The Other Side of the Creek

Top Ten

2012-01-03T16:46:00.000-05:00

David Letterman did it best. Oprah made it personal. In a busy, unfocused world, we can't read more then a few lines before we move on to the next bright, shiny object. Marketing professionals know this. If you can't convey your message in a few succinct lines you've lost them. It's sad, but with so much information overload, we don't have time to filter through all of the data on the web. That's why "Top Ten" lists or "My Fav's" are so popular. There's even a website called Top10.com where you can add to existing Top 10 lists or create your own. Here's mine. So, to keep you all engaged, here is my Top Ten list of favorite websites that I visit everyday for either recipes, design inspiration or just plain fun...

Pinterest - A place to categorize and share your favorite images.
Herman Miller's Lifework - The famous furniture manufacturer's design blog.
Geninne Art Blog - Who I wish I were.
Design Seeds - A woman who knows her color.
Design Traveller - No words, just beautiful interiors...color coded.
Cute Overload - Prepare to be overwhelmed with cuteness.
Houzz - As an Interior Designer, I can not get enough of these images.
Blissful Thinking - Yoga for the mind.
Photojojo - If you love photography, you'll love this site.
My Fridge Food - If all you have is bacon, peanut butter and frozen fries...

Looky what I found...

2011-11-10T14:02:00.000-05:00

It was so close to home, too. {smile}

The name's Koda...Ko-da.

2011-10-03T10:43:00.000-04:00

Sadly, our 11 year old border collie, Bandit passed away a few weeks ago. I haven't cried that much in quite awhile. Such an awful feeling, losing a pet.

Our house just isn't complete without a dog, and as luck would have it, a border collie breeder was just up the road with one pup left. Was that destiny, irony, coincidence? I'm not sure, but we welcomed Koda into our family. We needed his energy, his curiosity, his sweetness, his...puppiness. As my son quite correctly said, "He stole our hearts."

So watch for more posts on this little one. He's very smart, and has already discovered he can herd our cats. This is going to be interesting.

Have a great week, everyone!

Say Cheese!

2011-09-14T10:47:00.000-04:00

For lunch today, I had Baked Caprese Salad. Now, you may look at this and say "That's not salad." But just go with it...I think it's an Italian thing. The bread is just a big crouton, right? Riiiight....Anyway, this is what Giada De Laurentiis calls it and so am I.

Photographing our food is so popular these days. We all do it. We go to a fancy restaurant, and when our flaming Baked Alaska comes we say "Hold on! Let me get my camera!" - while the waiter is suffering from third degree burns.

I do think it's an art form and photog's like Catherine Murray at Photo Kitchen do it amazingly well. Catherine contributes regularly to Edible Columbus, and she was recently featured in one of my favorite blogs Design Sponge. Check out her portfolio here. Her garlic scapes are gorgeous.

So, how did I do? Are you hungry? Good, because I've got baked alaska for dessert.

Just Peachy

2011-08-22T16:13:00.000-04:00

Yes, peaches come in a can, but not in this house, not this year.

My son and I LOVE peaches and since my blackberry jam turned out okay I thought I would try canning peaches for us to enjoy throughout the rest of the year.

I saw a post on one of my favorite blogs about peaches here. For some reason this inspired me into craziness so I bought a half bushel of seconds for $13 at my local fruit farm. She said seconds are usually better for canning because they're cheaper and you can always cut around the worm holes (hope I got them all - wink). That's about 50 peaches. Yeah, 50.

I think I must have been delirious...I mean, who am I kidding? Sure, the blackberries turned out okay, but I'm "not martha" (actual blog!) I needed help, and I needed it fast. So, I enlisted my Mom. All knowing, all seeing, experienced in all things canning...except Peaches. But we're smart girls, how difficult can it be? With peach pits flying, peach juice running down my arm and an occasional peach ninja (Dom) coming in to steal a bite, we didn't do too bad (no one lost a finger - always good). We filled (5) 1-quart jars and (7) 1-pint freezer bags.

Now to find recipes for all of these peaches. Hmmm...peach schnapps, anyone?

{heart}

2011-08-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

What I love:

Looking and truly seeing the beauty around me.

What I love more:

When my children see it too.

