Memorial Day 2011

I would just like to take a moment to thank all of the men and women who serve or have served in the military!

Those who are willing to sacrifice their lives and leave behind their families to make our country free and protect us from the evil doings going on in this world, I salute you and tell you thank you from the bottom of my heart!

(I can't claim these pictures as my own, but I don't know who the photographer for either one is.)

Lubbock 5K

Our church put on a Stake Fun Run today. I was excited when I found out about it a while ago, I have been wanting to run in another 5K since my last one.

Well I didn't really train like I was planning on doing, until my friend Marybeth said I could go running with her. I went twice, and I pretty much made her walk both times. :)

Although I didn't train like I should of I did pretty darn good!

I ran it in 33:54:07!! 

I am not positive on the last set of numbers, but the first two sets of numbers are right.

I improved my time from my last run by almost 5 minutes!
I left my camera in my car so I didn't get any pictures while I was there, plus Dave wasn't there to take pictures of me run. So I just took a picture of my shirt with my number on it when I got home. (I always like to try to have at least one picture with my posts.)

It was for a good cause too, I had to donate some non-perishable food items to the food bank down here as my entry fee.

To say the least I am feeling pretty good today. 

Dutch Oven Chicken and Potates

One of my favorite ways to cook is outside in a dutch oven with coals. I am sad I don't get to do it enough. Every time I do it makes me want to be up in the mountains, camping, and enjoying this beautiful world we live in. Oh how I miss the mountains back home in Utah! 

Our first few weeks in Lubbock, there was a sale on whole chickens at the local supermarket. I decided to get one and freeze it to enjoy sometime down the road. Well I got a hankering for dutch oven cooking, after trying to think of what to have (there are a lot of choices!) I decided this chicken was the perfect solution to my craving.

For a side dish I went with a basic dutch oven diced potato recipe:

Can you tell I like cheese?

Dave was in charge of the coals, it took a while to get them hot since it is always WINDY here in Lubbock.

Since Dave hasn't finished the smoker yet we put a pizza pan in the bottom and put the hot coals on top of it. 

That way the wind wouldn't blow out the coals. Now I wanted to dig a hole in the ground for this, but David didn't think the landlord would of liked us digging up our "wonderful grass". 

We put the chicken on the bottom and the potatoes on top of that.

Just thought I would share a picture of the furball! 

Silly guys, they love that hammock.

Roast Chicken (Or Turkey)
(14 inch deep Dutch oven or larger-depending on the size of bird)


1 chicken (Or small turkey)
1 Tbsp. pepper
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
1 cup water
1 clove garlic
1 onion 
1 stock celery (I used about half, the chicken was on the smaller side)
2 or 3 pieces of bacon (as you can tell I used 4)


Rinse the chicken (turkey) inside and out. Remove the neck and giblets. Mix the spices in a bowl and rub the mixture inside and out of the chicken (turkey). Cut onion and celery into large pieces., with garlic; place inside the chicken (turkey). (Put them in the Dutch oven if the bird is stuffed.) Put bacon strips over the breast of the chicken (turkey).  Add enough water to steam or roast in moist heat. (You will notice in the first picture, my chicken gave off a lot of fat, I only added enough water to cover the bottom.) A tent may be placed over the bird to protect from excess browning. Cook with hot Dutch oven 20 minutes then reduce the heat to a moderate 300 to 325 for 15 minutes per pound or until well done. It takes longer for stuffed birds. Start with 14 coals on top and bottom then reduce heat to 12 on top and 10 on bottom.

Dice Potatoes
(14 inch Dutch oven)
(I used a 12 inch since I didn't make the whole recipe)


3 cans cream soup (I used 1 cream of mushroom)
10 lbs. diced potatoes (I used 2.5 lbs.)
3/4 lbs. grated cheese (I just put on what I thought was enough)


Stir together dice potatoes and soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook 1 hour. Add cheese the last ten minutes. Cook just until cheese is melted. 12 coals on bottom 14 to 16 on top. 
(I think my potatoes only took 45 minutes since I wasn't cooking as much, so watch them closely.)

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwiches

Can I just say, that this sandwich was AMAZING!! Especially on the homemade ciabatta bread! 

