My -most- favorite food (for now :welldone2: ) is chips and salsa. ((makes my mouth Water just seeing these words))

Problem is, Im having a hard time finding a good tasting salsa outside of Chilie's or O'Charley's (or any other restuarant).

So? This means I need to try making it at home. :nervous

Any good receipes out there??

I LOVE Chili's salsa. Actually, having some of that also put me on the search for more good salsa. The grocery store near me has one called "Rojo's Restaurant Style Salsa". It's in Kroger brand stores (Ralph's, Krogers, King Supers) at least (I've seen it in Colorado too), and it's really good. Not quite as good as Chili's but good. :welldone2:

*waits for Jack's Wife's salsa recipe*

DH makes tomato salsa and Tomatillo salsa. I think they are pretty basic. Fresh ingredients are the key.

Tomatoes, garlic, onions, jalapeno or pepper of your choice, cilantro and some lime juice. Salt to taste. Blend up everything but the tomatoes pretty fine - rough chop the tomatoes and stir it all up. Yum!! you can cook it, if you like the cooked kind. Just heat it in a pan til it tastes right.

Tomatillo's need to be cooked. (green salsa) Peel the papery skin off and then you can boil or broil. Once they are cooked, blend them with garlic, onions, jalapeno or pepper of your choice, cilantro and some lime juice. Salt to taste.

Salsa is a personal thing. Play with it til you get it right.

:]

**the tomatillo's Jell up - they have pectin like jelly. DH combats this by stirring in a little Water once the salsa is done.

We usually have Pace here, or the store brand of Pace. I like it fine but I suppose I'm not too picky? I think it's ALL good!!

BUT, when I do make it at home, I go to Wal Mart and get a packet of Salsa Seasoning made by Concord Foods. I also use their Guacamole seasoning packet but I don't follow their recipe...anyway, I get a big bag of ripe Roma tomatoes, 1/2 a purple onion, chop them up pretty finely by hand, add about half the seasoning packet or less, stir and let set in fridge overnight. Pretty darn good! They make a spicy variety but I don't like it. The mild is just great.

But I'm betting Jack's DW's recipe is better...waiting!!!

I take 2 cans of red gold peeled tomatos and 1 jalepeno pepper, some cilantro and 1/2 of a white onion.

Drain the tomatos but save the juice

chop the onion and cilantro and the jalepeno pepper and put it in the bottom of the blender

cut the tomatos in half and add them on top of the other mixture

pulse the blender until you see the cilantro start to make it's way to the top of the tomatos, now is the time to add salt and some of the tomato juice if it seems dry. I have several old glass mayo jars that I store this in the fridge, it keeps for about 4 days, but never lasts that long.

* if you want it hot, use the whole jalepneo if you want it mild, remove the seeds and the membrane that they are connected to.

* I have added lime and substituted rotel tomatos and then just chopped the onions, jalepneo and cilantro and mixed it all togehter but the blender is faster and less messy

For weekend parties I have made upto 3 gallons of the salsa and it was all gone before the game,race or fight was over. We host several sports type parties each year and this is my most requested snack. 2 years ago I made 3 5 gallon buckets (15 gallons) of this for a friends party (they own a bar) it was all gone, this stuff can be addictive make at your own risk...Mandy

My -most- favorite food (for now ) is chips and salsa. ((makes my mouth Water just seeing these words))

Wow. I saw that topic heading and thought, "Yippee! Finally a thread about DANCING!"

I think that may be the first time in my life I saw a "food" word and thought of something other than food.

Now about cha-cha...

i dont have a recipe but i'll try to g-estimate.

5 large ripe tomatoes diced

1 medium onion diced (more or less to taste)

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

garlic to taste

jalapeno's to taste (the seeds are the spicey part)

splash of lemon juice

splash of olive oil

dash of salt

this is a really great fresh salsa. i can eat it by the cup without chips!

have you tried the organic, low/no fat salsa's from places like Trader Joe's or Wholefoods Market? They have some DELICIOUS stuff! I saw a GREAT recipe for at-home salsa in CHOW magazine a few months back... I'll look for it.

Jack, are you still prying??? We're waiting.

Sarah, we have a "Krogers' - I think Im gonna make a special trip there this afternoon. Rojo's Resturant.... Ill let you know if I find it.

Shelly, Mandy and Rene - THANK YOU! Those receipes seem pretty basic. Rene, you are right, with the basics I can just play around with it till I get it the way I like it. ((I LOVE onions, purple onions - chopped fine.))

Mandy, you use the canned tomato's? I love you girl.

Kathy, you MUST try Chilie's chips and salsa (do they even have a Chilie's in Charlotte?)!!! You'll see that Pace brand is so... blah !

Kelly, after I read your post - it made me think about the local latino food store. I know the people that own it - I bet THEY could give me some yummy ideas on salsa.

clevergrl, thanks for the response! I havent tried those places. Dont have em' in my small town. CHOW magazine? now thats something I CAN find.

One problem regarding the restuarant salsa ~ too much salt/sodium! Another reason I want to try a home version.

Wow. I saw that topic heading and thought, "Yippee! Finally a thread about DANCING!"

I think that may be the first time in my life I saw a "food" word and thought of something other than food.

HA HA, Kare!

I had a hard enough time learning the "Rock Step"!

Im gonna stick to my kind of salsa... and let YOU teach us the other one! *wink wink*

Paula, I use canned tomatos cuz I am in Chicago and the price of tomatos gets higher and higher as the temps get lower and lower. ~Mandy

If you like Chilis you should like Pace... I sware they poor it out of the bottle back in the kitchen!

i dont have a recipe but i'll try to g-estimate.

5 large ripe tomatoes diced

1 medium onion diced (more or less to taste)

1 bunch of cilantro chopped

garlic to taste

jalapeno's to taste (the seeds are the spicey part)

splash of lemon juice

splash of olive oil

dash of salt

this is a really great fresh salsa. i can eat it by the cup without chips!

while your at it, you should try it fresh homemade chips too... they are the best! :hungry: Just cut up some corn tortillas and drop them in the grease... when they float, there done. And you can control the salt content!

Gosh Paula.... After reading this post, I'm all of a sudden craving salsa!

I would love to try and make my own, but as far as the store bought stuff, if you have a Kroger, the Kroger Brand name salsa is very good. I'll buy it over Pace or other name brands.

The best kind of salsa is pico de gallo which means chicken beak, I know pretty weird. But you chop tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, cilantro and combine it all, then you squeeze lime over it, you have to let it sit in the fridge for awhile to let the flavors mix, oh season to taste, I put salt and pepper, garlic powder. And when I take it out of the fridge I cube chop an avocado and mix it in, yummy in my tummy....

while your at it, you should try it fresh homemade chips too... they are the best! :hungry: Just cut up some corn tortillas and drop them in the grease... when they float, there done. And you can control the salt content!

OMG THATS JUST CRUEL!!!! hahaha i LOVE you!!! i will try this at some point but it will be a VERY special occasion. SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN!!!!!

ok so for you when you make your homeade chips i have a Queso recipe from Las Palmos my MOST favorite mexican rest. in nashville, HECK THE WORLD!!!!!!! when i moved i begged for the recipe and its SOOO easy:

small batch:

1/2 lb white american cheddar cheese

1/4 cup milk (may add more for desired smoothness)

jalepenos to taste