Morning, Sunshine

2011-08-10T09:13:00.002-04:00

I love these cool, sunny mornings. Anything seems possible.
I feel I can get so many things done on mornings like this.
But of course, I don't, because I'm overwhelmed by said possibilities.
So, I think I'll just enjoy the morning.

Free Scone

2011-07-28T11:56:00.002-04:00

I got a free scone yesterday! I was all ready to pay for it and I got the tap on the hand and a "Don't worry about." I was like..."What? No, really. Here, please take my money." A wink and a smile and she was off to the next customer. Amazing. I was elated! It wasn't really about the free scone, though, it was more about that singular, random act of kindness. The feeling it gave me was so wonderful. It made me...happy.

{side note: That scone wasn't cheap. Or stale...it was delicious.}

Go make someone happy...

Designcycling

2011-07-13T14:43:00.001-04:00

I'm coining this new term because I feel that recycling and upcycling just do not define what I see here. Maybe I should add it to Wikipedia - what do ya think?

de•sign•cy•cle -verb

1.The process of converting waste materials into new creative designed materials or products that rock!

de•sign•cy•cler -noun

1. The cool people who design, produce or purchase these products.

priorLIFE is one such example of a designcycler. Last year at this time I was visiting my in-laws on Lake Leelanau near Traverse City, Michigan and I found an unusual looking bag at The Painted Bird in Sutton's Bay. I immediately bought a huge 24"x 12" tote bag thinking it would be great to cram in all of our pool/beach stuff. It was so cool - lots of color, some typography that I couldn't quite make out, graphic of some sort. All together a very wicked design. What really made this bag unique was its story. In its prior life it was a banner at a festival. It told me so right on the label.

Once I determined that this product was not only a great design piece but had an awesome story...I wanted another one. So with priorLIFE being based in Traverse City (gasp!) and me just being up there for the Fourth of July (double gasp!), I decided to pop in to see how they were made. I contacted Jenn Ryan, their fabulous Brand Ambassador, to schedule a tour of the facility. Here's a little video they did to show you how they make them...

The companies that buy from Britten Banners send their used banners back to priorLIFE to make into bags for either their own marketing purposes or for priorLIFE to sell online and selected retailers.

Jenn was nice enough (crazy more like it) to let us view their inventory. I certainly didn't walk away empty handed. It took all the ever-loving will power I had not to grab everything in sight. Oh and the choices! Different colors and typographies and graphics each one truly unique! Of course, my mother-in-law, an extremely talented pastel artist and designcycler herself, came along. (sidenote: check out her website here - shameless family plug.) Between the two of us we certainly did some damage.

Check them out on their website, facebook and twitter and if you purchase online before July 31, 2011 you'll get 15% off with this exclusive code: TOSOTC (The Other Side Of The Creek - duh). Now I do have to make a disclaimer that unless you visit one of their retailers either at The Painted Bird in Sutton's Bay or in Traverse City at Golden Shoes you'll not get to select exactly the color and design. Each priorLIFE™ product is truly unique with its colors being determined at random based on the banner from which it was created. But you can put in your preferences and they will do the best they can to accommodate.

So go ahead, save the environment and at the same time look chic as you...designcycle. (haha - seriously, doesn't that deserve to be in Wikipedia?)

Wish Makers

2011-06-21T09:28:00.001-04:00

Here's wishing all your dreams come true. Now blow...

Self Acceptance Day

2011-06-10T10:59:00.006-04:00

Well, not officially, although it should be. I think we all need a day like this to come to terms with who we are. We need to embrace our idiosyncrasies, our craziness, our normalcies...ourselves. So many times you feel the need to change the things that may not be seen as normal. I think we just need to accept these distinctive qualities and harness it all for good. These are things I know about myself, good and maybe not so great, but definitely not bad. The not so great first...