Now for this sandwich you make your own homemade creamy Caesar dressing as the sandwich spread. Caesar dressing requires anchovies, and in this particular dressing it asked for anchovy paste. Good old Wally World didn't have anchovy paste, at least not where I looked. I did end up finding though at my local supermarket, so you should be able to fins it at your local grocery store. 

The hubby was not excited to see that I was using anchovy paste. He is not a fan of anchovies, I wouldn't know any better cause I have never had an anchovy. He was pleasantly surprised at how well the dressing tasted when he ate his sandwich. Though I would say it is a little on the extra creamy side to use as a salad dressing. 

So if you are going to make the ciabatta bread, you should definitely use one loaf for this sandwich! And the other one to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Chicken Caesar Club Sandwiches

2 chicken breasts (whole or boneless, skinless)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1-1½ tsp. anchovy paste
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1½ tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup mayonnaise
1 long loaf ciabatta bread, or 4 ciabatta sandwich rolls
Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried (or baby spinach or arugula)
Shaved Parmesan cheese
Sliced bacon, cooked until partly crisp

 Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Lightly rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.  Let rest 10 minutes, then slice thickly.  Set aside. To make the Caesar dressing, combine the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until finely minced, scraping down the sides as needed.  Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise.  Process until smooth and well blended.  Adjust seasonings to taste if necessary.  Refrigerate the dressing if not using right away. Slice the bread in half horizontally.   Toast if desired.  Spread both cut sides of the bread lightly with the Caesar dressing.  Layer the bottom half of the bread with the romaine leaves, then top with shaved Parmesan, cooked bacon slices, and sliced chicken.  Top with additional romaine if desired. Place the top half of the bread on top, enclosing the sandwich fillings.  If using a loaf of ciabatta, slice the assembled sandwich into individual servings.  

Serve immediately

Recipe taken from: Annie Eats

Blustery Day

Does anyone remember "Winnie The Pooh and The Blustery Day"??

That is exactly what it is like here in the good old town of Lubbock, Texas.

It is WINDY!! Extremely dusty too!

I tried to share the video of this wonderful old cartoon, but it wouldn't let me. 

Here is the link though:

"Winnie The Pooh and The Blustery Day"

David says the weather reminds him of this movie:

I can hear my Dad singing the theme of the Wicked Witch of West. :)

Ciabatta Bread

I love ciabatta bread! I think it makes the best sandwiches! It is also delicious for dipping in olive oil with some balsamic vinegar. Pardon me why I drool over that thought. I starting dipping some in the olive oil with balsamic vinegar as soon as it came out of the oven. Yeah, I hardly ever wait for things to cool completely before I bite into them. 

For those who have never heard of ciabatta bread, according to Wikipedia:

Ciabatta (Italian pronunciation: [tja'batta], literally "carpet slipper) is and Italian white bread with wheat flour and yeast. The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish. There are many variations of ciabatta.

It is widely used as a sandwich bread. A toasted sandwich made from small loaves of ciabatta is known as a panino (plural panini).

The more open-crumbed form, which is usual in the United States, is made from a very wet dough, often requiring machine-kneading, and a biga or sourdough starter.

I love Mel's Kitchen Cafe and her philosophy to make us all bread makers! Her website is where I got the recipe for the ciabatta bread. I have been getting a lot of my bread recipes from her, and I love her for it!

 Stay tuned for the wonderful sandwich I made with this delicious bread.

Ciabatta Bread

*Note: this dough requires a "biga" or a starter to be made the night before so plan ahead! It takes mere seconds to stir together but you don't want to skimp on this step - it is important for the flavor and outcome of the dough. Also, if you don't have a scale to weigh the flour, take care to measure with a light hand as you don't want the starter or dough overfloured.

*Makes two loaves of ciabatta bread

Overnight starter:

1 1/2 cups (6 ¼ ounces) unbleached or regular all-purpose flour

1 cup cool water

1/16 teaspoon instant yeast

Dough:

all of the starter (from above)

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/2 cups (6 ¼ ounces) unbleached or regular all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk

1/4 cup lukewarm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Topping for Garlic Bread:

1 medium head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled (about 15 medium cloves) and finely minced

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/3 cup olive oil

pinch (1/16 teaspoon) of salt

1 cup (4 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

snipped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

For the starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly and puffy.

