Cook.Sew.Grow.: Garden Fresh Salsa

If I were to hand one of my children a tomato slice as a snack, they would swear they don't eat those. Put them in a chip-and-dip format though, and they're all over that! Whatever works, right? They love 'chip sauce' {salsa}! They ask for it like candy. This is the one I've been making lately. You should try it. It's the best condiment there is!

*If you're not a big fan of chopping, you can do this in a blender or food processor. You'll probably have to do it in batches though, 'cause it's a lot. Or you could just chop it. I chop because I like my salsa chunky.*

You just need these guys:

Ingredients:

6-7 medium tomatoes (3 heaping cups diced)

1 jalepeno pepper

1 red onion (1 cup diced)
5 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

Here we go....................

First you char the pepper. I put mine right over the open flame on my stove. That's a cooling rack over the burner...because without it the pepper would fall into the flames. You can also do this under your broiler. Just let it hang out and get all black (don't be alarmed when it pops and hisses) then roll it over and make the other side match.

Now throw it in a baggie (use tongs) and let it sweat.

Meanwhile, chop your tomatoes; scoop out and discard the seeds.

Throw the tomatoes into a large bowl (you should have 3 heaping cups of dieced tomatoes, if you like to measure...but you're good to just eyeball it, too.)

PUT ON GLOVES: Just a little note here. When working with chile peppers of any kind, you should use gloves. They can really burn. I got some under my fingernail once. For at least 2 whole days I kept looking to see if I had cut myself, it hurt so bad. It's a seriously un-fun feeling that gloves quickly solve. Like my pink gloves? They're sassy!