Homemade Recipes: Hot and Sweet which is your choice

 

Its that time of year where the garden is booming and there is so much to do. Loads of tomatoes so we are cooking up some delicious salsa. Long winter ahead of us have to stay warm somehow. This salsa will be so good as a snack or part of a meal.

 

2-3 medium sized fresh tomatoes (from 1 lb to 1 1/2 lb), stems removed

1/2 red onion

2 serrano chiles or 1 jalapeño chile (stems, ribs, seeds removed), less or more to taste

Juice of one lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of dried oregano (crumble in your fingers before adding), more to taste

Pinch of ground cumin, more to taste

Start by roughly chopping the tomatoes, chiles, and onions. Be very careful while handling the chile peppers. If you can, avoid touching the cut peppers with your hands. (I often use disposable gloves or hold the peppers with a plastic sandwich bag.) Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after handling and avoid touching your eyes for several hours. Set aside some of the seeds from the peppers. If the salsa isn't hot enough, you can add a few for more heat.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse only a few times, just enough to finely dice the ingredients, not enough to purée. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely dice by hand.
Place in a serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. If the chilies make the salsa too hot, add some more chopped tomato. If not hot enough, carefully add a few of the seeds from the chilies, or add a little more ground cumin.
Let sit for an hour for the flavors to combine.
Serve with chips, tortillas, tacos, burritos, tostadas, quesadillas, pinto or black beans.

recipe source for salsa here

 

While the salsa is cooking I decided to make a dessert to help us cool off. This paula dean recipe is one that our whole family loves. The cake just seems to melt in our mouth.

 

1 (18 1/4 oz) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
16 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. 
Combine the cake mix, egg and 8 tablespoons butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla and 8 tablespoons butter and beat together.  Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.