Salsa Showdown!

When my good friends Melissa and Kathleen visited in May, I wanted to do something fun and special. The three of us absolutely love the salsa from our favorite Mexican restaurant in Peoria, IL (where we went to college). The restaurant is Carlos O'Kelly's. Yes it's a chain, but their salsa is made in-house (Melissa should know, she worked there!) Our plan was for them to drive from Chicago and stop in Springfield at the Carlos O'Kelly's that's right off the highway to pick up some salsa on their way to St. Louis. Unfortunately, Melissa was informed that the restaurant had suddenly closed! I had no choice but to arrange a Salsa Showdown and make my three favorite salsas for us to taste test!

My all-time favorite salsa for years has been the Black Bean(less) Salsa. If you read my original post about it, you'll know that it was this very salsa that got Kathleen to eat red onions! One day, I saw this Fresh Homemade Salsa on Annie's blog and it looked so delicious. I loved that it closely resembled restaurant-style salsa in appearance. Of course I have room in my life for more than one salsa, right? Especially when they are as different as these two! Wow, this salsa is amazing and I was happy to have a more traditional salsa to serve with enchiladas, quesadillas, and fajitas. Then I did a dumb thing...or a brilliant thing...I saw Pioneer Woman's Restaurant-Style salsa and just HAD to try it. Uh oh, I loved it. Now what was I to do? The Black Bean(less) Salsa is very different and I actually prefer it with just tortilla chips, not on other Mexican food, so it doesn't really count, but these two red salsas are very similar...almost similar enough that I had to choose one, but how? I don't know about you, but I simply cannot make a decision unless I have two things side-by-side. This called for a Salsa Showdown, not unlike my Magic Brownie showdown, Ricotta Pancakes two ways, and my Great Pumpkin Bread-Off. I had wanted to do this, oh, ever since I tried Pioneer Woman's salsa. Finally I had the perfect opportunity and the perfect little guinea pigs (or fruit flies if you know what I do for a living) for my experiment :-)

I made the three salsas in one night and stored them in ambiguously marked containers labeled A, B, and C. Only I knew the identity of the salsas. Now let's get down to the details of the Showdown:

The taste testers: Bob, Melissa, and Kathleen.
The mission: determine the best salsa according to taste, texture, and overall appeal.
The vehicle for said salsas: Tostitos scoops.

Meet the contenders:

In this (left) corner, weighing in at 3 ounces (just kidding!) we have Salsa A from Pioneer Woman.

And in this (right) corner, we have Salsa B from Annie's Eats.

It's pretty obvious, but Salsa C is the Black Bean(less) Salsa in the center.

To be fair, I told the taste testers not to consider this salsa in their vote since it is so different. I really just made it because it's Kathleen's fav and I wanted Melissa to try it out (oh and I love it too!)

A little description of each:

Salsa A: A scrumptious combination of Rotel tomatoes, canned whole tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and all the usual yummy suspects.

Salsa B: A delectable blend of fresh tomatoes, canned fire-roasted tomatoes (my personal addition), yellow onion, cumin, jalapenos, garlic, and a touch of red wine vinegar.

Salsa C: This salsa combines the sweetness of shoepeg corn, the spiciness of Rotel tomatoes, and the zestiness of red onions. Cumin, fresh lime juice, and cilantro add brightness and freshness.

The verdicts (wow it's even hard for me to type that word after the horrific Anthony trial!):

1) Because Bob has a hard time following directions, he performed his test before they arrived. His immediate answer was "Salsa A" - he thought it had a fresher taste. I thought this was funny because this salsa has no actual fresh tomatoes in it, as opposed to Salsa B which does.

2) Melissa agreed with Bob - Salsa A was the winner for her, though this was a close call. Also citing "fresh tasting" as a reason for her choice.

3) Kathleen also agreed that Salsa A was her preference. Again the "fresh" word came up, and this was close for her too.

4) So maybe you're wondering what I think?? Sorry folks, it's a hung jury - I sort of prefer Salsa B! I think it's because I used fire-roasted tomatoes and I just love that smoky taste they impart. I probably shouldn't have done that for fairness. I feel like I performed an uncontrolled experiment! I love both Salsa A and Salsa B, but I kept going back to Salsa B . . . again . . . and again. This presents a major problem for me because I was hoping Bob and I would agree on a clear winner and I would have my "go to" recipe. No such luck!

Now on the tasters' opinions of the Black Bean(less) Salsa - all 3 agreed that they loved this salsa and that it wasn't fair to compare it to the more traditional salsas. Personally, I could not agree more. It's just wonderful! No, seriously try it!

So there you have it, mostly a win for Pioneer Woman's Restaurant-Style Salsa with one holdout (me!) for Annie's Eats Fresh Homemade Salsa.

