregano leaves, 

the rest of the whole tomatoes, 

the rest of the green onions 

and last but not least the tomato sauce!!!

Blend well for about a minute. 

And that's it for a batch of David's salsa!

As you can see in the photo above,

this recipe makes quite a bit of salsa!

Knowing that, I've been known to make a batch for myself

and then give a lot of it away to coworkers and friends.

Sometimes I take a little more time and package it up in cute mini mason jars!

David's Famous Salsa

1 (15 oz) Can Tomato Sauce

1 (28 oz) Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes

2 Teaspoons Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Oregano Leaves

1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced

Sprinkle of Garlic Powder

1 Bunch Green Onions, Chopped

1 Bunch Cilantro, Chopped

1 FULL Teaspoon Dried Chili Tepins, Crushed

3 to 4 Limes

1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

1. In a blender, add ingredients in the following order:
• Half the can of whole tomatoes (and juice)
• Three quarters of the chopped green onions
• All of the chopped cilantro
• Juice from the limes
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt
• Sprinkle of garlic powder
• Minced garlic
• Crushed chili tepins
• Oregano leaves
• The rest of the can of whole tomatoes
• The rest of the green onions
• Last but not least the tomato sauce
2. Blend well for about a minute. 
3. Store in airtight jar for about a week or two.  

DIY: Herb Garden Chalkboard Pots

In the most recent post about my garden, 

I said I'd blog about my DIY Chalkboard Pots soon.

Well folks, soon is now here!

This project was pretty simple to complete,

and honestly didn't cost much because I owned all the pots.

Check out how I spent little time transforming my herb garden!

The Goods:

Ceramic Pots

Painters Tape

Chalkboard Spray Paint

Colored Spray Paint

Paper Drop Cloth

Chalk (Not Pictured)

Tape a thick line saperating the top portion of the pot from the bottom.

Using Chalkboard Spray Paint cover the top portion and the pot saucers.

Let it dry then remove the tape.

Once dry, completely cover the chalkboard areas with painters tape.

Then spray paint the rest of the pot whatever color you would like.

I personally love this shade and thought it was great for Spring!

Let dry and then remove tape.

Touch up with paintbrush where necessary.

Replant the herbs you have growing.

And using chalk label each pot.

That's it!

Super easy.

Super cute.

Vodka Blush Sauce with Bucatini

I've had this recipe a looooong time - a few years at least. 

I can't even remember where I originally found it,

but it's been in my recipe binder just waiting to be made.

While doing my weekly meal planning I've passed it many times,

but I recently had a HUGE craving for some kind of pasta,

so I finally whipped out my recipe for Vodka Blush Sauce!

The Goods:

Bucatini Pasta

Olive Oil

Vodka

Marinara Sauce

Chopped/Diced Tomatoes

Heavy Cream

Garlic

Salt

Red Pepper Flakes

Fresh Basil

Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley

Fresh Oregano

 Parmesan Cheese (Not pictured - oops!)

(Full Recipe at bottom of post!)

Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add garlic and red pepper flakes.

Saute for about 30 seconds - until garlic is starting to get fragrant. 

Add marinara sauce, stir, add the chopped tomatoes and stir again.

Next measure out your vodka and add to the sauce.

Add a whole bunch (that's how I measured at least) of fresh herbs!

I used fresh basil, flat leaf parsley and oregano.

Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.

Cook the sauce for about 15 minutes...

Until it looks something like this!

Now add your cream.

Give it another good stir and your sauce is almost done!

Let it simmer 5 more minutes.

At the last minute, I decided the sauce needed something more.

So I added a whole bunch (again - how I measured!) of fresh parmesan.

While the sauce was first simmering, I started my pasta.

I chose to use bucatini, but any pasta would be fine.

Just cook according to the package directions.

OR if you have time - make your own!

Once your pasta is cooked drain it well.

Then add the pasta to your sauce and fully combine together. 

And that's it folks! 

Serve with a little more fresh parmesan and herbs.

This recipe is so easy to make and can even be enjoyed by little ones.

The vodka cooks off, but leaves an amazing taste to the sauce.

I didn't time how long it took me, but I'm betting it was around a half hour.

Vodka Blush Sauce with Bucatini

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 heaping teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 large box (26.5 oz) chopped tomatoes

1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce

2 tablespoons (+/-) fresh flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon (+/1) fresh basil

1 teaspoon (+/-) fresh oregano

1/4 vodka

1/2 cup heavy cream

fresh parmesan to your liking

salt to taste

1 pound bucatini

Note: the herb measurements should be your guideline,

but as shown above I didn't accurately measure those myself. 

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. (You should start the pasta once your sauce is simmering the first time.)
2. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil then add your garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Add marinara sauce and chopped tomatoes, then stir to combine.
4. Add the vodka and stir again.
5. Add the fresh herbs, stir once again. 
6. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
7. Add the heavy cream, stir and simmer 5 more minutes.
8. Add the freshly grated parmesan and stir.
9. Drain your pasta fully, add to the sauce and combine fully.
10. Serve with more fresh parmesan and herbs.

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 24

It's been a few weeks, but I'm back for a NEW Sunday Night Dinner post. And I'm back with an AMAZING recipe that I tried for the first time and I will without a doubt be making it again! The flavors of everything just went together so well and I couldn't have been happier with all my food decisions. 

Now that I've told you about the delicious dinner, take a look at the meal for yourself!

Kabobs!!!

Homemade Pesto Chicken Kabob, Bell Pepper and Red Onion Kabob, Grilled Zucchini and a Homemade Feta Herb Baked Rice Pilaf! 

It was SO good and I'm quite excited that I have so much to eat for leftovers the next few days!!