For the bread: Place all of the dough ingredients, including the starter, into the bowl of your mixer and beat at medium speed, using the flat/paddle beater, for 7 minutes (scraping the bowl as needed). As it starts to mix, it will be very wet and sticky. After mixing for 7 minutes, the dough will be smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.

Using greased or lightly oiled hands, transfer the dough to a greased bowl or other rising container, cover it, and let it rise for 2 hours, deflating it halfway through, and then recovering and letting it rise another hour. If you're using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.

Lightly grease your work surface/counter, and a half-sheet baking pan (18" x 13") or similar large baking sheet or line it with parchment or a silpat liner. Grease your hands, as well.

Very gently turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface; you don't want to deflate it. It'll lose a bit of volume, but don't actively punch it down. Using a bowl scraper, bench knife, or your fingers, divide the dough in half. You should have two fat logs, each about 10" long x 4" wide.

Handling the dough gently, transfer each piece to the baking sheet, laying them down crosswise on the sheet. Position them about 2 1/2" from the edge of the pan, leaving about 4" between them. Lightly cover the dough with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Midway through, gently but firmly dimple the dough with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spritz the risen loaves with lukewarm water. You'll see that the dimples have filled in somewhat, but haven't entirely disappeared. Bake the loaves until they are golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Marmalade Muffins

I am sad to admit that I have never made muffins for my husband for breakfast. Actually, I don't think I have ever made muffins period. Not that I didn't want to, I just never got around to it. We are both really big fans of muffins. 

I think I hadn't gotten around to making them since some muffins are bigger, more dense and a little on the sweet side at times, that can be just too much for me in the morning. I think David wouldn't have a problem with having extra large sweet muffins for breakfast. But since I usually am up before him on the days that we get to have breakfast together, I usually get to pick what is on the menu.

I LOVED these muffins for so many reason:

1. They are bite size

2. They are light and fluffy

3. My taste buds have matured and I love oranges in breads now

4. Who wouldn't love a brown sugar orange glaze on their muffin

5. Dare I say these muffins are cute....

They were delicious when they were warm, but I think I enjoyed them even more the next day!

For those who are in love with muffins for breakfast, or any time of the day for that matter, you must try these...cute and yummy muffins!

Marmalade Muffins

Makes 24 mini muffins*

2 oranges

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

Begin by grating the zest from the oranges. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Crack in the eggs and mix until well combined.

Sift the flour, add it to the bowl. Gently stir the mixture using as few strokes as possible, so that the muffins aren't tough.

In a small measuring cup or bowl, combine the buttermilk and baking soda.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin batter and mix until just combined. Add the orange zest. Mix until combined, being careful not to overmix. 

Grease 24 mini muffin tins and fill each two-thirds full with muffin batter.

Bake for 12 to 17 minutes, until light brown. Watch to make sure they don't get too brown.

While the muffins are baking, prepare the glaze. Juice the 2 oranges that you just zested. Add the orange juice and brown sugar to a medium bowl and stir together just until combined, don't worry about dissolving the brown sugar completely. You want the glaze to be grainy and textured. 

As soon as the muffins are done, drizzle the glaze all over the top. Be sure to thoroughly coat each muffin.

Serve the muffins warm. 

(But they are even better the next day I think)

Recipe adapted from: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

*I got about 32 mini muffins

Cornbread With Honey Butter

Does anyone remember Frontier Pies? I loved that restaurant. The decorations for the old west hanging on their walls, the white and red checkered table clothes, and the waiters and waitress dressed in olden day pioneer clothes. I would say Frontier Pies even smelt like the good old days of the old west (I wouldn't know if the old west smelt good though).

The best part of Frontier Pies though, for me, was the cornbread! You would think it would have been the pie, but at my young age I didn't really care about pie.

I loved the cornbread! It was more like cake, it was so sweet and so moist. 

I made this cornbread to go with the delicious pot of chili I made the other day. After biting into this wonderful piece of bread drenched in honey butter brought me back to the good old days when my parents took us kids out to eat at Frontier Pies. 

Try the cornbread! 

You must try it with the honey butter, it is by far the best honey butter I have ever had!

Cornbread

½ cup cornmeal

1 ½ cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oil

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cup milk

Add dry ingredients, make a well and add oil, butter, eggs, and milk into the center.  Stir until just mixed (batter will be runny - don't be alarmed!).  Bake in an 8” square pan at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. This doubles perfectly for a 9X13-inch pan.

