Avgolemono Greek Chicken and Lemon Soup

I know I've been absent this week, and I appreciate your patience.  This past week has been sort of a storm of bad news and as I like to keep this space light and happy, and also authentic, I went quiet.  I love writing and cooking and sharing with you, but sometimes life priorities outweigh blog priorities.

But this week is shaping up to be much better, which is good because I really, really needed it.  I'm cooking, it's a certain someones birthday tomorrow, and I get to go to New Jersey this weekend.  See, I'm choosing to see sunny skies, inside and out!

And if you ask me, there's nothing sunnier than fresh made salsa and chips.  In my opinion, my dad makes the best homemade salsa, but he either doesn't know the exact recipe, or pretends like he doesn't know because he doesn't want to share it, so this isn't it.  But, this salsa is second only to his, which makes it pretty darn good.

This recipe is almost too simple.  All you really need is a blender.  A big one--this recipe makes a lot.  Gather your ingredients: 

Cilantro, cumin, onion, two cans of tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel is best), whole peeled tomatoes, one jalapeno, garlic, and not pictured: lime, salt and pepper, and sugar.  Put it all in a blender!

I blend mine very well because I like it to all be of uniform chunkiness, but you make yours how you like it.  You can use a food processor too, but mine is only 4 cups and this recipe is just way to big for that.  When you're done blending, taste for seasonings and adjust with more lime juice, salt, and pepper.  

Transfer salsa to airtight container and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours so the flavors meld.  Serve with chips and possibly a Mexican food birthday feast and watch how everyone starts to see sunshine.  

This salsa is perfectly balanced; it's spicy but not too intense, the sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes, and the cumin adds a smokiness.  My favorite part is the cilantro, though.  It's fresh and zingy and it just might be my favorite herb ever.  

Salsa at home couldn't be easier.  A blender, a couple of cans, and some good fresh ingredients and you have yourself some salsa that is so much better than the stuff that comes out of a jar.  

And thanks again for sticking around.  I promise more delicious food throughout the week!  

Here's the recipe: 

Easy Homemade Salsa 2020

Ingredients: 

• 1 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 15-ounce cans of Rotel or other brand of tomatoes and green chiles
• half an onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole jalapeno, roughly chopped, seeds and membranes in tact
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro (but I used more like 1 1/2 cups!  I love the stuff!)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender (if your blender isn't big enough you can do this in batches).  I combined everything but the cilantro, then added the cilantro in last.  Taste for seasonings with a chip so you can get an accurate taste of the salt and adjust if necessary, adding more lime juice, salt or pepper.  
2. Refrigerate salsa for a couple of hours, but at least one.  Serve with tortilla chips!