One of my favorite things to make when the garden is producing it's bounty and the tomatoes are plump, ripe and juicy is salsa.  I have tried canning this salsa, freezing it both unsuccessfully.  Don't get me wrong it still tastes ok, but it losses it fresh flavor during the canning process and freezing causes the vegetables to break down too much on the cellular level and the salsa ends up very watery.  So we make it a couple of times during the week and by now every member of the family, besides Gemma is able to reproduce their own version.  Since we don't live in a warm or tropical climate, we aren't able to grow limes.  Although I have had a lime and lemon tree for some time now, they just don't seem to get the heat and the sunlight needed to produce fruit.  Therefore, we keep a good stock of limes and lemons on hand throughout the season.  As per my MO, this is a forgiving recipe and can be tweeked to your liking.  Don't like cilantro, don't use it.  Roast the tomatoes and jalapenos before blending for a smokey flavor.  Like more spice?  Leave the seeds and membrane in the jalapenos.  Want your salsa to have more sweetness?  Add some roasted or not sweet peppers or for those really adventurous add peaches, pineapple or strawberries.  We even add in corn and or black beans from time to time.  Make it your own.  Just make it, don't buy it!  It tastes much better than any other salsa your going to purchase from your grocery.

Garden Salsa

Ingredients

6 tomatoes seeded and cut into chunks
1 jalapeno seeded and deveined
2 cloves of garlic smashed and sliced
1 tsp cumin
3 Tbs Cilantro chopped
1/2 lime juiced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Place everything into a **food processor and pulse until the vegetables are diced to your liking.  Making sure the tomatoes are fully chopped and there aren't any large chunks left.  Add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Since you will more than likely be using tortilla chips with this taste with them.  Tortilla chips already contain some seasoning and you don't want the salsa to have more salt than needed with the chips.

**If you don't have a food processor, you only need to chop or dice the ingredients to your liking.  You could try and use a blender with the chop setting, but mine would tend to make everything to fine for my liking. 

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• 1 pkg. frozen lima beans
• 1 pkg. frozen peas
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 4 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Directions


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We woke up this morning to 8 inches of newly fallen snow.  So 1 week before Spring Break, the kids got to have 1 last snow day.  Yes, school was closed and River, Logan and Isabella were more than happy to get to sleep in and stay at home!  Quite a treat for them-one last adventure to Mulberry Park to go sledding and snowboarding.



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After much contemplation and a discussion with the fam we decided upon a pasta dish and a salad.  Our salad was a favorite, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad.


This couldn't be more simple.  Slice any kind of tomato from the garden and drizzle with red wine vinegar and kosher salt.  Slice fresh mozzarella and top tomatoes or layer around a plate.  Chiffonade basil and sprinkle over tomatoes and mozzarella and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a little freshly ground pepper.  This dish I could eat as a meal in itself.  Chad and I absolutely love it!

The pasta dish was Broccoli and Bow Ties from The Barefoot Contessa.  It was a big hit, and I must say very easy and quick.  We will be incorporating this dish into our regular mix.


All in all Meatless Monday was a huge success!!!

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I am by no means vegetarian, or vegan or otherwise.  Saying this reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw that read, "I love animals!  They're Delicious!"  I honestly cannot imagine going through life sans meat or fish, etc.  Having said this, we are going to begin making Mondays, our day free of meats.  But, not free of all animal products.  There is no rhyme or reason to this decision.  I only thought it would be good for us.  So, today is our first Meatless Monday. And not just one meal, but the whole day.
To begin, our breakfast consisted of cereal and milk for some and Traders Point Creamery Honey Yogurt and fresh blueberries for others.  The kids packed their lunches as usual and filled their boxes with peanut butter and/or honey/jelly on wheat, veggie chips, grapes, and pudding.  I will be having Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salad.  This is leftover from yesterday's lunch, but in my opinion is even better the next day.



photography from Marthastewart.com

Meatless Monday Part Deux  will feature our dinner meal.  I am even wondering what I will come up with, but thank goodness there are a plethora of delicious fresh vegetables from the garden.  Now, what to make?  Hmmmmmm?  Any suggestions are welcomed!

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"From scratch? What do you mean from scratch?"  These were the words my darling 6 yr. old touted when I explained that, no we weren't making Mac 'n Cheese from the box.  Tonight, a weeknight, I was making pasta and cheese from scratch.  I say pasta and cheese because I rarely have macaroni and generally use whatever I can find in the pantry.  Tonight was orzo mixed with penne.  I heard multiple grumblings of, "it's not going to be the same." as he grated the cheeses.  My reply? "River, I certainly hope not!"  And afterward, he and the others agreed it was not the same, but better.  This is a relatively simple dish, homey and comforting.  Make your own twist, you can pretty much use any cheeses you wish.  Surprise your family tonight without using the stuff in the box :).

Three Cheese Pasta

Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 lb pasta of your choosing
1 qt milk
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 C all-purpose flour
6 oz Gruyere, grated (2 Cups)
8 oz White Cheddar, grated (2 Cups)
6 oz Chevre (goat cheese) broken up into chunks
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
5 small fresh tomatoes (thick sliced)
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
Boil the water, add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
Now you'll make a basic bechamel sauce.  Heat the milk in a small saucepan, taking care not to boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the flour bit by bit whisking as you go-don't burn this roux. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, again keep whisking. Continue whisking and add the hot milk in two batches cook for a minute or two more, until the sauce is  thickened and smooth. -No lumps!
Take the pan off the heat, and add the cheeses, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Pour everything into a 3-quart baking dish.
Place the tomatoes on top of the pasta.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and mix with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the bread crumbs are browned on the top.

Serves 8


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