The story & recipe of Sassy Salsa

Each year my husband & I plant a modest garden in our back yard, and we love to cook with the fresh veggies that are produced. There is always a fantasy I have that the tomatoes and hot peppers will be so abundant, I will be able to make a ton of fresh salsa and enough tomato sauce to get us through the winter. Well, this year my fantasy is coming true!! Our tomatoes are ripening by bushel, and the hot peppers are poppin’ by the pound. First comes the salsa…Bliss!!

An old friend of mine would make salsa on the stove top, which was something I had never seen before and was very curious about. He would puree the ingredients together and let it simmer on the stovetop until they reduced a bit and the flavors intensified. As he was stirring it, my curiosity grew and I had to go check this out. I took a whiff of this delicious concoction and the fumes from the hot peppers went through my nose and came out my eyes…Wow! Intense!! Must have!!! The flavor of this salsa was like no other I had tasted since visiting New Mexico 15 years ago. My mission to find a similar recipe began…

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to find a recipe that reminded me of my friend’s salsa. It is a little different, but has that same intense, fresh, spicy flavor. I named my version Sassy Salsa…Why Sassy Salsa?...you’ll see when you taste it for yourself!

When I first looked at the recipe, I was nervous that the roasting process wouldn’t create the same flavor as my friends but I had to give it a whirl anyway… you never know ‘til you try. Thank goodness I did try it because this is the best salsa ever and is exactly what I was looking for. The roasting of the ingredients intensifies the flavors perfectly; it’s like having a party on my tongue!!! Ole!! 

Sassy Salsa

15 plum tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
½ small onion, quartered
2 chili peppers (just 1 for a mild spice, or none for spice-free salsa)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin (this adds a nice smoky flavor)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (just have a lemon? use 2 Tbsp instead)
1/4 cup fresh parsley

1. Preheat the broiler. (Want an even more intense flavor? Roast them on the grill!)
2. Place the tomatoes, garlic, onion and chili peppers in a medium baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Broil 10-20 minutes stirring occasionally until outsides of vegetables are just charred.
4. Remove vegetables from the broiler and let cool until warm to the touch. Peel the tomato skins off (they come off very easily!), cut the tomato in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Remove the stem from the chili pepper and the skins from the garlic and onion.
5. Place the roasted vegetables and remaining ingredients in the food processor and coarsely chop.
6. Enjoy!!!

One fun thing about cooking is that no recipe is set in stone. Originally this salsa recipe called for cilantro, but I had parsley in the garden so I used that instead. I actually prefer the parsley because it has the same fresh taste as cilantro but is a bit milder. The first time I made this, I didn’t have an onion so I didn’t use an onion; it was still fabulous. If there is an ingredient that you don’t have or don’t like, you may be able to eliminate it or substitute it. If you aren’t sure, just let me know and I’ll help you out!! Also, feel free to add things to the recipe such as fresh mango, pineapple or peach chunks!! YUMMM!!! Those will jazz up any salsa! (Stir them in after the chopping process.)

Now, don’t feel limited to pairing only tortilla chips with this salsa. Oh no my friend, the possibilities are endless! Sassy Salsa is awesome in an omelet, on a burger (or in a burger!!), stirred into some whipped cream cheese, on fish, on a hot dog, as a sandwich spread, over roasted chicken, mixed in with roasted potatoes…etc.

Explore and be free with your food!

The eternal search for clammy clam cakes, can you help?

Where do you go for clam cakes in the RI area? My husband & I are on what seems like an eternal search for a decent clam cake. When I bite into a clam cake, I surprisingly expect to bite into a clam or two, but lately that is just not the case. The clam cakes are usually tasty, but there are just no clams. Is there a clam cake out there that was the last one scooped from the batter and loaded with clams? Hmmm, maybe the clams are minced and you just can’t see them? I’m not sure, but I’d love some information on them.


While we’re on the subject of clams, how about some clammy clam chowder to go along with the clam cakes. Last week we were in Matunuck for clam cakes & chowder and we ended up with clam-less cakes and bacon-potato chowder. Now don’t get me wrong, bacon is #1 on my list of favorite foods and I do appreciate it in my chowder, but bacon-potato chowder wasn’t on the menu. (If you were to puree that with a ton of cheese…YUM!!!!!...I’d have to call that Super Soup! Hmmm...that is going to be my winter project now…I’m on it…but I digress.) What's the dilly? Where are the clams? Won’t you tell me your favorite places to go for clam cakes & chowder? I know that restaurant is out there somewhere, the one that serves both clammy clam cakes AND clammy clam chowder. Please comment below this post to let me know where you go for these awesome summer treats, and we’ll try them out this weekend!

Enjoy the day!

