Favorite-Recipe Friday: My Husband's Salsa Recipe

Why favorite-recipe Friday you ask?  Well, what better time to try a new recipe than on the weekend?!

This Friday I am sharing my husband's homemade salsa recipe.  He got this recipe from his friend, Jose, but he is a lot like me in that he tweaks recipes to make them his own.  Some of these measurements are very approximate because my hubby doesn't care much for measuring ingredients; he just throws them in and hopes for the best... It usually turns out okay though... Seriously though, this is really good salsa!




Blake's Homemade Salsa


Ingredients:

• 8 tomatoes
• 3 jalapeno peppers
• 3 manzano (apple) peppers*
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion (preferably sweet)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp dried oregano (more or less to taste)
• lime juice ( I think he squeezes about half of a lime in)

Directions:

1. Roast the tomatoes and peppers on the grill.
2. Peel the tomatoes.
3. Remove all or most of the seeds from the peppers (depending on how spicy you like it)
4. Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until well mixed.
5. Pour into a bowl, cover, and store overnight in the fridge for best flavor.
6. Enjoy!

*Manzano (apple) peppers are hard to find unless you have a specialty store nearby.  You can try other peppers like banana peppers, habanero peppers, Anaheim peppers, etc.  Just experiment and find what you like.

I told you that these measurements were very approximate.  You'll want to tweak the ingredients to your liking and just have fun with it. 

Well, there you have it.  I hope you enjoy your salsa and your weekend!

Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share?  Well, send it to me and I will feature it on my blog.  Better yet, consider doing a guest post with me.   

Fall Really is My Favorite Time of Year...

I decided to take the advice of The SITS Girls and try to do some of their blogging challenges, so today I'm writing about my favorite memories of fall and why fall is my favorite time of year. 



This picture is actually a puzzle that my husband put together
and glued. It hangs above our fireplace. I love it because it
reminds me of the annual pheasant hunt with my family.

 Some of my fondest memories of fall from when I was young would have to be the annual opening of the pheasant hunt.  In Utah, bird and other wild-game hunting are very popular and my family is full of avid hunters.  Yes, I grew up eating pheasant, duck, goose, rabbit, deer, elk, etc., but that is for another post.  When I was young, the opening Saturday of the pheasant hunt was as big a deal as Christmas in my family.  We would all wake up at the crack of dawn and head out to my Grandma & Grandpa Berchtold's farm.  We usually had quite a few family friends there as well.  My mom would always make her giant cinnamon rolls and my Grandma would make a huge pot of chili.  My aunts would all bring whatever other dish was needed.  Many of us would eat breakfast there (usually included a cinnamon roll) and then the men and some of the women would head out at first light to go hunting on my family's land.  They would be back at lunch, loaded up with pheasants.  Those who didn't hunt would stay and get ready for lunch, play games, help my grandma quilt, etc.  I really need to try to find some old pics of those days.  It wasn't just about the hunt, but also being together as a family and with our good friends.  There was always just something about those fall days on the farm... the crisp air, the vibrant colors of the leaves, the vast corn fields... there was just this special feeling.

Fall is my favorite time of year for many other reasons too.  The crisp, fresh feeling in the air.  The pumpkins sitting on doorsteps, not to mention the pumpkin desserts and flavored coffee! The spicy smells of fall fragrances.  I get to wear my favorite sweatshirts, sweaters, and boots.  Having a fire in the fireplace and cuddling in a cozy blanket.  Knowing the Holidays are on the horizon.  For me, the Holiday season begins as soon as I decorate for Halloween and I decorate for Halloween at the beginning of October (what can I say, I'm a kid at heart).  Then there are the colors! My favorite colors are the yellows, oranges, and reds of the leaves in fall.  And there is nothing quite like the mountains in Utah in the fall when all those colors are on display.  I haven't got out to take pics yet this year, so you really should head on over to my friend, Mj's blog; she just took some fabulous pics of our mountains.  I could go for a drive every weekend and look at our mountains in the fall... It's something that many of us native Utahns take for granted, but it really is beautiful and awe inspiring...

How about you, what is your favorite memory or thing about fall?          

The Change--In Honor of 9/11

This post is dedicated to 9/11.  This is actually a song that was written by Garth Brooks after the Oklahoma City bombing, but I think it is also very fitting to the events of 9/11 as well and I just wanted to share it.  It struck a cord in me then and still does to this day.

