Tomato Salsa

Recently, the hubby came home from the store with a bunch of really nice looking fresh tomatoes. The only thing is, we already had a bunch! Hmm, they would be great in a salad, but how about homemade salsa?!?!? Sounds yummy, right? The "heat" level of salsa is a very personal preference.  Please feel free to turn up the "temperature" by using hot sauce! I LOVE the Frank's RedHot  brand!!


Ingredients

2 cups chopped tomatoes,
  seeds removed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12-ounce package three pepper
  and onion blend, frozen
Few dashes of hot sauce,
  if desired

Put the tomatoes, lemon juice, chili powder, salt, black pepper, hot sauce (if desired) and about a fourth of the frozen bag of the peppers and onions into a blender. Blend until the peppers and onions are well incorporated. Keep adding a fourth of a bag at a time until all the peppers and onions are added. I tried to dump the entire bag into the blender and let's just say my blender was not happy!  Blend ingredients until desired consistency. Makes three cups of salsa. Store covered in a container for up to three days.

Deluxe Pumpkin Bread

When I baked this pumpkin bread last night, it felt like summer. Today, it's cool and rainy. It seems like once the middle of September rolls around, the stores start putting up the Halloween and yes, Christmas displays!  Cathy's Kitchen bakes pumpkin bread year round.  The past couple of times I have made pumpkin bread, I've added chopped pecans and coconut, which made it pretty tasty.  I was curious if I added milk chocolate chips and oats, plus upped the cinnamon and nutmeg, what the end result would be. Well, guess what?!?! It was awesome! I gave the hubby a bite of this warm from the oven and then left the remaining piece on a plate while I did the nightly call with my dad. After I hung up the phone, I was going to eat what was left on the plate. There was none left, the hubby ate it while I was chatting with my dad! That's okay, I still love him anyways!

 

 

This morning, I cut up the pumpkin bread and gave it to the hubby to take to work to share with his co-workers. He told me, "I'm sure it will be a hit!" I sent my husband an e-mail about 10:00 a.m. this morning and asked him how much of the pumpkin bread was left. His response, "the bread is almost completely gone!" Cool.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 cups white flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside. In large bowl, put the flour, sugar, eggs, pumpkin, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, canola oil and water. Mix well by hand or mixer until smooth.  "Fold" the chocolate chips, pecans, oats and coconut into the batter and gently combine with a large spoon.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Store covered at room temperature for up to three days. Serves 6-8.



Homemade Hash Browns

During the week, my husband and I don't eat breakfast together. Sunday morning is our time to "re-connect" and I usually make us scrambled eggs and bagels. I decided to change it up a bit this morning by adding homemade hash browns to the "menu."

Wow, these were pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself. Lauren is home from college this weekend and she woke up late this morning. She put a serving on a plate and popped it into the microwave for lunch. Last year, when Lauren was a freshman and living in the dorm, there was a dining area, literally steps away from the front door. Now, living in an on-campus apartment, it's much quieter, and there's more room, but it's also further from the dining facilities. One of the first things Lauren told me when she walked through the door Friday was, "I'm looking forward to some home cooking!"

Ingredients

3 cups white potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1/2 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
   (reserved)

Peel and shred enough potatoes to make three cups.  Pat with paper towels to get as much of the moisture/liquid out as you can. In large bowl, put the shredded potatoes, onion, salt and pepper. Combine well with a large spoon and set aside. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and then press the potato mixture into the pan. Cook on medium/high heat for about five minutes then sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded cheese on top. Heat for another five minutes. Cut into four wedges, flip over with a spatula and then cook five minutes, sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese and cook an additional five minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy immediately!