homemade pico de gallo salsa (aka Andrew salsa!)

Adding to the list of Things Andrew Makes Better Than Me is this salsa.

It's not that I couldn't make this as well as him if I wanted to, it's just that I'm generally too lazy.

As in, when I make salsa, all these ingredients go straight into the food processor to get chopped up quickly and easily.

But no, it doesn't taste quite as good as this way.  Still good, but not the perfection that Andrew's salsa is.  :o)

I know this seems like quite a large batch, but trust me...  it won't go to waste!

And now I'm curious:  Do you prefer your salsa chunky like this (pico de gallo style) or more blended up?

Homemade Pico De Gallo Salsa (aka Andrew Salsa!) Recipe

Ingredients:
12 roma tomatoes
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, whites and light greens chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large limes, juiced
2-3 jalapeños, finely chopped - with or without seeds, to taste
fresh cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste (we use about 1/2-1 tablespoon salt + 1 teaspoon pepper)

Directions:
Cut the tomatoes in half and gently scoop out the seeds and juice and discard;  Dice the rest.

In a large bowl, gently stir together the diced tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.  Taste for spice and seasoning, adjust where necessary, and enjoy with chips!

This salsa keeps well for a day or two...  and actually tastes best on the second day, so feel free to make it ahead!

a few of my favorite things...

I was looking through some past recipes yesterday and I realized I definitely have some favorites when it comes to food that I share here and with friends.

Specifically mac & cheese, fruit crisps/crumbles, and brownies!

I have several variations of these in my recipe book, I never get tired of them, and I'm always excited to try new variations!

I decided to do a count for fun, and I have 9 Mac & Cheese recipes...

          pasta dogs with cheese sauce
          spicy baked mac & cheese
          baked buffalo chicken mac & cheese
          super-creamy stove top mac & cheese
          3-cheese baked mac & cheese
          baked quinoa 'mac & cheese'
          creamy stove top mac & cheese for two
          baked butternut squash and bacon mac & cheese
          & almost Beecher's famous mac & cheese!

9 fruit crisp/crumble recipes...

          raspberry rhubarb crumble
          rhubarb crumble & make-ahead crumble topping mix
          berry peach crisp
          cardamom peach blackberry crisp
          apple crisp yogurt parfaits
          fresh peach raspberry cobbler
          almond berry crumble, gluten free
          peach blueberry crumble
          & peach raspberry crumble pie!

and 12 Brownie recipes!

          fudgy dark chocolate brownies
          mexican hot chocolate brownies
          caramel peanut butter Snickers brownies
          fudgy York peppermint patty brownies
          pink & brownies, for my love
          fudgy chocolate chip cookie dough brownies
          candy bar brownies
          mocha fudge brownies
          fudgy Andes mint brownies
          triple chocolate peppermint brownies
          chewy lemon bars (lemon brownies)
          & toasted coconut Samoas brownies!

Have you tried any of these?  Which are your favorites?

Or even better, do you have a favorite mac & cheese, brownie or fruit crisp recipe I should try?  Like I said, I never get tired of trying new kinds!!

gooey marshmallow chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are rich, moist, incredibly chewy and absolutely irresistible.

My two toddlers were complete basket-cases just looking at these and I had to hide them as soon as they were cool to stop all the tears.

I may have needed to hide them from myself too.  Maybe.  :o)  They were good.

I have to say, one of the best parts about being blessed with some amazing meals from friends while we adjust to having a new baby in our family, is that I get to spend my precious little kitchen time on fun things like baking, instead of the day-to-day challenge of feeding my family.

There is no way I would be able to do both right now, and since baking is my sanity, I'm pretty sure those amazing meals are also helping me adjust more easily to the chaos that is our life right now!

Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
makes about 18 very large cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt;  set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes.

Beat in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla until well combined.  Beat in the flour mixture until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before continuing.  Preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper;  set aside.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the dough, roll into a big ball in your hands and then gently split in two like you are cracking an egg in half.  Place the halves, craggly side up, onto the prepared baking sheets... about 6 cookies to a baking sheet, with lots of room for spreading.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

(Of course, you can make these cookie smaller...  and I am usually a small-cookie person...  but for some reason they just never taste as good to me when I make them smaller!  No idea why!)

Bake each sheet for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges and then let the cookies rest on the cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.

pasta with lemon browned butter & fresh dungeness crab

Sometimes you just need a quick meal to throw together on a hot summer day. Something that doesn't take a lot of thought, prep or time.

Ok...  so I know fresh crab is not a regular feature on most people's dinner menus.

But, I am lucky enough to live on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, where Dungeness Crab abound in the waters just minutes from my house!

And not much makes my day brighter than when my sweet husband walks in the door with 2 or 3 beautiful Dungeness Crab...  and then happily cracks it all for me!  (Seriously, he actually enjoys it!)

This pasta is also great by itself, or with some grilled chicken or steak, so don't be put off by the crab if you don't have it or don't like it...  give this delicious dinner a try.  It's a hit with kids and adults alike!

Maybe you'll be lucky enough to hear "What did you do to this butter?  It's amazing!", like I did!

Pasta with Lemon Browned Butter & Fresh Dungeness Crab Recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup butter
1 large clove garlic, smashed
1 large lemon
salt & pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley
fresh cracked Dungeness crab meat, optional of course

Directions:
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter with the smashed garlic clove in a large pan over medium heat.

Continue to cook the butter, swirling it occasionally, until it starts to get very fragrant and turns golden brown.  Immediately remove from the heat, remove the garlic clove (throw it away) and stir in the lemon juice and the cooked pasta.  Toss well to coat.

Season to taste with salt & pepper (& crushed red pepper flakes if you'd like!) and toss in the chopped parsley just before serving with the crab (or whatever meat you're having!) on top!

Enjoy!

the heart of a new-again mom...

Wiping my tears off my newborn daughter's sleeping head, I struggle... and am gently reminded why we do this.

Why we put ourselves through the pain, the vulnerability and the brokenness of birth.

Why we allow ourselves to be crushed and stretched beyond imaginable limits caring for these precious lives that take so much from us.  Always giving.  Always crying.

I never knew tears could flow so easily.  I never knew love could hurt so much.

Every little life that joins our family changes us so much.  Our 'normal' is no longer, and like blind leading the blind we have to grope our way back to a new 'normal'...  whatever that is.

The new baby needs and needs and takes and takes until it feels like there is nothing left to give.

The already-there babies cry and whine and whine and cry and try to understand that their lives will never be the same.

They try to understand that the routine they have grown so fond of has to change again to accommodate this new little person.  This new life that interrupts and is so cute but so fragile... and she doesn't even know how to play yet.

She doesn't even know how to play!

And mommy's arms are full so often and mommy's lap is so crowded, but that baby is so cute and they love her so much.

She is so tiny.  And so soft.  So incredibly soft and fragile.  And that smell.  That sweet new baby smell that even big brothers can't resist.

That sweet smell that keeps them coming back for more and more kisses and more and more touching of those soft fingers and oh so tiny toes.

But she won't stay little for long.  And these days that can be so hard sometimes...  So hard we wonder how we ever did this before or how we could ever do this again...  are gone before we know it.

Life returns to a new normal, at least until next time.

And we can't imagine life without her.  Without this person who has so taken hold of our hearts that the thought of her not being here literally takes our breath away.

This feeling.  This all-consuming love.  This family.  This is why we do this.