Lindsey's Luscious but Anna's Awesome!

Since I have been out of town and, thus, not cooking, I thought I might profile a new, up-and-coming guest chef for this posting. Do you remember me mentioning a regular reader named Anna awhile back? She is the daughter of a friend and a colleague at school, and she is an aspiring chef (at least this month anyway!). Anna's mom, Martie--whose maiden name was Martha Stewart, if you can believe--recently informed me that they made the wonderful chocolate icebox cake that I had posted about, and that the family just raved about it. They also sent me the cutest picture of young Anna, posing with her creation, and I wanted everyone to see. Isn't that great? I am so proud of her! :-)

Anna also sent me a gorgeous picture of herself posing with some fabulous-looking salsa. I was struck first by her beautiful blue eyes (click on the pic to enlarge it), but that salsa looked pretty good, too! So I asked her for the recipe, and I am pleased to share it with everyone, with Anna's permission, of course. Way to go, Anna...you're awesome! (Then again, what do you expect from the daughter of Martha Stewart? Tee hee.)


Anna's Awesome Salsa

3 cups of chopped tomatoes (Anna uses a combination of plum/Roma tomatoes and a few vine-ripened tomatoes)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 red or yellow pepper (like myself, Anna doesn't prefer green peppers!), chopped*
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar
chopped basil (to taste)
chopped flat leaf parsley (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
dash of cumin

*Anna and I live in the North Country, the polar (pun intended) opposite of the Southwest with its fiery cuisine. Folks around here can be a bit timid when it comes to hot sauce and chiles. But when I make Anna's salsa, I might be inclined to throw in a jalapeno or two (seeded and chopped) or even a serrano pepper for even more kick. But use your own discretion as to the heat level, of course.