Mmmmmmmango Salsa

(Photo Credit)
Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I love me some salsa. In fact, when I was extremely morning sick with all of my pregnancies, one of the only things that made my stomach feel somewhat normal was a big ol' plate of tortilla chips with melted cheddar and some nice, fresh salsa. Well, since I had gone to Costco and bought a box of 9 large mangoes (for about 75 cents each), I thought it might be time to make some salsa! I snooped around for recipes and didn't find one that really struck me. So I kind of picked things that I liked about various recipes and did my own thing. I like doing that. My friend Jessi calls this "Amelia Bedelia-ing". Remember Amelia Bedelia?

Anyway, as I was saying, I made some salsa. I went out to my garden and picked some parsley, some green onions, and a purple torpedo onion. I also had an avocado and some tomatoes from Gleaner's, as well as some lime juice in the fridge. I jazzed it up with some salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper from the spice cabinet and... ta-da! Mango salsa was born. Following this recipe should give you a nice, big bowl to share with those you love. Or, you can put it in the fridge and hide it all for yourself. Your call. Either way, it's a winner.

Mmmmmmmango Salsa
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 large mangoes, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced (What? Not diced?)
1 handful fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice
salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Throw it all in the bowl, stir it up, and eat it. And yes, I do tend to make things that I can just dump together and stir, don't you?

Gratituesday

Today (and every day) I am so thankful for my kids. With all that we had to go through to get them here safely, they are such a miracle.

I am also grateful for my garden, for Gleaner's, and for David's job, through which God gives us all that we need. Here is yesterday's garden harvest!

And I am always thankful for good food. Yum!

This post has been linked to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers. What are you thankful for today?

Gardening Update (and a bit on the house)

I'm really enjoying my garden these days, especially as things begin bearing fruit. There is something very satisfying about preparing dinner with veggies from your own back yard. We made some simple boxes with untreated boards and filled them with a trailer load of fill dirt. Too bad we are moving now, because that was a lot of work! I haven't quite decided if/how I am going to transfer all of my plants, but I'll do my best to keep them alive and productive. Meanwhile, I'll be tending the garden as well as I can. I've started using some organic pesticides, such as sluggo and some insect killer, which seems to have helped. Although, some little bugs (aphids?) are still getting at my broccoli and brussel sprouts. The slugs are completely gone now, so that makes me really happy!

Out front is the main garden:

In the pots are two tomato plants and my herbs.

The first box has chard, purple onions, and green onions.

The second box has carrots, beets, and 4 cucumber plants.

To the side of those boxes are 3 pots of lettuce and 3 pots of spinach.

In the second row, I planted two broccoli plants and two cauliflower plants.

Next to that are two jalapenos, two green peppers, chard, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, and cabbage.

On the bottom row is another tomato plant.

And next to that is my corn, some of which has been eaten by critters, but is looking quite a bit healthier now.

And next to the corn, I planted cantaloupe, strawberries, and yet another tomato plant.

The back yard plants are doing really well, too:

Here is my corner area with zucchini, pumpkin, kale, and (more) beets.

Along the fence are my fava beans, which are now taller than the fence with a good crop of beans maturing on them.

Here are my snap peas, which are also quite a bit taller and making nice little peas for us to munch on.

And lastly, the green beans, which are about twice this size now!

As for the house, closing is set to happen on the 15th, barring any complications with the appraisal. Lots of work is getting done on the house this week and next, so things are moving along nicely. We've decided to wait on finishing the basement so we can save our money and avoid paying interest on that project. We will, however, be hiring someone to help us paint the interior, mostly because I am not going to have the time to do it with all the packing, unpacking, and caring for 3 kiddos. As soon as everything is painted and cleaned, I'll be posting more pics. I'm really excited about our first home!