We had all of the ingredients handy for making nachos, and it sounded like a great evening meal. The more I thought about it, the more interesting it sounded. Here is the way we made them.
The ingredients we used include:
Some of the jalapeno peppers that were left over when we canned up six pints last night.
A few of the onions we grew this summer. Growing onions has never been successful in our garden. This is about as big as they get. We'll try again next year and see if we can master growing that vegetable to normal size.
Some of our salsa we put up in August. We grew the tomatoes and peppers for this salsa. We had to buy the onions (see above) and cilantro. This is the first time we have tried our canned salsa this year. We have been able to keep a fresh quart in the frig most of the summer.
Chevron roast from a wether we butchered last fall. This was a nice hind quarters we cooked up last month. I like to freeze up the extra meat in quart size freezer bags to use later in meals like this.
I use corn tortillas that we fry up. We use olive oil for anything requiring oil when we cook.
Cheddar cheese. This was the wheel that stuck in the cheese press when we made it. I wondered how it would come out.
It had some spots of mold here and there and the general
surface was a little bumpy. I decided to cut off a thin layer of the
entire surface.
It won't go to waste. Pearl, our Great Pyrenees, loves cheese. The cheese is a very nice mild flavored cheddar that has aged for five months.
After I fried the chips, I diced the onions and roast for the first layer.
Then I added some peppers and salsa.....
And topped it with shredded cheddar.
These nachos were some of the best we have ever had. No, really, they were! Part of the reason is that we raised the goats that gave us the milk that made the cheese. Another part is growing the tomatoes, peppers and little onions. Then there was that wether that was born here that we butchered and cooked, he tasted really good. It always amazes us that we can harvest and eat from the work of our hands. And it tastes good to boot!
Until next time - Fern
This salsa recipe has been adjusted several times to the current ratio of vegetables. We really enjoy it. Especially with fresh corn chips. We buy corn tortillas then fry them in olive oil and sprinkle on a little salt. They are very good alone. But when you add a bowl of fresh salsa, it's almost a meal in itself.
We eat the recipe fresh and we also can it to eat throughout the winter. The ratios can be increased or decreased depending on the number of ingredients you have or your taste preferences. We like the simplicity of the recipe.
Since I made this batch of salsa over a few evenings due to time constraints, I chilled the ingredients as I prepared them. Before I canned it, I heated it all to boiling.
Earlier in the summer when I only had a few tomatoes, I peeled them by hand to make a quart of fresh salsa. For this batch I actually had a decent number of tomatoes so I blanched them.
Boil a pot of water deep enough to hold some tomatoes. Leave the them in the boiling water for about a minute or until the skins start to split. Then put them in a sink of 
cold water.
The skins will slip off easily after they are blanched.
Peel and chop 6 cups of tomatoes to the desired consistency. Some folks use a blender or a food processor, I dice them.
Finely chop and add 4 medium onions and 1/2 cup jalapeno. Add 1 tsp. salt.
Finely chop and add 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro (more or less). Adjust the amount according to your taste. I tend to add more than the recipe calls for. We really like the flavor. I bought these plants in the produce section at the store. When I plant cilantro here in the spring it bolts and goes to seed. These are trying to do the same thing. So I keep them potted on the porch so I can go out and take clippings for the salsa.
Stir well. To eat fresh - chill (if you can wait that long). Eat!
To can, heat to boiling, fill hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe rims, put on lids and rings. Water bath for 15 minutes after coming to a full rolling boil. Remove the canner lid and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and place them on a towel, then cover with a heavy towel and let cool slowly and seal.
This is another tasty, easy way to preserve our wonderful harvest.
Until next time - Fern
