Magic Bullet

If any of you have found yourself watching television in the middle of the night recently, you may have stumbled across an infomercial for the Magic Bullet. This handy little tool claims to puree/blend/shred anything in 3 seconds. You can make smoothies, sauces, dips, shred cheese, along with many other things. The quirk about this super machine is it's size. The machine is small and compact, much easier to store than a bulky blender or food processor. I found the infomercial and some reviews of the magic bullet on youtube. During one test it did take longer than 3 seconds for most food but it did do a solid job. One guy made a joke about how it really was a SMOOTHie...ha ha. Now the reason I thought that the magic bullet was a good thing to blog about was that it would be the perfect tool to make SALSA! I personally do not own a magic bullet but I know people who do and I have had the pleasure of playing with them. Next time I see them I'll have to try it out. If you have one of your own try it out!

Here's the infomercial for good measure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfFqh33GXtM

Homemade chips and salsa

Who knew that making this snacktime favorite was so simple? Here's this video I found on youtube. The guy is clearly not used to this job and it's amusing to watch him too! Try it at home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy-AbV4ccDw

salsa dessert

Here is a salsa dessert recipe to go on top of grilled angel food cake. YUM! Now you know from previous posts that I am not a fan of fruit salsas but this sounds delicious. I'm interested to see how the cayenne pepper works with the fruit. hmm... interesting.

Grilled Angel Food with Fruit Salsa

Be sure to watch the angel food cake very carefully when grilling. Don't leave the grill for even a second, because it will brown very quickly! Use your favorite combination of fresh fruits for the salsa.
INGREDIENTS:
14 oz. prepared angel food cake
1 cup chopped cantaloupe or honeydew melon
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, if desired
4 cups any flavor sherbet or sorbet
PREPARATION:
In a medium bowl, combine fruit, sugar, lime juice, mint, and cayenne pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
When ready to serve, prepare and preheat grill. Slice cake in half horizontally and place, cut side down, on grill 6" from medium coals. Grill for 30-60 seconds or until light golden brown. Carefully turn cake and grill on second side for 30-60 seconds until light golden brown. Cut cake into 8 pieces and serve with the salsa and the sherbet. Serves 8

http://busycooks.about.com/od/dessertrecipe1/r/grilledangelfoo.htm

HOT AND SPICY!

I am not one who typically likes extremely hot salsas. I tend to me a medium type of girl. I like there to be a little bit of kick but I also enjoy keeping my tastebuds intact. I am well aware of the fascination with trying to eat the hottest, most painful things. Salsa is known for it's potentially dangerous heat levels and there are many brands out there that advertise as being the hottest. Through a search I found a site that rated some salsas on their heat levels. These few salsas were rated as 10, the hottest.

Salsa Stoopid (Salsa Stupid) Extremely Hot SalsaTaste the IQ points melt away. A medium-chunky salsa with tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno peppers and plenty of pepper extract for heat.
Category: Salsa Heat Level: 10+ (Extreme) Main Pepper: Pepper Extract Main Flavor: Extreme Tomato Salsa Special Ingredient(s): Pepper Extract Themes : Extract * No-Vinegar * * All Natural * No Fat * Low sodium * Fits In Display Box... more about Salsa Stoopid (Salsa Stupid) Extremely Hot Salsa...

Blair's Fresh Fire Roasted Tomato Habañero Salsa - XXX Hot Blair is back with new and delicious recipe of Fresh Fire Roasted Tomato Habañero Salsa. The heat is great and it's been rising. Feel Alive!!!
Category: Salsa Heat Level: 10 (Very Hot) Themes : Mary's Favorite * Humor * * Fits In Display Box... more about Blair's Fresh Fire Roasted Tomato Habañero Salsa - XXX Hot...

Dave's Insanity SalsaThis delicious salsa uses the heat of the Red Savina pepper (the hottest pepper) combined with pineapple juice, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cilantro to make maybe the hottest salsa in the universe.
Category: Salsa Heat Level: 10 (Hot) Themes : Extract * Collector's Favorite * Gourmet * * Fits In Display Box... more about Dave's Insanity Salsa...

If you're interested in checking out any more salsas here's the link. They all have catchy names like "Alive and Well Raspberry Salsa", "Scorned Women Salsa", and "Screaming Sphincter Habanero Salsa". Enjoy!

http://www.firegirl.com/salsa.html

P.S. I've heard a great remedy for a burning mouth is to drink milk. So keep a glass handy if you try any of these!

Pass the Salsa Please!