OK, my blog is titled “It’s all about food…well, mostly!” What are the “non-food” things that I will be blogging about? Mostly they will be about my sweet husband Charles and my silly dog Daisey. They are my partners in crime and always keep me laughing, motivated and feeling loved. Today I will tell you the story of why we adopted Daisey from Twin River in Lincoln, RI.


For many, many years I have wanted to adopt a Greyhound. One day Charles was doing some work up on the Twin River property and decided to stop in the adoption center to see what these dogs are all about. He couldn’t quite understand why I was so adamant on getting a Greyhound over any other dog. As soon as he stepped into the pen where 6 Greyhounds were playing, he understood. Of the 6 dogs playing, there was one dog in particular; she was drawn to Charles like a magnet. When he was talking with the woman who was tending to the dogs, he felt something wet in his hand…it was a dog’s nose…perfect fit! "Hmmm," he thought with a grin on his face…”what would happen if I moved to the other side of the pen?” So Charles went to the other side of the pen and like a magnet, the same gentle dog’s nose was in the palm of his hand…he fell in love on the spot.

Later that day I received a phone call, “Hey Beth, I was in Lincoln today and this girl was all over me.” Now, I knew he wasn’t talking about a woman only because if he was he knew I’d immediately change the locks on the house (among other things)! Ha! Then he told me how hairy she was, right away I knew that he had visited the dog track. “You have to come at meet this dog; she is so sweet and beautiful!” (Side note: this is one month before our wedding date of October 4, 2008.) I was a bit hesitant about adopting a dog as I was preoccupied about the wedding, yet at the same time very excited…a dog!!! The next week I went by myself to visit this particular pooch and she was the same way with me, just like a magnet. Where ever I went, she would gently approach me and put her wet nose in my hand. I found a leash to walk her around the property with, and after our walk I realized the entire leash was embroidered with “Charlie.” Hmmm, that’s funny, I thought.

For the next week, Charles & I discussed the possibility of adopting a dog and agreed to visit her together…2 weeks before our wedding on October 4. When we got to the kennel, June, the wonderful woman who has devoted her life to Greyhound adoption, greeted us with her warm heart and gracious smile. She gave us a leash and had us walk the dog together. When we got back inside, I asked June how old this sweet pooch is, and she told me to look in her ear. There’s a tattoo in each ear, one is her registration number and the other is the month and year of her birth followed by a letter which stands for her birth order. I peek into her ear and see 104C. My jaw dropped as I showed Charles what I saw...he had the same reaction. Her tattoo is 104C!!! She was born in October ’04 and was 3rd in the birth order (ABC)…our wedding day was in 2 weeks on October 4th…C…Charles…!!!!! We both looked up and said “We’ll take her!!!” Daisey is a wonderful addition to our family, and we couldn't imagine life without her!!!

A bit about my culinary beginnings

Well, not only do I love to cook, but I also loooove to bake. It is unusual to have a passion for both culinary areas, but for some crazy reason I do. Generally, people who love to cook don’t like the precision and “rules” necessary to bake; and people who like to bake need the exactness of a recipe in order to feel comfortable. Being an unusual gal myself, I love both. The freedom of cooking liberates me. Knowing that I can switch ingredients on a whim allows my creative juices to flow and keeps me on my toes. On the flip side, the preciseness of baking is more structured and allows me to focus on what I am producing. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of creative freedom when baking as you’ll see from my cookie menu. First and foremost, you have to understand the science behind baking, and then you’ll feel free to listen to your creative voice.

My baking career started when my Grammy asked me to help her make dessert for my Grampy’s birthday, I was just 4 years old. We made a cherry cobbler, and I remember it like it was yesterday (it was far from yesterday!). My Grammy sat me on the counter and showed me how to mix the filling…”gently”…Then we made the crumble topping. This was the best part because I got to put my hands in the bowl and get messy mushing the ingredients through my fingers, so liberating. Together we sprinkled the crumble topping over the filling, and I watched her place it in the oven. Then it came time to sing to my Grampy and that is when it hit me…the smile on his face was as big as ever…he knew I made the dessert…and look how happy it made him!!! From that moment on I was hooked, not only on the baking part, but on the huge smiles that followed.

After baking for someone else for 7 awesome years, I decided to branch off and start my own business. Quint’s Finest Gourmet Cookies & More was born in September of ’09, and I just love it. Times can be extremely stressful, but it is very fulfilling to own my own business. Of course, my favorite part is creating new recipes. I am constantly experimenting with new flavor combinations from ideas that pop into my head at 3 a.m. Some cookies are deep and rich, like the Devil’s Delight; and some cookies are light and crisp, like Lime Shortbread. Right now I have 16 flavors and counting! