Our New Favorite Garden Salsa

Garden season means fresh salsa! This is our new favorite recipe. It comes from the Aug/Sept 2012 issue of Taste of Home. I don't usually copy and paste a recipe as is on this blog - but this one is perfect just as it's written. My sister brought me a bottle of this for my birthday recently and we fell in love! My little 5-year-old said, "This is the best salsa on earth! Mom, how long will it take you to figure out making this?" I had to chuckle. He has figured out that I am willing to experiment and try and copy a taste that we love. I replied,"It won't take long at all. I just have to call Aunt Amber and she'll tell me what she did."

I love that this calls for cucumbers and zucchini - it really doesn't need that many tomatoes. The last batch I made was heavy on the cucumber and zucchini and we still loved it. I stored it in a quart jar in the fridge and it stayed good at least a week - we just snacked on it whenever we wanted it. I took a quart of it to a family reunion and everyone wanted the recipe. Yesterday we mixed in about 1 cup of this salsa with a bunch of mashed avocado - it was amazing! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Garden Veg Salsa Recipe

Garden Veg Salsa Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Garden Veg Salsa Recipe

Garden Veg Salsa Recipe

• Prep: 20 min.
• Yield: 12 Servings

2020

Ingredients

• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 medium sweet yellow or red pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Tortilla chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. Serve with chips. Yield: 6 cups.

Upcoming Free Class

Upcoming Free Class

I have been asked to present some classes at a local preparedness store one Saturday each month. Food 2 Store is located on Fariview just west of Eagle Rd (by Seagull Book.) These classes are free to the public so tell your friends and family - it would be fun to have a large group there! I'll post more classes as dates are set.

Saturday Aug. 25^th   10am

Using Ultra Sperse in Canning and Freezing

Low sugar jams, jellies, and pie fillings couldn't be easier! Ultra Sperse has got to be one of the best kept secrets out there for the home canner. This class will cover making instant freezer jam as well as tips for using ultra sperse in other canned or frozen items such as sweet and sour sauce, orange chicken glaze, salsa, fruit syrups, etc. Space is limited so reserve your spot today by emailing or calling Food 2 Store.

Here's my latest and greatest attempt at a whole grain pancake that doesn't require eggs. The battery is dead on my camera so you'll just get to imagine how good they look. I'd wait until I could take pictures again, but that could be forever with as crazy as my summer has been. I decided you would probably rather get the recipe now and not wait on photos. Enjoy! Whole Grain Pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour	1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup rolled oats	1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup corn meal	5 Tbsp dry milk powder
1/4 cup sugar	Approx. 1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon	2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the water and mix well. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to soften the oats. Stir in the vinegar just before baking and add more water if needed to give you the right consistency. Cook on a hot griddle. This recipe can easily be turned into a large mix. Just multiply the recipe of the dry ingredients by 6 or more and store in an air tight container. To use: Measure out 3 cups of mix and then add the water and vinegar as in the recipe above.

Here are some photos from our Idaho City Excursion - Our summer of Field Trips has been a lot of fun!

I'm sure if you do some research, you'll find some things to do around your area that don't cost anything besides the gas to get there. 

We borrowed my parents old 15 passenger van - it's the one we had when I was growing up so my family of nine siblings could all go places together. We stuffed it full of friends and then caravaned (Is that even a word?) with a couple of other families. The kids now refer to the van as the "fun mobile."

Idaho City is just over an hour away from Boise. It used to be Idaho's largest town - back in the gold rush days it boasted a population of around 15,000! Now there are about 500 full-time residents. 

We stopped by the old jail.

The kids all decided it would be really easy to escape from since there was a large gap between the ground and the building. The building has been moved a few times and now does not sit on a true foundation.

All the old buildings have signs like the one you see in the background here describing their original function. It does not take long to do a self-guided walking tour.

Here is the old Catholic church. It was rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire that wiped out the town. It actually still functions as a church with Mass happening each week.

We lucked out the day we were there because of a reunion of a Smoke Jumpers group that had used Idaho City as their home base 30 years ago all the buildings were opened for tours. Here is a photo of the inside of the church restored as close as possible to its original condition.

