I'm a good cooker

Over the years, I've gotten to be pretty handy around the kitchen. I'll be the first to admit that watching Good Eats on the Food Network was one of my inspirations to stepping it up a notch. The fact that my wife grew up in a restaurant didn't hurt, either =)

At first, I thought that more was better. More spices, more flavor. Over time, I realized that it was just too overpowering and too much... spice overkill. What good is a seasoning if you can't taste it? And, if a meal is so seasoned that only you will eat it, that's no good, either. I'm much better about that now. Again, TV to the rescue, Chef Gordon Ramsay helped me to learn that simpler can be much better.

I'm horrible about writing my recipes down. I have a tendency to just throw open the cupboard door, and say, "Hmm, this looks good, this'll be tasty," and season to taste. I'm not afraid to experiment in the kitchen. Its fun, really, to just say, "What can I make with these ingredients?" and see what happens. (I'm getting lame in my old age, lol)

I'm also not afraid of opening a jar or a can. Fresh ingredients are just about always better than canned or jarred, but, quite frankly, I have somewhat of a life and don't always have the time to prepare fresh ingredients. (Okay, I have time to blog, maybe I don't have a life, lol) All of your recipes and cooking shows will always call for fresh ingredients, but with a 9-5 job and activities and - quite frankly - fresh vegetable costs rising - its just not practical all of the time. I'm just keeping it real.

With that in mind, let me jot down my recipe for salsa:

o 1 can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed. I prefer the garlic/onion flavored can from my local Publix.

o 1 full size tomato, diced. Just because its a bit firmer than the canned ones. This may be a symptom of my overkill, but I feel better having some fresh ingredients in there :)

o 1 can pears, drained, rinsed, and diced. (Don't worry too much about dicing it, its all going in the food processor, but small chunks would be nice.) This'll give the salsa a little bit of sweetness. It comes in like an 8oz can, you could go for two cans if you'd like, I bet it'll give your salsa some nice colour. (If you try that, let me know how it works out for you! :)

o 4 jalapenos, seeded and diced. Very important that you seed the jalapenos, the seeds are the major source of their heat. (It doesn't bother me, I eat jalapenos raw, but most people don't do that, lol)

o 1/2 onion, diced

o 1/3 c scallions, diced.

o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp garlic, diced.

o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp parsley, minced. I've used both fresh and dried, I prefer the fresh, it smells sooo good. This might be a low amount, take a look at it before you buzz it and if it looks like you need more, go for it. (See what I mean about cooking from the hip? What you feel is right, probably is.)

o 1/4 c or about 3 tbsp black olives, diced. You can buy a tiny can of pre-diced olives which is perfect.

o Salt and pepper, again, go with what looks and feels right. I didn't measure or write down the amounts of each that I used last time.

Throw all in the food processor, pulse about 10 times. Makes enough for a party =) Can be stored in the fridge for at least a week. Maybe more, but its never lasted that long in my house. This salsa won't be overpowering at all, its a mild burn that just reminds you that its there at the end of the bite. People who don't like spicy food will eat it.


Later on down the road, I'll divulge my burger secrets. I make killer burgers.