THE CHANGE

One hand reaches out and pulls a lost soul from harm

While a thousand more go unspoken for

They say what good have you done

By saving just this one

It's like whispering a prayer

In the fury of the storm

And I hear them saying you'll never change things

And no matter what you do it's still the same thing

But it's not the world that I am changing

I do this so this world will know that

It will not change me

This heart still believes that love and mercy still exist

While all the hatreds rage and so many say

That love is all but pointless in madness such as this

It's like trying to stop a fire

With the moisture from a kiss

As long as one heart still holds on

Then hope is never really gone

I hear them saying you'll never change things

And no matter what you do it's still the same thing

But it's not the world that I am changing

I do this so this world we know

Never changes me

What I do is so

This world will know

That it will not change me

My Weekend in Pictures: Peach Days Edition

When it comes to peaches, the state that usually comes to mind is probably Georgia, so it's a little known fact to the majority of the U.S. that Northern Utah has some fabulous peaches.  People drive from out of state to the small rural communities of Perry and Willard, UT (just a few miles south of where I live in Brigham City) to go to the fruit stands and get peaches.  I've heard of people who make an annual trip from Las Vegas, NV, etc. to come and get peaches.  Mind you, that's approximately an 8 hour drive...Yeah, our peaches are THAT good!

Brigham City is a great town to visit, especially during Peach Days.  Peach Days actually started back in 1904 as a day off from the harvest and a time to celebrate "an abundance of the best peaches in Utah."  This city-wide event is the longest continually celebrated harvest festival in Utah and is reported to be the second oldest in the country.  It has become an honored tradition and very popular event that brings approximately 50,000 spectators over the fun and event-filled weekend...Here are just a few highlights...

Many of us start our morning getting to our favorite parade spot early and enjoying some of the best donuts around.  My family's favorite parade spot is right in Kent's Market parking lot, so we are close to these awesome treats.

Then there's the parade!  It usually has about 100 entries and lasts a couple of hours.

there are firetrucks with their sirens blaring and lights flashing.

There are some pretty cool floats.

There isn't a parade in Utah that would be complete without some cowboys!



And don't forget our small-town school pride and spirit....GO BEES!!

Aside from the parade, there are many other events and festivities going on.

There's the carnival with dutch oven cooking, concerts, many concession stands, and rides (Tate had a blast!).

There's the fabulous car show.  Now, this car show is HUGE!  There is really no way to show in a pic, the enormity of this show.  People come from all over the US to show their beautiful old (and some new) cars.



And, of course, last but certainly not least, while you are here, you just have to try our peaches!!

This really just skims the surface of all the fun that can be had.  Peach Days has a little something for everybody!  It kinda brings out the kid in all of us... 

Favorite-Recipe-Friday: Homemade Pesto

I had been buying the already-made pesto, either in a jar or packet that you mix with oil, and I decided that I really needed to try making my own.  I looked around online and experimented a bit, and this is what I came up with. 






Trin's Homemade Pesto for Pasta (or whatever)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup fresh -or- 3 tbsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp pine nuts or sunflower kernels (optional)

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, mix basil, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, olive oil, seeds or nuts, and butter until well blended.
2. Pour mixture into a bowel and slowly fold the Parmesan cheese into it until well mixed.
3. Pour over and stir into your favorite (already prepared) pasta or you can put it on salad, rub it on steak or chicken, or whatever strikes your fancy. I mix mine with penne or rigatoni pasta and serve it up with a steak (pictured) or chicken. The possibilities are endless!
4. Enjoy!

Well, there you have it! So easy!  I hope you enjoy your pesto and pasta or whatever you decide to have it with, and have a great weekend!

Do you have a favorite recipe, well send it to me and I will feature it on my blog.  Better yet, consider doing a guest post with me.

My Teenage View

With school just starting again here recently, it inspired me to look through some of my old school projects and papers that I had saved.  I found a binder that I had made in a creative writing class and it was called "My Teenage View."  In this book, I found a paper that I had written and I just had to share...

FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL

The alarm goes off; my summer has ended. My heart beats wildly as the realization of what lies ahead grasps a hold of my nerves. The first day of Freshman year!...Aaah!

I shut off my alarm and slowly rise out of my safe bed, hoping maybe this is all a dream and I'll soon wake up and still have at least half the summer left.

I feel a twinge of despair as my shower seems to sluice away the freedom I've had the past three months.

The clock's hands spin around its face as I attempt to give my churning stomach unwanted food. My hands tremble and my knees feel like rubber. My middle feels as though someone has tied me in knots and are still trying to pull me tighter even though I can budge no more.

It's one of the most important days of my life and, of course, my hair is frizzy, limp, and unmanageable while my face has seemed to accumulate polka dots overnight.