This is a shot looking into one of the historic homes. If you look closely, you can see the back room with the pink wallpaper. That's it for this house - just these two rooms. It really puts my large home into perspective - why do I complain about lack of space? Somehow over the generations we have grown to expect far more than is truly needed.

Here is City Hall. It is housed in the original school building. They actually still have the blackboards hanging on the walls inside.

We had a great time learning about Idaho history!

If you go, there is a visitor's center right off the highway as you enter town. They can share with you a copy of the walking tour information. There is a small park in town with picnic tables as well as some others near the visitor's center. There is also a couple of great little places to get an ice cream cone or some lunch. The kids had fun playing in an old time toy store that recently opened where they have a play corner specifically set up for kids to try out the old fashioned toys.  There are quite a few campgrounds in the area so you can stay over night if you'd like. It will be time well spent what ever you do as you build memories together.

Washing and Freezing Berries

The long wait is over - the raspberries are ready! My parents are the ones with the large patch that we all help maintain. From the time that we prune them all down in early Spring the kids are always asking, "When will we get to pick raspberries?" The variety my parents have are not everbearers. They only produce for about 3 weeks of the summer, beginning near the 4th of July and continuing through the month. We have to pick about every 2 days.

 I have 6 siblings who live in town so we each take a different day to help Grandpa pick the patch. My dad is a hard worker. He can't stand to see someone else working without jumping in to help so he is in the patch every couple of days all month long! He considers it his precious time with his grand kids. The last time we picked, we got 15 pints! With the price of raspberries in our area that is about $45 worth! Knowing they get 10-12 of those pickings during the peak of the season makes it well worth the work.

When I wash the berries, I've learned to put one cup or so in a bowl with some cool water. You could use your sink, but my back starts to hurt leaning over so long and the bowl on my counter is a better height for me. Swish the berries around in the water and remove any weeds or debris. I also sort the berries by pulling out the ones that are not quite as red. I set these aside and allow them to ripen another day or two on the counter. We usually end up just eating these fresh - they are just too tempting! I've learned to set one of the berry cups in the sink to put my washed berries in to drain a bit. (You can see it just barely in the right side of the picture above.) Change your water as needed.

Once washed you can place in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze or put in a food processor to puree. Once frozen, move the berries to a ziplock bag for longer storage. I use frozen berries in yogurt smoothies all year long. Sometimes I collect them until I have enough to make jam if it happens to be a smaller picking.

This time, I opted to puree them and then freeze the puree until I have time to make jam - the puree is already pre-measured so jam making will go quickly another day.

This method of washing and freezing berries works with all berries. Our blackberry patch that we started last year is off to a good start, but we are only getting a handful or so a day so we are collecting them in the freezer for later.

Mint Brownies - Made Healthier

My husband requested these brownies after having one at the local Kneaders Bakery. He is a lover of mint chocolate chip ice cream so it didn't surprise me that he loved these brownies. As is usually the case when I experiment with a new recipe, we had some company coming over so I didn't dare trade out too many things. In this recipe, I left the eggs and traded out 1/2 the fat for bean puree. (I may get a little more brave the next time I make this. If I have success, I'll post the updates. I've learned that brownies can be tricky based on some other recipes I've played with so I decided to stay on the safe side.)

Here is the play-by-play:

Mix cocoa with melted butter

Add bean puree

Here they are together in the bowl.

Spray honey measuring cup with oil - this makes the honey slide right out.

Measure and add the honey

Here it is after I've added the sugar and the eggs and creamed it all together.

Add dry ingredients. I used white wheat flour (as opposed to red wheat flour) because the ground white wheat trades easier in recipes and doesn't require that you monkey with the liquid amounts.

They baked up well.

Here is a side view to show you how much they rose - when I first poured the batter in the pan, it didn't look  like very much so I wondered if they would be thin brownies, but no - they ended up thick and wonderful.

Spreading the mint icing

Ready to serve - they are rich so you don't need a big one. One pan will serve 20-24 people easily.

Mint Brownies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup baking cocoa (not hot chocolate)
1/2 cup white bean puree
2 Tbsp honey
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups Chocolate Icing - make your own or purchase some

Mint Icing
5 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
dash of salt
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring
2-3 Tbsp milk - may not be needed

For brownies - melt butter and mix in cocoa until smooth. Add bean puree, honey, eggs, and sugar. Cream together. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in nuts, if desired. Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool.

