Restaurant Style Salsa

I am officially never buying store-bought salsa again!  This was absolutely the easiest and most delicious salsa recipe I have ever tried!  It reminded me of the salsa that some of my favorite Mexican restaurants serve.  Definitely try this recipe today!  Serve it at a dinner party and listen to everyone remark how fantastic it is!



Source:  Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

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

Directions:
 
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.

Veggie Pizza

I have made veggie pizza several times in the past, but I kept forgetting to add it to my blog.  Oops!  This was the perfect recipe to make for a recent party I attended, and the pizza was literally gobbled up in a matter of minutes.  This is a great recipe, especially if you're looking for something to throw together at the last minute.

Source:  Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:

2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat and nobody could tell)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix
1/2 cup of assorted colored peppers, diced small
1/2 cup chopped broccoli
Cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrot
2 tablespoons diced purple onion
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F.

If using crescent rolls: Unroll both cans of dough; separate dough into 4 long rectangles. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust. If using dough sheets: Unroll both cans of dough. In ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, place dough; press in bottom and up sides to form crust.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In small bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch powder until smooth. Spread over crust. Top with vegetables and cheese. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes

I have to apologize for the lack of updates this past week.  My time has been occupied with a new kitten named Heidi.  She's extremely playful and needs constant affection and hates it when my husband and I use our laptops. :)  While typing this blog entry, she has jumped on my computer about seven times so far.  Anyways, I've had some free time this weekend and decided to try a new appetizer that I had bookmarked for the last few weeks.  I had a hard time finding some decent tomatoes at the grocery store, but this recipe turned out well and took very little time in preparing.  I cooked the tomatoes in the oven and by the time they were out of the oven, the cheese had melted perfectly and the tomatoes were so juicy with the skin ready to peal off.  Yum!

Source:  The Novice Chef

Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup of your favorite breadcrumbs
2 tbl butter, melted
8 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Parsley for garnish

Directions:

Slice off top of tomato, hollow out (leaving 1/2 inch thick shell), and chop pulp and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, butter, basil, salt and pepper. Next stir in cheese and tomato pulp. Fill each tomato shell and then wrap each tomato individually in foil.

Grill, or bake (at 400 degrees) for 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is completely melted. Garnish with parsley and serve hot!

Jalapeno Popper Spread

Wow, this was such a great dip to make for a Superbowl party. If you like the taste of jalapeno peppers, this is the appetizer for you. The dip was completely eaten up halfway through the party! It was extremely simple to prepare and turned out even better with shredded parmesan cheese. I highly recommend this for a party, but definitely double up on the recipe!

Source: AllRecipes

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained

2 oz. canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used shredded Parmesan cheese)

Directions:

Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in green chilies and jalapeno peppers. Pour mixture into an oven-safe dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve warm with sour dough baguettes, tortilla chips, or crackers.