you guys. there has been a major development in my life that is a complete game changer. wes put up my hammock that i registered for when we were getting married. yes, you read that correctly. i registered for a hammock. no, it is not the functional camping kind. it is a hot pink, yellow and blue hammock with fringe and it fits perfectly in our little secret garden on the side of our house. i've always been one of those weirdos who would never leave their bed if they didn't have to, so the hammock is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me. it's heating up in socal, things in the garden are blooming, and i'm currently working on my computer cradled by the love of my hammock. i'm in heaven.

and now that our side yard is getting more sun, plants are starting to produce. we are changing over our raised bed and we needed to pull the last of the winter carrots. some cucumbers and asian ingredients were the perfect compliment. sorry east coast, it may be snowing out there but it is beautiful in costa mesa and i'm looking for light and bright. and this salad delivered.

in a medium bowl, combine your cucumber, carrots and green onion. season with salt and set aside.

in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, and sugar.

whisk till completely combined.

pour over the cucumber carrot mixture and mix well to combine. place the salad in the fridge for an hour for it them to chill and pickle. stir every 10 to 15 minutes so that all the veggies are equally pickled.

when you are ready to eat, divide your salad among four plates, laying the veggies in an even layer.

spoon some of the reserved dressing over the salad.

sprinkle with sesame seeds.

serve cool.

xo, a

pickled cucumber & carrot salad
serves: 4
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1 hour to over night
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
ingredients: 1 large english cucumber, thinly sliced (about 3 cups). 1 cup thinly sliced heirloom carrots (you can use whatever carrot you have). 1 green onion, chopped. .25 cup rice vinegar. 1 tbs sesame oil. 1 tbs lime juice. 1 tsp white sugar. .5 tsp salt. 1tbs sesame seeds. in a medium bowl, combine your cucumber, carrots and green onion. season with salt and set aside. in a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, and sugar. whisk till completely combined. pour over the cucumber carrot mixture and mix well to combine. place the salad in the fridge for an hour for it them to chill and pickle. stir every 10 to 15 minutes so that all the veggies are equally pickled. when you are ready to eat, divide your salad among four plates, laying the veggies in an even layer. spoon some of the reserved dressing over the salad. sprinkle with sesame seeds. serve cool.

carrots, cucumber, kosher salt, lime, lime juice, summer food, salad, rice vinegar, side dish, eatAngela SamuelsMarch 14, 2017lime, lime juice, sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice vinegar, cucumber, carrots, green onions, scallions, asian food, sugar, salad, summer saladComment

fire roasted tomato salsa

saturday, wes and i catered our biggest event to date. and let me tell you, prepping and cooking for fifty people is no joke. i'm not sure my kitchen stove will ever be the same.

we celebrated my uncle's seventieth birthday in fiesta style. complete with salsa bar, homemade mole sauce and of course a piñata.

every party has been a wonderful learning experience. wes and i get more comfortable and confident as every custom menu is completed. and our self trained asses are learning a ton of tricks with every party in the books.

one of the things that i learned over the weekend is that this salsa is a wonderful and versatile dish that is PERFECT for a party. because the only real instructions are chop, smash or grill, it is not super time consuming, but you can make a ton at one time. ideal for your next fiesta, or your upcoming labor day/end of summer parties.

i also learned that wes and i are pretty darn good at this food thing and you should probably hire us for your next party. then i can just make this salsa for you. wink. wink.

start by heating your grill to a medium high heat.

in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat.

head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.

when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot.

place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock.

bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.

when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.

serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.

xo
a

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.
start by heating your grill to a medium high heat.
in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat.
head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.
when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot.
place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock.
bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.
when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.
serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.

barbecue, brown sugar, cilantro, fresh herbs, garlic, grilled, herbs, olive oil, onions, oregano, summer food, salsa, mexican food, appetizer, condiment, eatAngela SamuelsAugust 30, 2016salsa, mexican food, grilled, tomato, onion, cilantro, oregano, cumin, summer food, party timeComment

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