Have I finished my salsa quest? Not a chance. I still plan to make an at-home version of one of my favorite restaurant salsas...and no, it's NOT Carlos O'Kelly's ;-)

Mexican Chocolate Black Bottom Cupcakes

In December I won a giveaway on Nicole's blog Baking Bites. I was so excited to get my package in the mail - 2 bars of Scharffen Berger chocolate and an autographed copy of her Baking Bites cookbook! I immediately wanted to make just about every recipe in the book! One recipe that caught my eye in particular was these Mexican Chocolate Black Bottom Cupcakes. The chocolate batter is mixed with Mexican spices and then a cheesecake/coconut layer is dolloped on top! The recipe makes 24 cupcakes, so I chose to make them for 2 events - lab birthdays and the visit of my two great friends Kathleen and Melissa.

I was really bummed when I finished making these and discovered I had left out the coconut by mistake! In my defense, the recipe in the cookbook said to combine salt with the cream cheese mixture, and there was no mention of coconut. Salt was not listed in the filling ingredients so I just added a pinch and moved forward. It was too late by the time I realized that the coconut was not listed in the directions and I had left it out. Regardless, these cupcakes were fantastic and I can only imagine that they'd be even better with the coconut. I've added it to the directions below.

24 cupcakes is a lot, so I had leftovers after both events and my mom and aunt tried them. My mom said they were the best thing I've ever baked! Wow - did she forget about the dessert table? Just kidding! It's funny how people can have such different tastes because these were not at the top of Bob's list (his all time favorite is the Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream!) I wasn't entirely surprised by Bob's preference though because he's not big on cheesecake (I know - what?!). I thought these cupcakes were super moist and flavorful, and I'm excited to try them again with coconut!

Mexican Chocolate Black Bottom Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cream cheese filling:

16 ounces (2 packages) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 large egg whites, room temperature

2 tablespoons milk

2/3 cup sweetened, shredded coconut, finely chopped

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.

1. Make the filling: In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in egg whites and milk, mixing until filling is well-blended. Stir in coconut. Set aside.

2. Make the cake: In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, and spices.

3. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk, water, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir together until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.

4. Divide cake batter evenly among 24 cupcakes. Top each portion of batter with 1 rounded tablespoon cream cheese mixture (there may be some left over).

5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. If using two racks, rotate pans halfway through baking. A toothpick inserted into cake only portion should come out with a few moist crumbs on it.

6. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Filling will sink slightly as the cake cools (I assume this is if you have the coconut in there, as mine did not). Remove cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from the Baking Bites Cookbook

Jalapeno Popper Dip

I've posted before about my love of dips. I think they're the perfect party food, and there are so many options. When I saw this recipe for Jalapeno Popper Dip, I immediately saved it to try. Jalapeno poppers are pretty popular in my family, so I thought a dip that combines those flavors would go over well.

Bob and I hosted a graduation party BBQ for my new brother-in-law Steve, and I thought this dip would be a nice addition. Diced jalapenos mixed with cream cheese and spices, topped with a delicious layer of Mexican blend cheese and panko bread crumbs? Yum. This dip was delicious, and the fam loved it. It's definitely not too spicy but had a nice balance of flavors. I'm sure it would be great served with carrots and celery, but I prefer Tostitos Scoops!

And just look at that cheesiness!

Thanks for lending me a "hand" Mom!

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ingredients:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat), at room temperature
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded, ribbed and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup panko bread crumbs (I actually reduced this to about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and mayo.

2. Add bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and half of the chili powder and cumin. Mix well to combine to a uniform mixture.

3. Spread dip into a baking dish, smoothing into an even layer. (I used an 11 x 7-inch dish)

4. Top with remaining shredded cheese, cover with bread crumbs and sprinkle with remaining chili powder and cumin.

5. Bake approximately 30 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature with tortilla chips.

Source: Adapted from Homemade by Holman

Eggless Cookie Dough ;-)

I've mentioned before that I usually ignore the warnings about raw eggs. I've made custard using a raw egg base and I eat cookie dough by the spoonful whenever I bake. In my opinion, raw eggs aren't something to be that concerned about unless you are in a high-risk group: those with suppressed immune systems, the elderly, children, and pregnant women. So, I've never had a reason to worry, until now . . . Yep, I'm pregnant! 16 weeks today, so I'm due in early December.

Bob and I are so excited! This is our first child, and we couldn't be more thrilled. I've felt very lucky to have had a relatively easy first trimester, although the fatigue has been pretty intense, hence the lack of blogging. I rarely cooked and when I did it was more heating up something frozen or making pasta with jarred sauce. My beloved chicken sounded absolutely unappealing for many weeks, and a lot of the new recipes I'd see just did not look good. I had a lot of posts that needed to be written, but the last thing I wanted to do was spend time on my computer when I got home from work when I could be napping. Thankfully my energy is slowly starting to pick up, as is my desire to try new recipes.

I'm not sure about any of you, but when I'm told I can't have something, I want it more. (I won't even go into how much I've been craving a cold sub sandwich from my favorite local deli!) One of the first things I thought when I found out I was pregnant was: Uh oh - no cookie dough! Luckily, I remembered seeing eggless cookie dough recipes specifically for pregnant women, so I relaxed a little.