I'm obsessive compulsive, but it comes in waves and usually when I'm cleaning or gardening...die weeds! Once I start something I usually can't stop, even when I know I'm knee deep in poison ivy (and I'm highly allergic).
I hate clutter...you won't see this girl on "Hoarder's - Buried Alive", unless it's featuring my husband's office. That was the only room that I wouldn't touch but my OCD kicked in and I finally broke down and got him organized. See? Harness for good.
I'm a bird nerd. There I said it. This feels good! This one isn't really a "not so great" quality but more of a "it is what it is" quality. But since this one is in the middle of my list maybe you won't read it. We are all busy so maybe you'll read the top two and the bottom two and won't even see this one. I'm not sure why I'm embarrassed about this because birds are pretty cool. I especially like Blue Birds and Indigo Buntings. Have I listed that I have ADD yet?
I'm pretty sure I have Attention Deficit Disorder. I'm not sure if it's because I can become bored easily and then something catches my eye (or ear) and I'm off on another thought or if it's just lack of focus all together. I seem to focus well on the important "work" tasks (in case a co-worker/client is reading this) but normal every day stuff will take me in many directions in a day. So if you see me out in a social setting and I cut you off in mid-sentence, please know it's nothing against your excellent conversational skills.
When I'm mad I'll either completely shut down and not talk to that person (i.e. my poor husband) for days or I will explode and yell and scream. Not sure which is healthier and its rare that I get mad but when I do it's usually because of a difference in parenting styles or just lack of patience. Which leads me to no. 6...
I am a confused girl. Some days I can have loads of patience and will let the kids run amok through the house and other days I am not even able to control myself. I will take a simple objective that I've set my mind to and hold on to it (amid extremely reasonable protests) like a rabid dog with a piece of meat. Why can't I let it go? Not sure. Control freak? I'm not that crazy - haha - denial!

Okay, time for a few good points. I'm pretty sure I have these...

I believe we all have good intentions. Whether something along the way happens to influence us otherwise, or there are circumstances beyond our control, we intended no harm. I'm sure this is naive, but I have to operate this way or I will become too cynical. I will let the cynicism take it's natural course when I'm an old woman (that's going to be fun!)
Does making lists count here? I make lists of things to do, of things we need at the store, of chores for the kids, for work, for the garden, lists of my good and not so good points (haha)...I have lists everywhere. I guess this would count here as long as I cross things off and get things done, right?
I'm creative. My OCD sometimes gets in the way of producing though. "Let me just clean my desk before I get started on that watercolor. I might as well clean my office while I'm at it. - Damn it's time to make dinner." {sigh} I'm an interior designer and this is a great quality to have when you need to manage a project but when you want to explore new media it's very difficult. I think that's why I've been more into photography. You can have the creative eye, but then there is the manipulation of the photo, and the organization of your photo files and then the selection of which to print and frame. Someday, I'll paint...
I'm faithful...committed. Once I have vowed these things I will not stray. I can't guarantee I won't throw a quick glance sideways but I will always turn quickly back. OCD vs ADD... keeps me in balance.
Well I've been told I'm friendly and outgoing. I will talk with just about anyone and usually find something we have in common. I think we all have something interesting to say and I want to know what it is.
Curious...as a cat. Until I had cats, I wasn't really sure how curious cats where. I'm really surprised I haven't had a cat until now. We are quite similar, now that I think about it. They can be OCD and ADD and unpredictable but they are not list makers. I wonder what would be on their list if they could make one.
I just have to have one more good quality than the not so good. So I can admit I am a very positive person. I would hope that being around me makes you look at the brighter side of things and I try to be positive in any situation. Negativity will only bring you down and there's no reason for that. Ever.

I will admit that this is a comprehensive list. There is much more, but it's already the longest post I've written. So for all of my ADD friends who are reading this - go to to the top and read it all - no skimming!

To Do Today...

2011-05-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

Monday morning. It was tough getting out of bed. With the rain hitting the open window and the cool breeze softly blowing, it only made me want to snuggle down deep. The sounds of kids giggling and kitties meowing reminded me there were things to do.

I actually look forward to Mondays. It's my day to plan and to organize myself. I love that. I make my lists for work and home and hopefully I've crossed off at least half for the day. Sometimes I'll even write a task down, not on the list, just to cross it off. {grin}

Motivation usually comes easier with a bright, sunny day, so I'm not too optimistic about that list. Kids and kitties are fed...I think I hear my bed calling.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

2011-05-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

Complicated? No. Beautiful? To me.

One thing I know and that's design. I was an interior designer as soon as I was old enough to move the furniture around in my room. Just ask my mom how many bedroom layouts are possible in 10 x 10 room. A lot. I even decided to forgo the bed and just put the mattress and box spring on the floor. Bohemian style, before I even knew what that meant.

