Salsa! (Not the dance)

I made myself some fresh salsa today! I refuse to let the bounty of tomatoes go bad and there are only so many that I can give away before people start taking them out of pity.  I've added my recipe to the bottom, in case you want to taste this deliciousness for yourself!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized finely chopped onion
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 3-5 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (I leave in seeds and skin and all)
• 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 jar green chilis  (You can add any other peppers if you like it hotter!)
• 1 small green pepper, minced
• 2 to 3 stems of fresh minced cilantro
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper

Eat it right away or let it sit in the refrigerator overnight for a stronger flavor. Enjoy!

Signs of Summer and Baffling Kitty

 Today I harvested my first tomatoes and snow peas. Looking at the size of them, I'm expecting a bumper crop this year! Nothing tastes better than a fresh tomato right from the garden. I cringe every year when they stop producing and I'm forced to buy the bland grocery store tomatoes.








My hibiscus bloomed today as well. The size of these flowers are huge! I've never had hibiscus and I'm embarrassed to say that I had to post on my chicken forum to ask the ladies what in the world this type of flower was. It's beyond beautiful! I hope they last all summer.

The baffling kitty

Our cat, stormy has the most unusual way of sleeping. She buries her head no matter where she sleeps. If there isn't a blanket for her to bury it in, she'll find somewhere.. see for yourself:

Lily pad goodness

One of the biggest selling points of this house when we bought it (at least to me) was the fact that it had a koi pond in the back yard. It had two tiny goldfish in it, but lots of beautiful foliage. I could see myself sitting next to the pond on a clear night and just enjoying the sounds of the water.

This was the photo in the listing ad.

Well, today I got the dream I'd been waiting for! The lily pads that I'd been watching grow and spread have finally bloomed! And wow are they beautiful!