The other night I was at my roommate's house for dinner (we had left campus during the scare). Thursday night before we got a ride back to campus we had chicken fajitas for dinner. They were delicious I might add. I did notice something though. There were six of us eating in total and we all used a different combination of toppings on our fajitas. There was one common link though, besides the chicken, everyone used salsa. The sour cream was overlooked by some. Other snubbed their noses at the (delicious) guacamole. Some preferred no cheese. But every single one of use had a helping of salsa. I'm not sure why this is. I thought about asking but decided against it since I didn't really know this family very well, I didn't want to be that awkward dinner guest. I was surprised by the fact that, at a table full of picky eaters, everyone liked salsa. I guess every one sees it as a fajita staple that they can't be without!

Another Fruitcake Salsa!

Dr. Cohen sent me a link to a blogger who was discussing a recipe for kumquat salsa. The picture was very pretty. It made me want to try it. This recipe was very different however. If I saw it on it's own I would probably not classify it as a salsa. When I think salsa I typically think of a tomato base. This one used only kumquats, onions, and that magic food, CILANTRO! I don't think that I've ever actually tasted a kumquat. The post describes it as a citrus fruit similar to an orange but not much larger than a grape. Based on that description I would probably love them. But then we are back to my previous post about fruity salsas. I tend not to be a fan. I've only ever tried them though with a tortilla chip. The recipe mentions using it as a topper for fish and steaks. That seems interesting to me. I would never think to put salsa on fish. Perhaps it was just the saltiness of the chip in combination with the sweet fruit that I disliked. I may have to give fruity salsas another chance! If anyone is ambitious out there and has a few spare kumquats lying around why not whip up a tasty snack this weeked? This website also had a few other fruit based salsas listed. There was a kiwi salsa that included avocado and pomegrante seeds....hmmm i'm not sure what you would eat that with... A recipe for cranberry salsa was also listed. This one had cranberries, of course, along with apple and jalepenos. Where do these people come up with these things? If your curiosity has gotten the best of you take a peek at this: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007159kumquat_salsa.php

salsa saves the day!

I was browsing Google for some salsa news and I found the coolest thing! Apparently salsa can help fight against food poisoning! Who knew?! Ok, so I guess it's not really the salsa, it's the cilantro, which is in most any salsa. There is a compound found in the leaves and seeds of cilantro that is a natural antibacterial. This compound kills salmonella. You don't have to eat the salsa with the contaminated meat for it to help though. The cilantro intredient stays in your system for a while and fights against the salmonella during digestion. Doctors are saying that eating more salsa, particularly fresh salsa, would be better for everyone. I guess salsa is a super food! Here's the article to read some more! http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-05/acs-is052404.php Go eat some salsa!

what's your salsa style?

Since this weekend was a long weekend off from school I headed home. I met up with my friend Hannah, yes we have the same name, and surprise surprise the topic of salsa came up. We were at her house and she pulled out some chips and salsa for a snack. Now Hannah has some strange tastes in salsa in my opinion. I had already known this fact about my best friend but it held a new context for me since this project. Hannah likes very nonconventional salsas. Her favorite, which is what she had the other night, is a pineapple salsa made by Newman's Own. Personally, I just can't get interested in fruit in my salsa. Salsa should have tomatoes, peppers, and some onions along with some more veggies but there just should not be fruit. Hannah loves the pineapple salsa she also loves a mango version. I did eat some to make her happy, she likes to watch me make faces at the strange taste. But for an every day salsa I'll stick to my original flavors. Hannah can keep her fancy Paul Newman specialties.

So the other day in the dining hall on campus there was this mexican wrap for dinner. It was full of yummy rice and black beans and corn. I was surprised that it was actually quite tasty. On top of the wrap was a very small portion of salsa along with some more cheese. Now, this amount of salsa was just not satisfying. Despite the fact that it was more like tomato sauce than anything resembling salsa, there was just not enough. So I made my way over the the salad bar area where there is usually any condiments that might be necessary for the meals. I found a gigantic bowl of sour cream. The bowl was so big that I almost didn't recognize it for what it was. I thought it might be yogurt or something along those lines. I looked around but there was no salsa. Now I don't think of myself as an excessive saucer (the term my roommate uses to describe herself) but I do enjoy having enough to taste a little with each bite. The given amount with this dish was just not going to cut it. I'm not sure why they didn't have any more salsa, perhaps it is too expensive for the dining hall budget... hmmm.. But it was just something that I was lamenting about through dinner, another stop on my journey through the salsa of our lives.

sassy salsa

Saaaalllssssaaa!!! It's a fun word really. One that is hard to say without adding a fun twist to it. This food, or is it even considered a food? Is it more of a condiment? Or a side dish maybe? Well we'll sort that out along the way... Well this food is usually only seen along with Mexican (or Americanized Mexican) food. Is salsa ever actually eaten in Mexico though? Or is this just a habit that we have created? Throughout this blog I will discuss this issue and explore all of the many many varieties of salsa, from mango to the dangerously hot.