Fresh Green Salsa

May4

Don't wait for Cinco de Mayo to enjoy this delicious tomatillo-based Fresh Green Salsa. Great with scrambled eggs, grilled meat and even on Mac and Cheese!

Salsas are one of the saviors of the kitchen.

Baptize anything in a little salsa and you’ll up the flavor quotient and make it sing… as well as help stretch a meal. Fresh Green Salsa (also known as salsa verde) and leftover ground beef make a great taco filling. Eggs, salsa and cheese: Breakfast of Champions.

Fresh Green Salsa  is my favorite cooked salsa because the tomatillos (also called husk tomatoes) have such a distinctive flavor. The citrus balances the sharp bite of the Serrano or jalapeño chili peppers and the herbal, grassy flavor of the cilantro.

This recipe makes a big batch… share it, freeze it or grab a big bag of chips and park yourself in front of television! Kidding. Not kidding.

 

Don't wait for Cinco de Mayo to enjoy this delicious tomatillo-based Fresh Green Salsa. Great with scrambled eggs, grilled meat and even on Mac and Cheese!


Game Day Guacamole Dip

January26

So… you’re in charge of making the Guacamole Dip for the big game? 

Well, if you plan on making fresh Guac (and not squeezing it from a little packet), you need to buy those avocados TODAY, so they’ll be ripe and ready on Sunday.

This is my basic recipe for Guacamole Dip. From here, you can get your freak on by adding anything you like: cilantro, tomatoes, pomegranates, shredded cheese, chopped bacon… even mayonnaise (although that always makes me shudder). If you need tips on how to pick out the perfect avocado, click here. Also, my good friends at Avocados From Mexico offer this step-by-step video guide on how to open an avocado without cutting off your finger.

Now, unless you want to serve some lame plastic-tasting guacamole, get to the store now! (You can also speed-ripen those avocados by placing them in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple).

 

 

It’s National Caramel Popcorn Day!

April6

To celebrate National Caramel Popcorn Day, here’s a rerun of a favorite recipe: Chili-Spiced Caramel Popcorn. 

Keep this recipe in your back pocket for whenever you’re going to have a crowd over and you want something salty and sweet to snack on… it doesn’t have to be National Caramel Popcorn Day!

Oh… and don’t make this Chili Spice Caramel Popcorn too screaming hot… you’ll want the sweetness to come through, too!

 


Game Day Guacamole

January31

If you’re in charge of making the Guacamole Dip for the big game, and you plan on making fresh Guac, you need to buy those avocados TODAY so they’ll be ripe and ready on Sunday.

Here’s my basic recipe for Guacamole Dip. From here, you can get your freak on by adding anything you like: cilantro, tomatoes, pomegranates, shredded cheese, chopped bacon… even mayonnaise (although that always makes me shudder).

If you need tips on how to pick out the perfect avocado, click here. Also, my good friends at Avocados From Mexico offer this step-by-step guide on how to open an avocado without cutting off your finger. Still, be careful!

Use a sharp knife and cut into the avocado straight down and around the hard pit inside. Twist into two halves—one half will contain the pit. Carefully and quickly hit the pit with the knife then with a twisting motion, loosen the pit and pull it out. To remove the avocado from the skin, ease a spoon between the flesh and the skin and scoop it out.

Use a sharp knife and cut into the avocado straight down and around the hard pit inside. Twist into two halves—one half will contain the pit. Carefully and quickly hit the pit with the knife then with a twisting motion, loosen the pit and pull it out. To remove the avocado from the skin, ease a spoon between the flesh and the skin and scoop it out.

Now, unless you want to be squeezing guacamole out of one of those plastic ready-to-eat packets, get to the store now!

 Guacamole


 

 

Hi…
I’m Christina Chavez

I was a TV journalist for many years, but with a house full of kids I decided to come off the road, go to culinary school and follow my passion for cooking. Mama’s High Strung is all about food… everything from creative recipe ideas to some really cool kitchen gadgets and cooking tips. I live in Chicago, but I love to travel and write about my food discoveries! You can reach me by email: mamashighstrung@gmail.com