I decided to make the dough and then scoop it out into small portions to freeze. Now I can have a little ball of cookie dough anytime I want! The dough is definitely not as tasty as real cookie dough, so I may play around with the recipe a bit, but it's a good starting point.

Eggless Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
Pinch salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar and butter until smooth.

2. Stir in vanilla and milk. Mix in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips until well blended.

3. Chill in the refrigerator, or scoop onto waxed paper covered baking sheet and freeze.

Source: Adapted from Fun Foods on a Budget

Have a great weekend!!!!!!!

My First Dessert Table!

I've mentioned this in several posts, but I threw my sister Lisa a bridal shower in March and tackled my first dessert table! When my sister got engaged last summer, I immediately started brainstorming ideas for her shower. I had never hosted a shower before, and I wanted it to be so special for her. I had such an amazing bridal shower, thanks to my sister, my aunts, and my cousins, and I wanted Lisa to feel the same way.

I've been inspired to do a sweet/dessert table ever since first hearing about them from my friend Kat (and seeing her amazing work!). Lisa absolutely loves desserts, and I thought this was the perfect idea for her shower. Her colors were coral and ivory, so I decided to make that the theme of the shower. After many months of planning, shopping, and sketches, here is what I came up with:

And one of the biggest feats: the cake!

Here are Lisa's first reactions (priceless in my opinion!) - sorry for the paparazzi-style photos- I wanted to capture each moment!:

The menu (you can sort of see my reflection in the glass!):

The table went over very well with the guests too. I think it was fun for them to get to sample a variety of desserts but still partake in the main dessert, the cake. I will be sharing the recipes for the desserts over the course of several posts. Here is the complete run-down of the desserts so you know what to expect:

Mini Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Meringue Cookies

Oreo Truffles

Strawberry Cake Truffles

(the truffles were stored in the freezer, hence the condensation)

Decorated Sugar Cookies: wedding dresses, wedding cakes, and diamond rings

(they were also the favor)

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

I also used Sour Patch Cherries

and White Fudge-Covered Pretzels

I hope you come back soon to check out the fun posts I have coming up, including the recipes for these desserts, a Salsa Showdown, and the Groom's Cake I made for my sister and her new husband's rehearsal dinner! :)

And the winners are . . .

I used Random.org random number generator to determine the 5 winners of the Archway cookie giveaway. Here they are:

svberge

Martina's Moments

styxfanhouston

Kathleen

Tiffany

Please email me asap with your mailing address so I can get them to the Archway rep and you can get your cookies! Thanks so much for entering, and have a great weekend! :)

Back with a Cookie Giveaway!!!

Oh my goodness, it has been a very long time since I posted! We have been super busy with my sister's wedding, her and her new husband moving back to St. Louis, among other things. I have SO many posts that I need to get out - including the Dessert Table from my sister's Bridal Shower!!! To make up my slacking around here, I'm hosting a giveaway!

First, some background: Several months ago I was contacted by a representative from Archway Cookies asking if I would be interested in receiving a complimentary package of assorted cookies. Bob immediately jumped at the chance, as he has fond memories of Archway's Molasses cookies. Personally, I don't think I'd ever had Archway cookies before, but free cookies? Why not!

The package arrived with 3 containers of cookies - Triple Chocolate (ok seriously my favorite cookie flavor ever!), Shortbread, and Peanut Butter:

Now, given my experience with packaged cookies, I was expecting them to be good but nothing special. I first ripped open the Triple Chocolate package and was surprised to find that they are big, soft, bakery-style cookies! They were very good! Next, I tried the shortbread. I like shortbread, but it's definitely not my top pick in a cookie. Well, let me tell you, these shortbread cookies are phenomenal! They have such a good flavor, I was really impressed. Because of my nut allergy, I didn't try the Peanut Butter cookies, but Bob happily finished those on his own - he loved them. When I wrote the representative back, I told her my thoughts. She actually said that they have been receiving really positive feedback on the shortbread - I'm glad it's not just me!

Now for this giveaway, 5 - yes 5! - lucky people will win a similar package full of Archway cookies! Eat them by themselves, or come up with some fun recipes with them! I'm thinking crushed shortbread cookies would make an awesome crust! Or how about putting some homemade French vanilla ice cream (or even cinnamon!) between two of the Triple Chocolate cookies to make an ice cream sandwich? Mmmm

I also want to mention that Archway is partnering with First Book from June 1 until July 15 and donating a portion of the proceeds to this organization in order to purchase 10,000 new books for children of low-income families. What a great cause! And lastly, you can also nominate someone to receive a "Goodness Package" full of cookies and a glass platter and pitcher here!

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment telling me what your favorite cookie is! Announce this giveaway on your blog or on Facebook? Just leave me a separate comment for each and you'll get another entry! Contest ends Tuesday, June 14 at 6pm CST. I apologize in advance, but only residents of the continental U.S. are eligible due to shipping restrictions.

Good Luck!!!! :)