Time is going by oh so quickly! I find myself pacing a depression in the living room carpet and my already stubby fingernails are becoming shorter by the second. Then I hear the dreaded words: "Time to go-are you ready?" My mom is heading towards the door, smiling at me. I grab my bag and head nervously out the door and then get in the car. The trip to the immense, blue building was too short. As I enter, my stomach does start to unclench itself, but my nerves still feel as though they are going to climb out of my body. It's almost as though "FRESHMAN" is written on my forehead; I'm getting all these strange stares-oh my! Is it that obvious?! Fortunately I find my locker without much of a problem (that's probably because my boyfriend is standing right by it).

Through the day, my nerves quit dancing. Although I still have trouble keeping myself calm whenever the bell rings, for the thought of entering the neverending hallway, with the hundreds of people pushing, shoving, and stepping on me, is hard to get used to.

The last bell of the day finally rings and I am anxious to get the heck out of this place. I don't feel a complete sense of relief, however, until I'm through the door of my house and sitting peacefully on the living room couch. I have no homework, for all the teachers lectured on class rules, so I spend my evening relaxing, glad that the day is over. Later, I climb exhaustedly back in my bed and am about to fall asleep when...it hits me-I have to go back tomorrow!!!

Oh my goodness, that makes me laugh!  I hope you enjoyed it too.  I liked to write even then, but I definitely had a flare for the dramatic!  That's been quite a few years ago now (my 20-year *ahem* class reunion is coming up next year), but there are days that I still feel like that same nervous,  teenage girl pushing her way through the halls.  I guess now it's just the halls of life...

Unanswered Prayers

It has been way too long since I last blogged.  I got a bit sidetracked and preoccupied with trying to sell our house over the summer (you can read a little about that here).  We hoped and prayed about, and fell in love with a couple of different houses along the way, only to have them be bought by someone else.  We were so sure that selling and moving was what we were supposed to do, but the good Lord had other plans.  At first, it was with a heavy heart and a lot of disappointment that we came to the realization that we weren't moving.  But, as time went on and we did more home-improvement projects, the more okay we were with staying.  As we updated and rearranged, it was kind of like getting a new home without the hassle of moving.  Maybe we didn't need a new house; our current house just needed us to have a new attitude...to see all its possibilities.  As far as it being the house that Blake and his ex-wife bought together... Well, that really doesn't matter.  Any house, unless you build, has a previous owner.  You just do things and add touches that make it your own.  For Blake, there are some not-so-happy memories in this house, but some wonderful ones as well.  And we will continue to make more wonderful memories.  Memories, after all, good and bad, make us who we are... We still might eventually try to sell and move, but it will be under better circumstances and for better reasons...we're in no rush... We definitely learned and realized some things about ourselves in this process and I think that was what was supposed to happen.

     "To get what you want, you first have to appreciate what you already have."

Some exciting things did happen though... After almost 20 years with the same company, Blake got a new job with a different company.  It looks like it will be a great opportunity for him. It will be a great thing for us as a family as Well.  We've had a few financial struggles and this will help a lot.  He still feels a bit like a fish out of water, but I know he'll do an amazing job.  It was time to go to a place where he could spread is wings.  This promotion will also impact the type of house we'll be able to buy if and when the time comes.  Our son, Tate, just started kindergarten too and I would hate to pull him from a new situation, and new friends, just as he's getting used to it.  He's quite shy and rather sensitive, and he is a bit slow to adjust to change. He's starting to really blossom and thrive, and I don't want to jeopardize that unnecessarily.

     "Every little thing is going to be alright."

For a while, it seemed like we were having this never-ending run of bad luck in many things (I won't share details right now).  I think we all go through it; ups & downs and trials & tribulations.  We hang in, learn, and never give up or lose our faith... We also learn to laugh at the confusion. I said in my last post that we had this forward momentum going and I could feel our luck changing. The forward momentum didn't take us where we thought it would, but our luck was definitely changing.  We ended up taking more than one leap of faith.  Things didn't turn out like we planned... They turned out better... Some of God's greatest gifts really are unanswered prayers...

     "Just because something isn't happening for you now, doesn't mean it won't  

       Happen." 

I found this at the bottom of my purse. I got it in a fortune cookie, a couple of months ago, at our favorite Chinese restaurant. I don't normally save my fortunes, but I saved this one for some reason... 

I think this one is going in a safe place somwhere.  It can be a small reminder whenever things are tough or I'm haveing a bad day.

    
     "All things happen for a reason."