RECIPE: SPICY SPEEDY FOOD PROCESSOR TOMATO SALSA

This is one of those recipes you can whip up fast when friends drop in… and if you don’t have all of the ingredients, it really does not matter. Use what you have; it is perfectly okay to omit the cilantro and add Italian parsley or omit the jalapeno and add your favorite pepper.

Normally, if I'm serving chips and salsa, I will stop by my favorite Mexican restaurant and pick up warm chips to serve but this salsa is so good, any old chip will do.

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: no cook recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 small white onion, quartered

2 small jalapeno peppers, halved, seeded

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon olive oil

Juice from 1 lime

¼ teaspoon lime zest

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

4 large red tomatoes, quartered, seeded

1 green tomato, quartered, seeded

1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

 INSTRUCTIONS:

Add the first 2 ingredients into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped. Add the next six ingredients and pulse until chopped but not runny- leave the texture as whole as you can. Add the tomatoes and pulse 6-8 times depending on how chunky you like your salsa. Add the cilantro and pulse 1-2 more times. Check the seasoning; you may want to add more salt and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes to up the heat. Serve with tortilla chips or over eggs for breakfast. 

RECIPE: BLACK EYED PEA SALAD OR REDNECK CAVIAR

Some folks call this Redneck Caviar, others Texas Caviar but whatever the name, this black eyed pea salad is always a hit at a party. Served as a side dish or as a starter with Scoops or tortilla chips, everyone loves it. Make it early in the day; it needs time for the flavors to combine.

Black Eyed Pea Salad is a great side dish or party dip served with toasted pits chips or those yummy Scoops by Fritos. It holds well on a hot day and can be served chilled or room temperature.

BLACK EYED PEA SALAD

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes plus overnight

INGREDIENTS

4 cups cooked and drained black-eyed peas

6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Tabasco

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

2 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook the black eyed peas according to package directions keeping their texture intact. Don’t overcook them. Cook the bacon and drain on paper towels. Crumble. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving, stirring occasionally. Bring salad to room temperature before serving. Toss and check salt and pepper before serving.

RECIPE: HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

My mom used to make homemade ice cream for us all the time. There was just nothing like it and we’d all fight to get to lick the paddle. When I was really young, we had one of those crank kind of ice cream churns. I used to think it would never freeze. When I got a little older, we graduated to an electric freezer, but it did not make as much... a problem for an ice cream loving family.

The vanilla bean is my addition. We certainly never had a vanilla bean in our house growing up. You can add fresh fruit, chocolate chips, or other flavorings to this recipe if you want but add it in right at the end after you spin the ice cream for best results.

MOM'S HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Skill Level: Easy  

Prep Time: 10 minutes   Cook Time: 25 minutes

Makes approximately 4 cups of ice cream base mixture

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup whole milk (you can use 2% if you prefer)

2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, optional

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla extract or to taste

DIRECTIONS

Add the milk, cream, salt, and the vanilla bean to a heavy pot or saucepan. Heat for one minute and stir in the sugar. Heat over medium heat just until the sugar is totally dissolved and just as little bubbles start to form around the edges but do not let it come to a boil. Remove from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until frothy. Whisk a cup of the hot mixture into the eggs; slowly whisk in another cup which will temper the eggs.

Whisk the egg mixture back into the remaining milk in the pot. Change to a wooden spoon. Cook the mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens enough to coat back of the spoon. You will know it is done if you use your finger to draw a line down the back of the spoon and it holds. This will be around 160 degrees if you are using a thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil. (If it goes over 180 degrees F, it will likely curdle.)

Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a large heat-proof glass bowl. Split the vanilla bean, scrape it and add about 1/2 of the seeds to the mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until cooled. Taste. Add additional vanilla or other flavorings as desired. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled; up to 24 hours before freezing.

Freeze according to manufacturer instructions.