For mint icing - Mix everything together except the milk. Beat until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer. Add just a little milk, if needed, to thin the frosting so it is just a little thinner than traditional cake frosting. (You don't want it too thin or it will run off the brownies.)

Assembling - Spread the mint icing on the brownies when they are completely cool. Place pan in the freezer long enough to stiffen the mint icing. Remove the pan from the freezer and carefully spread a layer of chocolate icing on the top.

Summer Field Trip Fun

Where are the lazy days of summer? With all my kids home, I am finding it difficult to find time to do blog posts. How did I ever find time to write a book? I knew the crazy days would hit as soon as school was over so this year I did my best to plan ahead for summertime fun.

In May I put together a list of Field Trips we could take that kept us within an hour from home. I then emailed the list out to many families that we know because I knew my kids would have much more fun (and there would be far less whining) if other kids joined us. I just did the list for June to see how well it would go. I am now in the process of putting together a list for July and August because we have all had so much fun!

The nightly question from one of my boys is always, "What are we doing tomorrow?" We've learned to expect it every night as we tuck him in. Having a list of of pre-thought-out activities has been helpful for all of us. (I'm sure other moms of school aged children will admit that when they are all hounding you for something to do, you just can't think creatively. The other thing that is difficult to do last minute is rally a whole group to go with you.) The field trip list has provided groups of 20-30 people at each activity and all of us have had a lot of fun. It has also helped us explore places around town that we have always thought would be fun to go to but just haven't made it.

I knew June would need to be a transition month. The kids were used to going to school everyday. They would still be feeling a need for something everyday in June. (It just takes a bit of time to convince them that summer is meant to be slower.) I decided to do about 2 field trips a week a June, transitioning to one a week or so for July and August. I also waited to put together the list for July and August until I could have some input from some of the other moms who were joining us regularly.

Here is a copy of the beginning of our list for you to use as an example. The majority of the field trips have been free or inexpensive so it helps us keep within our "Summer fun" budget.  So make a bucket list of the things you want to still do this summer and invite others to join in on the fun!

 Field Trips for Summer Fun

In an effort to be a little more ready to entertain kids this summer, we've put together a few opportunities for field trips during the month of June. We would love to have families join us. It is always more fun when other kids come along. All of these activities could accommodate large groups so feel free to invite others to join in on the fun.

Thursday, May 31st -9:30am - 4pm Day trip to Bruneau Sand Dunes near Mountain Home - about an hour drive from here. The sand dunes are the tallest in North America. There is fossil hunting, a visitor's center and playing/hiking on the sand dunes. Some people have told me they have taken tabagons to slide down the dunes. I'm sure other sand toys would be well used. Everyone will need to take a picnic lunch. There is a $5 fee per vehicle. Meet at Andrus Elementary Parking Lot at 9:30 am so we can carpool. We'll plan to be back home between 3-4 pm. For more info check out this link. (We leaned a hard lesson this year. Please keep your shoes on because the sand can get VERY hot. One of the boys who was with us burned his feet very badly.) http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/bruneaudunesstatepark.aspx

Monday, June 4th - 11:00am MK Nature Center (the park where you see the fish through the windows) and picnic lunch at Municipal park in downtown Boise. Meet at the covered picnic area (back by the parking lot and bathrooms) of Municipal park at 11:00am.

Thursday, June 7th - 4:30-6:00 Boise Art Museum - The 1st Thursday of every month admission is free and they do an art experience beginning at 5 pm where the kids can do a directed project for free.

Monday, June 11th - 10:00 am Capitol building tour, Paddle Boats in Julia Davis Park, and picnic lunch. Meet at the Liberty Bell in front of the big staircase of the Capitol Building at 10:00 am. There is on the street 2 hr parking a couple of blocks behind the Capitol if you don't want to the pay the meter. A tour usually lasts about an hour. We will then go to Julia Davis Park and ride the Paddle Boats before eating lunch. The paddle boats cost $8 for 1/2 hour and carry 3 people each.