So even as I start fresh with a new media, I feel I have an understanding of form, light, color and texture that I can rely on when looking for subject matter. I am constantly drawn to flowers and the variety they all have as it relates to these four elements. I know it's not the most innovative subject, let's face it, we have been photographing flowers for years, but it's what I love and shouldn't that be enough?

Cute Overload

2011-04-24T10:23:00.001-04:00

One of mine, and my kids, favorite websites is Cute Overload. Utterly adorable pics of the cutest baby animals you'll ever see. I can always tell when the kids are on the site because I hear the sweetest exclamations of "awwwwwww!" and "Ohhhhh- how cute!!!" The kids don't always get it, but the pics are accompanied by equally adorable and funny commentary. On a recent visit to a local farm here in Mount Vernon, I think I took a few pictures of my own adorable baby animals {minus the funny commentary}. Get ready to say "Awwwwww!!!"

Happy Easter!

Yoga Me

2011-04-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

I have been lucky enough lately, to have found some time for myself. This is very important if you want to keep your sanity as a mom, wife, business partner, housecleaner, chef...should I go on? What I wanted to do with this time was concentrate on getting myself fit again. It's been a long winter, very long. I have typically been the type of person who needs guidance or a little push to keep on track. Personal trainers are perfect but in this time in my career, way too expensive. I thought maybe a class with a few great friends would keep me motivated to go and with an instructor present would keep me honest (no slacking). So with the help of LivingSocial who happened to have a 50% off on yoga near me, I took advantage of the manna from heaven - which those group coupon sites really offer (except when all you get is teeth whitener deals).

Yoga is not what you would think of when thinking of getting fit, but if you choose the right one - and yes, there are a lot to choose from and not all are my cup of tea, but we'll get to that later {wink} - I have found the muscles can be just as sore the next day. I have tried yoga before so I thought I was little more experienced than the beginner course they offered, so my first class was Hatha. This type of yoga was originally practiced to focus on getting your body prepared for deep meditation. It is extremely beneficial for stretching your muscles and "opening" your joints. There is more meditation in Hatha than I want for truly getting back into shape but this is wonderful at the beginning of your weekly workout or yoga routine. I would like to try a more intense yoga like Vinyasa, where you are constantly moving from one pose to another in time with your breathing.

Dominic meditating in Sedona, Arizona

One of my very good friends and gym sauna buddies, Shawnie, asked me if I wanted to try Bikram yoga or Hot yoga. Her bubbly personality and winning smile had me at "Hot" - Ohio has not been playing nice lately and the thought of anything warm had me saying - "Okay, sure!". If you've never heard of this type of yoga, it's where a few crazy people practice slower paced yoga poses in a room set at 105 degrees. If I had REALLY known what this was like I might have laughed hysterically at her, but I'm a trusting friend. She wasn't going to kill me...was she?

My first thoughts when entering this sauna of a room was "aahhhh - I could get used to this." Then the instructor explained we would be in there for 90 minutes. Hmmmm. That seems long, but I'm doing okay so far. Five minutes in I felt this odd sensation. Is that a bead of sweat making its way down my arm? Fantastic! Never felt that before. First pose and my heart is beating pretty heavy. I can handle this. After about 30 minutes my eyes are starting to roll back in my head. I look at myself in the mirror and I see no dry spots on my clothes. There is a woman in front of me that looks like a mountain in spring, water pouring off of her. Unfortunately, because this is a high concentration effort to maintain your breathing and your poses, you cannot stop to wipe off or get a drink until the "designated" (yup) breaks.

I can no longer stand. I have to sit down and catch my breath but there is no relief. I feel suffocated. The heat is so oppressing I start to feel a panic attack coming on. I look at Shawnie and she is on the ground too. There is NO way we are making it the full 90 minutes. What were thinking? I could say the next thing we did was a wimpy, weak, no intestinal-fortitude (4th grade gym class teacher word) move. But honestly, I think we were the only sane ones there. We raised our hands like good students, asked to leave, and booked it out of there. I swear the woman by the back door moaned when we gave her a little breather as we opened the door. "Once you leave, there is no coming back." -our instructor said. Like we wanted to! Hahaha! We were free! We were definitely the smart ones of that test group. No more Bikram for me, but I can say I did it, like swimming with sharks. Once is enough.