Honey Butter

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup marshmallow fluff

Whip all together with an electric mixer and serve at room temperature (can be refrigerated and softened).

Recipes taken from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Chili

 I was asked to take a meal to a family from my church a couple of weeks ago, we were having a few chilly days so I decided a big pot a chili was the perfect . (Though I think the day I made chili it was getting nice and warm outside.)

Now I love chili, I like all varieties of chili, and this chili was delicious! This chili is actually a chili you don't have to add beans to, it is suppose to be a just a meat chili, but chili to me, is suppose to be hearty and that requires beans, tomatoes, a jalapeño, and diced chilies. It was just the right flavor! 

 I am gonna have to say though, I still partial to my white chicken chili. 

Both of these chili recipes are worth making. The family I took the chili to said they really enjoyed it! 

Plus stayed tuned for the wonderful recipe for corn bread tomorrow.

Chili

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. ground oregano

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 pounds ground beef

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup masa (corn flour, found in the Mexican food section of many supermarkets)

Optional Ingredients

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained (I used 4 cans of just kidney beans, no pinto)

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

1 can diced tomatoes and chilies (I used the Rotel brand)

For serving

Shredded cheddar cheese

Chopped onion

Fritos

Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook the beef until brown. Drain off the excess fat. Pour in the tomato sauce, followed by the spices and the salt. Stir together well, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add in 1/2 cup water at a time as needed. After an hour, place the masa in a small bowl. Add the 1/2  cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans, jalapeño, and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Serve with shredded cheddar, chopped onions, and Fritos.

Recipe from taken from: The Pioneer Woman Cookbook 

Ham Fried Rice

Around Easter I bought a ham. They were on sale, and David really likes ham. So since it is just the two of us and we can't eat a ten pound ham we had the butcher cut it into slices for us. We froze some, and Dave was making ham sandwiches with what was in the fridge. After a few days of seeing the ham in the fridge, I remember I came across this recipe for "Perfect Ham Fried Rice" from Deals to Meals.

What a brilliant idea on how to use up some of the ham! We made a very large batch of this, it made for good lunch left overs during the week. (I always try to make enough for lunch leftovers, so that way we aren't spending money to eat out everyday, plus its healthier I think.)

Ham Fried Rice


3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. celery, diced (I didn't have any, so I left it out)
1/2 c. green onions 
1 1/2 c. cooked ham, cubed
4 c. white rice, cooked and cooled slightly (a long grain rice works the best- long, jasmine, etc.)
4 Tbsp. stick butter
1/4 c. soy sauce
Seasonings: salt, pepper (or Montreal Steak Seasoning), garlic powder (or you can use fresh garlic cloves) and powdered ginger (about 1/2 tsp.)

Cut all of the vegetables and ham and set aside until ready to cook/saute.

In a large pot or skillet bring the pan to medium high heat. Add 1 T. of butter to the pan and saute the eggs that have been beaten until they are scrambled. Once the eggs are cooked through, break them up with your spoon into medium sized pieces. Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside. Add to the pan the remaining butter. Let the butter heat up and then add the chopped onions, celery and carrots to the pan and saute until the vegetables are tender and soft (not overly cooked though). To the sauted vegetables add the cubed ham, sliced green onions and frozen peas. Heat through for about 2-3 minutes. To the pan, add the cooked rice that has been slightly cooled before adding to the pan (if you use rice that is steaming hot it will cook the peas and vegetables too much and add too much moisture to the dish). Stir the rice into the vegetables and then add the scrambled egg back to the pan and stir. Season the rice with more salt, pepper, garlic powder and ginger powder. Add the 1/2 c. of soy sauce to the rice and stir until rice is a light brown color (don't add too much or the rice will be soggy).

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies

Hooray blogger is working again!! I was getting very frustrated that it was taking forever to fix whatever problem needed fixing, cause I have been dying to post this terrific recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Have I mentioned before how much I love cookies? How I would take a cookie over any dessert any day? Well....almost any day. :) I would definitely take a cookie over any candy bar or any type of candy for that matter. 

