i love it when good things/ideas become traditions. my cinco de mayo salsa fiesta has become just that. i can't believe it's been a year since our last one. a few weeks ago, i found myself creating a new board on pinterest for salsa. i got super excited for it and was anticipating a good turnout again. who knew that cinco de mayo would be the happening holiday??
i wanted to do a few things different this year, but was limited to only making 8 again. i realized that i need to create a "salsa fund" that i can build up throughout the year. i contented myself with making only 8 salsas this year. i had a few favorites that were repeats, so i won't post the instructions.......you can find them on this post from last year. why did i duplicate? mainly because they were the ones that i didn't have enough of last year or they were requested.
this year i found myself making all of the salsas the night before and the morning of.......mainly to take advantage of the produce sales at the markets. i don't coupon, but it's nice to save $2-3 on avocados!!! i hosted about 45 people again in our little apartment. i cringe to think of what my floors looked like after. i couldn't wait another day before vacuuming and steam cleaning the kitchen floor. dishes are done, pictures are waiting to be posted, and my coworkers are happily enjoying my leftover salsa that i'm spreading out through the week. today it's PINEAPPLE and FIRE AND ICE (watermelon). who knows what tomorrow will bring!!
okay, so on to the fun stuff! the duplicates from last year:
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| i had to put a little aside since i knew this one would be gone...so glad that i did!! |
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| i doubled the recipe from last year |
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| i always double this one b/c i can take it to work and eat it as lunch for days |
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| i doubled this recipe at the request of my home teacher rob...this is his favorite so i made him a little care package |
now onto the new ones. i got all of these recipes from Pinterest and have lightly adapted them to fit what i had/wanted. the sources can be found off of my salsa board. i will start with my favorite:
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| i love the flavor of roasted habaneros now!! |
ROASTED HABANERO
6 roma tomatoes, diced (discard the goopy stuff and seeds)
2 habanero peppers, roasted and finely diced (directions below)
1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
1/2 red onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
handful of cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 T olive oil
1 t red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
*half the habaneros and cut out seeds and membrane
*line cookie sheet with tin foil
*roast habaneros on cookie sheet on broil for 4 minutes (until they start to blacken)
*combine tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, and cilantro
*whisk together lime juice, oil, vinegar, and spices
*toss together
**side note**
when pulling out the habaneros from the oven, DON'T BREATH!! i made the mistake of normally inhaling when i opened the oven and nearly aspirated a lung from coughing so hard. also, make sure to wear gloves any time you handle the habaneros. i've never had to learn the hard way, thank goodness!!
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| i love peaches!! |
INGREDIENTS
4-6 peaches, finely diced (choose peaches that are still a little on the firm side, which will make dicing them easier!)
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced (next time i will also add an orange one for color)
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeño, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
handful of cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/4 t chili pepper
1 T brown sugar, packed
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
toss everything together!!
**side note**
i think next time i make this one, i'll not only add the extra bell pepper, but maybe some more chili pepper for a bigger kick........
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| right?????? |
INGREDIENTS
6 kiwi, diced (make sure they're on the firm side)
1 jalapeño, finely diced
1/2 white onion, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
DIRECTIONS
gently toss everything together
**side note**
this had to be the most interesting salsa i've ever made. i used a potato peeler to peel the kiwi, but thought about halfway through that a paring knife would have been a little easier to use. the peeler kept getting furry........
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| watermelon is the bomb.com!! |
INGREDIENTS
1/2 of a seedless watermelon, diced
bunch of green onions, copped
1 jalapeño, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 limes
DIRECTIONS
*chop up watermelon and set aside until ready to serve
*combine onions, pepper, and cilantro in separate bowl
*when ready to serve, combine everything together and juice limes over
**side note**
the hardest part of this one was chopping up the watermelon smaller than what i'm used to. i had to keep reminding myself that this was for salsa, not just to eat. also, by keeping the watermelon separate, it gave the juice a chance to settle to the bottom, saving the salsa from becoming a gazpacho!!
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| taa-daa!!! |
i love salsa!!! special shout-out to my lovely cara, who made an awesome 7 layer dip, cameron, who brought a tres leches cake that i requested (he brought one last year and it was delish!), daniel for the pan dulce, and everyone else that brought something to help out. here are some pictures from the party!!!