Jones'n For Some Color

2011-02-15T19:50:00.000-05:00

{Wild Phlox}

Spring should have been here by now it seems.

Please come soon, I need you.

Digital Dog Ear..

2011-02-02T11:48:00.000-05:00

I have shelves of my favorite magazines...Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Travel & Leisure, Cooking Light and various interior design industry mags. I can't bear to throw them away (and by throw away, I mean recycle, of course).

They all have small dog eared corners on the pages of my favorite ideas in the hopes that some day I will go back to them and use the creativity and inspiration I found among them. I have done that here and there but always had trouble finding that one idea I remembered I wanted to try among the stacks.

This is the same with the internet. With so much information out there, inspiration may flash across the screen in a split second. We can bookmark a site but don't remember what was so great about it. I recently found a site that reverses that idea. It highlights the object of inspiration for the visual effect while allowing you to find it again with its web address.

Pinterest is a unique way of organizing, cataloging and categorizing our wants, needs, ideas and inspirations. You create a design board or two, or three or 40 (there is no limit that I've seen) and while you are surfing the web you select images and "Pin It" to your board. You can follow other boards and "Repin" interesting images from someone else's or make comments on a particularly inspiring photo or image. These boards can be private or can be open to the community.

I see such potential using this site in a creative business environment or just for the personal corralling of your thoughts.

Check out My Pinterest boards, maybe they will inspire you.

I Resolve...

2010-12-31T10:17:00.002-05:00

Every New Year's Eve, I make my list. These are the things that I vow to do in the new year. I typically put things like - "Get Promoted","Lose Weight" or something selfish like that. Please know, I am not an overly selfish person, I have 2 kids and house full of pets, not much time for myself. But I feel like I can give more.

So here are my thoughts on this new year full of promise...

Say "I Love You" more often. To my parents, to my children, and especially to my husband.
Volunteer my time. Make someone, who I don't even know, feel special.
Start a new tradition with my family.
Be thoughtful in gift giving. In the rush of life it's so easy to buy anything at a store but this year I want to think of the person and what they mean to me. Homemade gifts would be the best.
Eat Healthier - Ok well I can't very well do the things above if I don't at least do one thing for myself. ;)

Happy New Year! May you have a healthy and prosperous 2011!

O' Christmas Tree

2010-12-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

If you have a lot of left over hard candy from Halloween, or if you're like us, left over from last Valentine's Day, don't throw it away - make something! I found this idea in the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens. {I love that magazine}

"Crush hard candies like Jolly Ranchers to create shimmery ornaments that resemble stain glass. Just line a cookie cutter with foil, spritz it with cooking oil, and fill it halfway with candy pieces. Bake for approximately 7 minutes at 350 degrees to melt the candy, then cool for 10 minutes. Use a hot-glue gun to add a hanger." - BHG

Mine turned out pretty well, and I ended up making 2 or 3 other pieces but this one was by far the best. If you try it, send me a picture. I would love to see how it turned out.

Happy Holidays!

They look good, don't they?

2010-12-14T16:19:00.003-05:00

They are...well, were {grin}. The kids thought they tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream, but warm. They were originally just cocoa fudge cookies, but I added a bit of a seasonal kick to them. They look like teeth breakers but actually the candy canes soften after a bit.

Cocoa Fudge Cookies {w/Candy Canes}

Yield: 2 dozen

Cookies:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Topping:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

2 packages of 12 {or more} candy canes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2-3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans and cool on a wire rack. This recipe is actually from a Cooking Light recipe, so in case I've made a mistake you can get it here.

For topping {this one's all me}, lightly crush candy canes with a rolling pin in a plastic bag. Pour crushed candy canes onto a shallow dish. Combine powdered sugar and milk to make icing and spread over top of cookie {you don't need very much}. This will act like a glue. So now, either sprinkle candy cane on top of cookie or turn cookie upside down onto plate to pick up the candy canes. Let sit until icing is solid.

Voila! Enjoy!

