Can Salsa change the world?

Good morning readers of my ever so silly blog today! :-0 So I ask you...can Salsa really change the world we live in? The reason I ask this and ponder this is because in the last week I have been reminded of how salsa has been a part of my life. Yes that sounds nuts doesn't it. But let me tell you all about it.............When I was 15 or 16 I got a job as a waitress in Moriarty NM at a place call El Comedor. I worked summers and weekends during the school year and loved it. This place served the BEST salsa and Mexican food. Even though I was raised in a home where one of my parents was Spanish I can't say I had ever had salsa up until I got this job. I didn't know it existed. How awful is that??? :-) Anyway as time went by I learned how to make this yummy stuff and would bring home a batch with homemade chips pretty much every Saturday that I worked. Our family grew to love the stuff and in time my mom started making it at home. Yea! Yummy Yummy! It was great stuff and really HOT (chili hot) most of the time. When I met and started dating my hubby Troy our first date was at El Comedor and we had.........you guessed it.........yummy salsa and chips and root beers. Oh sweet memories! Ha! After getting married it became a staple in our home just like ketchup or mustard. I made it for parties, for pot lucks, for the kids for school, for whatever the occasion. And there was always a batch in the fridge for us to eat. Many times people would ask where we bought it. JAR SALSA...perish the thought. That just wasn't right and almost seemed like a sin. I know a little dramatic right. Ha! The thought of buying salsa in a jar even to this day seems not right to me so I don't.......most of the time. Once in a while I give in and I critic whatever brand it is to the point where I realize I wasted my money.....again. Hmmm where was I......oh yes....the history of salsa in my life.....I taught each of my three kids how to make it. Now that they are grown and living all over the place they have each changed the recipe to fit their tastes. Our son in Missouri makes his with fresh grown jalapenos....his kiddos love it. My daughter in NM uses canned jalapenos and Rotel tomatoes to make hers and I am not sure how my son in South Dakota makes his but I do know he does. Every where we have been stationed in the Air Force whether it be Idaho, England or NM I have always made salsa to take to parties. For the most part people are receptive and will at least try it. Some like it and some don't but most...love it. When we moved here to Florida I did the same thing for get togethers. Of course I wasn't prepared for southerns who didn't LIKE salsa. How can you not like salsa? Isn't that wrong somehow? Well it didn't take me long to realize they had always eaten the stuff in a jar or the salsa that the restaurants serve around here.....note I am not trying to cut down the places here in Florida....it's just not like back in NM. With a little coaching we have been able to get most of our friends to try it and you know what............they like it..........no that's not right...........they love it!!! It is now requested for most any party or get together. Now to this week...........this week I talked with a friend I had lost touch with who is from Boston. She was a Hall Director at the college where I worked years ago. We became friends in a craft group I had started and she was introduced to salsa. When I emailed her I asked if she was still crafting and she said not so much but she did do something that I wouldn't believe. She is KNOWN for her salsa in Boston. Yes the northerners love the stuff and request it anytime she is coming to party. Ha! Ha! Talk about funny...I just couldn't believe it. Then my son in South Dakota called on Saturday to chat. He told me he was making salsa for his wife's first Creative Memories gathering. He said all her friends request he makes it. :-) How great is that? Then I have an aunt who lives in California that gave me an idea for a ministry. She visits shut-ins all the time and she brings them homemade salsa, tortillas and a visit from her. Such a simple thing but brings lots of pleasure to the one receiving it. I am not saying I will do the tortilla thing but the salsa idea stuck. This week I brought a batch of salsa to a friend who had been sick. I also make it for friends...just cuz they love it. Last night I got an email requesting that I make it for an upcoming Super bowl party. Yummy! So I ask you can salsa really change the world we live in? I am not sure "salsa" is really changing the world but it is a tool that I can use to open a door to conversation, some laughter and little TLC for those I share it with. It's a simple comfort food to this gal from NM. It's a way in which I share a little bit of my past with others and little bit of love to them. We think we have to do "something big" to change the world when really it's all about the little things. Be creative you bloggers out there and touch someones life with a part of your life.

Here's the recipe for my homemade salsa....maybe you too can start a family favorite to share.....who knows you might change someones world! Be blessed until next time!

Pamelita’s Salsa

In a blender combine…

1-2 (8oz) cans of tomatoes
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers (or you can used canned jalapenos)
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic
1-2 tablespoon of dehydrated onion *
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-2 teaspoons dried cilantro *
Salt to taste

Blend to the consistency you like. *Adding fresh ingredients instead of dry will change the taste but is optional. Serve with tortilla chips.