Homemade Salsa

 A few days ago, David & I whipped up our first-ever batch of salsa.  With the acquisition of a food processor back in May, salsa has been on my list of foods to make. After making this stuff, I don't know if I'll ever buy the canned stuff off the shelf again. 

I just threw a bunch of stuff in the mix and didn't really follow a specific recipe:

• 2 lbs of roma tomatoes
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 2 Serrano chili peppers
• a few tablespoons of garlic
• handful of cilantro
• 2 tsp of cumin
• dash of salt

Whir it all up in the food processor until desired chunkiness level - we like it pretty liquidified.

I was pretty nervous at first throwing 4 hot peppers into the mix, as I'm not a big "hot" person - but the 2 lbs of tomatoes were enough to mellow it all out.  This batch made a LOT of salsa - next time, I'll probably cut it in half.  

Tasty delicious!

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

We have been eating meals lately - I promise - but once again, we start to lag on the posting. Our camera has a backlog of photos from our tasty meals.  We'll get around to posting them - one day...


Last night's dinner was super easy and very summer appropriate.  We have definitely been utilizing our grill with these hot summer days, so it was time to try it out with some shrimp.


We picked up a pound of raw 16/20 count shrimp and they don't lie - there were 18 shrimps in our package. :) 

The thought to grill up shrimp was a semi-impulse decision as was the mixture that I marinading them in:

Peel and then marinate for 30 min or so in a mixture of the following:

• 2 tblsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/2 tsp of onion powder 

We stacked these guys up on some bamboo skewers (soaked in water for a few minutes so they won't catch on fire) - then grilled on each side for 2-3 minutes.

Paired with a crisp green side salad and a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, this meal made the perfect summertime dinner. 

This meal clocked in at about $5 per plate - which is thrilling and makes me say - "forget you Red Lobster - I can make my own shrimp skewers" :)

Orange Sherbert

We have the pleasure of owning an ice cream maker - which to be honest had remained totally unopened stored safely in the linen closet (aka kitchen gadget storage closet).  But with the warm weather, brings out the cravings for a satisfying cold treat - so why not bust out the ice cream maker.

This one is surprisingly easy - there are canisters that are pre-frozen that just set on a mechanical base and whir away.  20-25 min later the magic of ice cream occurs.

We decided to start the ice cream adventure with a simple orange sherbert.  Sherbert is a bit "healthier" than a standard ice cream, as its made with just whole milk, juice concentrate, and a touch of sugar, whereas ice cream contains - yes - cream!

The recipe if you have an ice cream maker and want to replicate:

2 1/2 cups of whole milk
3/4 cups of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tblsp of sugar

Mix together, pour into ice cream maker and start! Easy!

We've also attempted a lime sherbet that turned out really well! I put the milk mixture in a food processor for a few seconds to make the mixture super creamy and I loved it! Next on the list to make is a raspberry sorbet. Cannot wait.

An easy and delicious way to start off the summer.