eva's awesome salsa!

everyone in my life knows that i'm super picky with my salsa and like it to be authentic and NOT CHUNKY. i hate a chunky salsa. making your own salsa is SO EASY i don't know why i didn't think of it sooner! not only that, this way i can adjust chunky-ness and the spiciness! this recipe makes a LOT of servings, like, and entire blender of servings. i also am on the fence about cilantro so only added a very small amount to appease my family, so if you like it, double or triple the amount i added!

what you need:
1 28oz can diced tomatoes (low-sodium is good, even better is using fresh tomatoes: 8 or 9 depending on the size)
1 4oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 jalapeno (i suggest adding a few chunks at a time, spiciness in raw japalenos varies quite a bit!)
1/4 yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
10 cilantro leaves
juice of 1-2 limes
1.5 tsp cumin
salt and pepper

step 1:
drain both cans of tomatoes of their liquid. i finely diced my cilantro prior to putting it in the food processor (due to loathing it), you can just add it straight in if you like. add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and the 28 oz tin of tomatoes and pulse a few times till combined.
step 2: 
add the 4 oz can of tomatoes, lime juice, salt and pepper, and cumin and pulse until all combined. taste, and make any adjustments necessary.



and thats it! serve with chips, use as dressing in taco salad or on top of eggs in the morning :)

[very] belated thanksgiving post

so, yeah, it's been a few months since thanksgiving aaaand i still haven't managed to blog about it. well, that's until now, cause i managed to upload photos over the holidays and decided i might as well get it over and done with. since my school schedule was so ridiculously busy, i couldn't make it home for thanksgiving, so julia and i decided to make our own student version of thanksgiving. i made the white turkey chili, and she made the yum yum treacle tart. we also made some cute little turkey cookies! they're basically a tradition for thanksgiving at home, and since our landlords were nice enough to invite us to their proper thanksgiving dinner, i thought it would be nice to make some for the kiddies.
so, let's get on with things.

thanksgiving recipe #1:
white turkey chili (makes 8 servings)
what you need:
2 packs of lean ground turkey
1 yellow onion
2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 stalks of celery
1 jalapeno
3 small cans of diced green chilies
2 cans of navy beans (can substitute white kidney beans as well)
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp cayenne
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp cold water
2 tsp corn starch

step 1:
set a large pot on to medium heat and add in olive oil. dice your onion and celery and add to the pot when hot. let that cook down for ~10 minutes, and then add in crushed garlic. saute until fragrant.
step 2:
add in your ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. add your spices, finely chopped jalapeno, strained navy beans, green chilies (with juice) and chicken broth. let simmer away for ~60 minutes. if it hasn't started to thicken, make a slurry with cold water and corn starch and add to pot. stir, then you're done! easy peasy!


thanksgiving recipe #2:
angelopoulos turkey cookies
what you need:
lots of candy corn (extra for munching)
lots of caramels
box of hershey kisses or neilson golden buds
box of cookies

step 1:
microwave 1 piece of caramel for ~12 seconds, depending on your microwave. this will take a lot of trial and error. immediately squish caramel on top of your kiss/golden bud, then take a candy corn and squish it down on top of the caramel. then, take your cookie and squish it onto the back of the caramel.

yes, i realize that wasn't very precise but this is what it should look like. that's it! i know, this is awkward timing considering thanksgiving was many eons ago, but hey... at least i got around to it, eh?

the just right girl

urgh. today as of 11:30 i finished four out of my five final exams. needless to say, they didn't all go as planned. luckily, my next one isn't until friday, plus its the easiest one i have, so i'm taking the day off to do nothing and relax!  pajamas: ✓   greasy food: ✓    nap: ✓    hot chocolate: ✓   blog post: here we go! as many of you know, i turned 20 a few weeks ago - halfway to 40! i guess if anything it was the perfect year to learn to cook for myself, now that i am so old. i mean, i can't be old and not know how to cook or bake really yummy desserts. i would be the worst old person ever!

i've come to terms with the fact that this will be me soon

i thought it would be a nice time to do a little reflecting on my cooking experience this semester. i've cooked meat. i've touched raw meat. i've become addicted to spicy foods. i haven't made anything that was super gross. while i'm not the best and still don't know a lot, my cooking has come a long way. i think the coolest thing about cooking for yourself is that you can cook what you want, when you want, and you don't have to offend anybody while doing it. i've realized i like my food ridiculously spicy, something i couldn't really try much at home.

so, to celebrate me officially becoming an old person (with new cooking skillz), my dad got me this really nice vegetarian cookbook for my birthday. not only is it full of really creative recipes, it's also got super detailed nutrition info, as well as little bits of info about healthy eating. defs my kind of book, thanks dad! ♥  : )

no doubt i will try these recipes out next semester

so, i tried out one of the recipes from the book last week - i tweaked it a bit because i have a limited fridge and pantry atm as i am trying to clear things out before christmas break. i was staying up late studying for my exercise physiology final and decided a late night snack was in order. here comes my version of the spicy kidney bean tostada:

what you need:
1/2 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp chili flakes (to taste)
1/2 jalapeno pepper (to taste: i used jarred - they're way easier)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 an avocado
1/4 cup grated cheese
2 tbsp water
2 small tortillas

step 1:
set oven to 375 degrees. in a pan set to medium heat, add 1 tsp olive oil. once hot, add in garlic and let saute for a few minutes. then add in your kidney beans, spices and jalapeno pepper. mix, and add in water. let cook for a few minutes.
step 2:
when oven is warm, add in tortillas for ~5 minutes or until nice and golden brown. cube your avocado.
step 3: 
when water is gone, you're ready to eat! take tortillas out of the oven. scoop the mix onto the tortilla, and place avocado pieces on top. take cheese and scatter around. you can either put it back in the oven to melt the cheese, or put in the microwave for 30 seconds.

the perfect gooey late night study snack!