I remember the first time I went to a Mexican restaurant; I believe I was 12 years old. I was with my friend and her family and, truth be told, I had never been to a Mexican restaurant before.
Actually, I had never even eaten Mexican food before. No tacos, no quesadillas, no chips and salsa–no nothin’!
I remember sitting down and looking over the menu and being overwhelmed by the options. I had no clue what anything was or what I would even like to eat. I ended up ordering chicken fingers.
Yes, you CAN get chicken fingers off the kids menu at Mexican restaurants. Well, maybe not all Mexican restaurants, but you could at this particular one.
That was my first opportunity to experience the deliciousness of salsa, and I completely overlooked it #fail
I wish I could remember the first time I actually tried Mexican food, but I can’t. I’d imagine it wasn’t until high school, but I am certain that it was love at first bite. I would devour the chips and salsa before the main course at restaurants.
One time, I went to a restaurant with my friends and wasn’t hungry so, rather than ordering actual food, I just ate the chips and salsa served before the meal.
…that’s actually so embarrassing and I can’t believe I just told you all that, but it’s the truth. Chipotle salsa, mango salsa, pineapple salsa–I love it all!
Now, every time someone asks if I can bring snacks to a party, chips and salsa are my first choice. Boy, have I come a long way since my chicken finger days.
Speaking of bringing snacks to parties, over July 4th weekend my friend had a get together and, what do you know, she asked everyone invited to bring a snack.
My first thought was to make and bring a recipe off of my blog, but then I thought that would be boring and I should bring something new and exciting.
This particular salsa isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but it IS a classic salsa recipe. I’d never made salsa before but I happened to have some tomatoes and cilantro in my refrigerator that needed to be used up sooner rather than later. I also had a jar of store-bought salsa in my refrigerator as well.
Problem was that the jar was almost gone. Before throwing it away, I turned the bottle around and read the ingredients list. I could totally make my own, I thought.
I ran to the grocery store, picked up a few of the ingredients I was missing, threw everything into the food processor and viola–delicious salsa!
Seriously, could it be any simpler? I brought the salsa to my friends get together and, without bragging, I must say that it was a huge hit. I was so thrilled and even more excited to write about my success.
Now, we can all make our own salsa! People are way more impressed when you make your own salsa rather than bringing store-bought. Seriously, make this and everyone will think you’re a chef in training.
So the next time you have a get together or are hanging out with friends, make this salsa and impress everyone. Then devour it all in one evening. Trust me–you won’t regret it.
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- ½ green pepper
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed if you want it less spicy
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp paprika
- Juice from 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Place the roma tomatoes and the can of diced tomatoes into a food processor; pulse.
- Cut the jalapeño pepper length-ways and either remove the seeds if you want the salsa less spicy, or leave them in if you want it extra spicy; add this pepper, along with the green pepper, to the food processor and pulse.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor.
- Pour into a dish and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits the longer the flavors will absorb.
- Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!