Thursday, December 22, 2016

The BEST and EASIEST Homemade Salsa Ever!

When it comes to salsa, my husband is pretty picky. We have yet to find a store-bought salsa that has met his standards. By that I mean, a salsa that has good flavor and isn't chunky. He doesn't like chunks of tomatoes, peppers, or onions in his salsa which makes this easy homemade restaurant-style salsa perfect! I love how quick and easy it is to make and the fact that you have control over how thick and how spicy you want it. Once you make this salsa, your days of buying salsa in the grocery stores will be over! 

It is da bomb!

To make this salsa you will need a blender or food processor.  I use my Ninja and it works great. 

Jalapeno seeds adds heat to your salsa!
More seeds= hotter salsa!
In your blender/food processor add the following ingredients:

1- 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can of original Rotel
1/2 of a small onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled & smashed
1/2- 1 jalapeno, seeded or not (Seeds will make your salsa hot! More seeds= more heat!)
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Small-medium handful cilantro (I add a large handful of cilantro because I LOVE it!)
Juice of 1 lime (or use 1- 1 1/2 tsp. bottled lime juice)

Put all the ingredients in the blender and pulse for 30 seconds. Blend until it's to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust taste if needed by adding more of a particular ingredient. Serve with chips, tacos, burritos and more! Enjoy!!

**This salsa is delicious served right after making! It will make enough to fill two jars. I usually make a double batch and stick the extra in the freezer! Salsa will freeze perfectly fine, but be aware that upon thawing, the salsa will have a thinner consistency. Taste remains the same and just as delicious, just thinner due to the freezing/thawing process. 

Here's what you need! Blend and enjoy! 
I hope you enjoy this salsa as much as we do! 

Homemade Pizza

Hello all!! It's been awhile since I have last posted so today I am hoping to make up for lost time ;)

Today I wanted to share with you my favorite recipe for homemade pizza. Often times I think people get intimidated with having to make pizza dough or feel it takes too much time. The quick solution usually results in either going for a store-bought pre-made pizza crust or the refrigerated kind you can simply roll out. OR for some people, their idea of "homemade" is Pizza Hut! Now, I do love Pizza Hut, but if you haven't given a real homemade pizza a shot, I'd encourage you to do so!
Dissolve active dry yeast in warm water.

To begin, you will want to preheat your oven to 425* and have your toppings ready to go! To start off you will need to dissolve 1 package of active dried yeast in 1 cup warm water. (*NOTE- do not use hot water as this will kill the yeast.) Once the yeast is dissolved, stir in 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour.

Knead the dough on a floured surface.









Mixing these ingredients will take some stirring in the bowl but in order to really mix well, flip the dough out on a floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, adding flour if necessary so it doesn't stick. Once the dough is well kneaded, flip the bowl over the dough and allow it to 'rest' for approximately 5-8 minutes.

Allow the dough to rest for 5-8 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, roll out on a lightly greased pan. I used a Pampered Chef round stone. This recipe makes enough to make two small pizzas (thin crust) or one large pizza (thicker crust). Top the dough with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. **A favorite of ours is hamburger and pepperoni!!** Finish off with a generous layer of cheese and bake at 425* for 15-20 minutes.


Make your own pizza sauce using pizza seasoning
with your favorite pasta sauce! 
**Don't have pizza sauce? No problem!! I stopped buying pizza sauce because I have found a dual purpose for plain ol' pasta sauce! Score! To make pizza sauce, simple use your favorite pasta sauce on your pizza and then sprinkle with pizza seasoning. (found in the spice aisle and costs less than a $1.00) Pizza seasoning will give your sauce the flavor and spices that traditional pizza sauce would have.)


The total amount of time invested in making a homemade pizza is about 35-40 minutes... and that's time to allow the dough to rest and baking time! If you have your topping ready to go, the process of making and baking a homemade pizza is pretty simple! Enjoy :)



Homemade Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast
1 C. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
2 1/2 C. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients, mix well and knead on a flour surface. Let dough rest for approximately 5-8 minutes. Spread dough over greased pan, top with pizza sauce and toppings of choice. Bake at 425* for 15-20 minutes.