I haven't had an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in a LONG time! These cookies were even better then the oatmeal cookies I ever remember! I love that they have nutmeg in them, you can taste just a hint of it in each cookie.
Plus they are healthy right?? I mean they've got oatmeal in them so that is a good start right? 
This recipe makes about 70 cookies so I halved it, so that way I wouldn't be ashamed when I told you that Dave and I down 70 cookies by ourselves....though we could.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 C butter, softened
1 C shortening
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. water
3 C flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 C oatmeal (quick cooking or regular)
4 C chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi sweet)


Cream together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream the mixture well. About 4 minutes. 
Add your vanilla and water and mix just until combined. 
In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients (all but the chocolate chips) together with a wooden spoon.
Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and stir to incorporate. Add your chocolate chips, give them a stir to incorporate.
Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a sprayed cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. (For convection ovens bake at 325 for 6 1/2 minutes). Don't over bake! When your cookies have cracks down the middle, take them out and let them finish cooking on the pan for about 3-5 minutes.

Recipe taken from: Jamie Cooks It Up!

Web Page Viewing

I was looking at my blog on Mozilla, and it looks awful! The wording is all askew!  I use Google Chrome as my internet browser so it looks fine to me when I view it. 

Do any of you have any problems with the blog coming up with the words all over the place? If so do any of you know how to fix this problem? I would hope to have it appear the same on all internet browsers.

Margherita Pizza (My favorite pizza)

I absolutely LOVE margherita pizza!

It is by far one of my favorite pizza, right up there with BBQ chicken bacon pizza.

I love the fresh topping ingredients. I bought a basil plant just so I could make this pizza, and have a never ending stash of basil. (At least that is what I was planning on, its starting to die.) The tomatoes I am growing in my garden will be perfect to use on this pizza when they are all nice, plump and juicy. 

Who can forget the wonderful amount of mozzarella cheese? Have I ever mentioned how much I love cheese?? All types of cheese. 

 I ending up trying a new pizza dough recipe, I liked it, though I think I like the pizza dough recipe from The Pioneer woman more. 

Margherita Pizza

3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes (of course from your own garden is best!), chopped in large chunks 1 tsp minced garlic 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 Tb olive oil 1/3 cup+ loosely packed fresh basil leaves, julienne cut mozzarella cheese, shredded (fresh mozzarella is wonderful) Parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients except cheese and toss lightly.  Roll out pizza dough to 12 inch circle and place on hot pizza stone.  Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella on dough.  Spoon on tomato mixture and spread evenly over cheese.  Sprinkle about 1/4 cup parmesan on top.   Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown and crust is a deep golden.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle additional 1-2 tablespoons of fresh basil over pizza before serving.

Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cups very warm water

1 Tb sugar

1 scant Tb yeast

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tb olive oil

4 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water - let sit for 10 minutes. Foam should form on top.  Whisk in salt, olive oil and 1 cup flour. Whisk in 2nd cup of flour.  At this point put on dough hook and turn mixer in low as you add the last 2 cups of flour.  If your dough is too sticky, add flour a little bit at a time until dough forms a ball. Knead for 5 minutes. (Or 10 minutes by hand)  Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour in a warm place until double in size. Punch down dough and divide into 2 parts. Each half will make a 12 inch pizza.  If you only want to make one pizza now, then put other dough ball in an oiled freezer bag and pop in the freezer for another day!  Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes then roll out.

Recipe taken from: The Sisters Cafe

Easy Restaurant Style Salsa

David LOVES chips and salsa.

Loves them a lot.

He would eat them all day long if we had an never ending supply of chips and salsa. 

It is his favorite snack!

Now he has his favorite kind of chips, the chips from "Chili's", and his favorite salsa, his Mom's homemade bottled salsa. 

That doesn't mean that he won't eat other types of chips and salsa, and he is willing to try any type of tortilla chip with the salsa. 

So when he found out I was trying out a new salsa for Cinco De Mayo and that the amount I was making was large so he could have a container to himself he was pretty excited about it. 

Not only does David loved salsa and chips but I do as well. :)

This salsa is terrific!!

Even better, it is extremely easy.

All you have to do is cut up a few things into smaller pieces and throw all the ingredients into a blender or a large food processor.

For all you salsa lovers don't pass this salsa up!

Restaurant Style Salsa

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)

¼ cups Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin

¼ teaspoons Sugar

¼ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin

½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)

½ whole Lime Juice

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Recipe taken from: The Pioneer Woman