Hunting Season

2010-12-08T17:41:00.003-05:00

When you think of hunting season, I bet you don't think of it as a family event. Well not an "everybody and your grandma" event, anyway. But that's just what it is when my family goes hunting. Hunting for our Christmas tree...parents, kids, cousins, uncles, grandmas and grandpas all head out to the great tree farm to honor the yearly tradition. Usually it's chili and hot dogs before, to keep us energized and warm for the trek ahead. And then hot chocolate after, when we haul our "prize" home.

We have to have our traditions, even when its 20 degrees and the wind is biting cold. Kids run with excitement and anticipation of finding just the right tree. Cheeks red and noses running, they pick the perfect tree - but wait a minute, this one has a bird's nest in it! Or this one is nice and tall! I hear my husband's voice ring loud and clear to the scattered kids..."I've got one cornered!" Usually it ends up being the closest to the car {wink, wink}.

Once home, the fun begins. Dan relinquishes all responsibility for decorating to myself and the kids. He killed it, we dress it. Sounds fair. In place and smelling wonderful, I notice this tree is tall, it is VERY tall. Now removed from the wide, open air, our perfect tree has magically grown to enormous proportions. "But it was the right size when we picked it!" they exclaim. "It must be magic!" they say. What we thought was only maybe 8 feet at best was 11 feet tall!!!

With "Jingle Bells" in the background, the kids and I set to work. Of course, we needed a little help getting ornaments to the top and to the kids excitement we received it by way of a very tall ladder. My husband's work was not quite done. Even with a ladder, the star still required an extra long arm.

With night falling and the lights glowing, I think to myself that the traditions are well worth it.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Not so Bye-Bye Birdie

2010-11-29T18:32:00.000-05:00

Winter is on it's way and while most birds have migrated I still seem to have an abundance of wild birds at my feeders. I'm especially enamored with this Tufted Titmouse, with his little crest that reminds me of a man's 1950's hairstyle.

I set up two bluebird boxes in late summer, knowing I was probably not going to see any inhabitants until early spring. I was pretty excited {and I would never have thought that I would get this way over birds} when I saw two bluebirds going in and out of the boxes like they were touring a home for sale.

Since then, a number of bluebirds have been checking out the neighborhood and I hope they buy. I would love to show you all Bluebird eggs next spring.

Have a wonderful week!

Scary Snare

2010-10-31T15:15:00.003-04:00

Tiny droplets of water illuminating the delicate strands of a spiderweb. Harmless to us but deadly to unknowing insects who dare to cross.

Muwahahahaha...Happy Halloween

Addicted to Succulents

2010-10-10T10:31:00.000-04:00

Time flies and wonderful things grow. These are the succulents I planted last May. They have really exceeded my expectations. Not only did I keep them alive, they've grown and had offspring! I've been able to split these into smaller plantings and now have a family of succulents living in my house.

Honestly, I can't get enough. I've purchased a few more little souls that were on sale at the garden center. I want to save them all and wonder what will happen to them over the winter. The colors and textures are so different and enticing. I think I'll use these as subjects for my next watercolor attempt. What do you think?

Salsa!

2010-08-22T15:30:00.000-04:00

In the Spring I bought a Jalapeno Pepper plant from our local farm market. I wanted to start a vegetable garden and I thought since I'm not a major gardener I'd start small to get my feet wet, so to speak. I found an unused pot and started my {small} container garden. I paired my hot peppers with basil in the same pot. I've used the basil almost immediately on everything from homemade spaghetti to bruschetta.

The jalapenos I've had to wait a while but the wait has been worth it. My mom gave me her salsa recipe and we made a mild and a HOT batch. I'm not one for hot foods but this was good. My husband has used it on his pizza, tacos, cheese and crackers...anything he can think of.

So here's the yummy recipe...Enjoy!

3 large tomatoes - coarsely chopped

3 canned or fresh jalapeno peppers - beware!!

3T chopped green onions with tops

1T fresh parsely - chopped (use more as you like)

1 clove garlic - crushed

1 1/2T cider vinegar (I used lemon/lime juice)

1/2tsp. salt

1/8tsp. ground cumin

1/2 small (8oz.) can tomato sauce

Mix all together and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Can be frozen, but becomes watery upon thawing. Just drain if that happens. Use all fresh ingredients for best results.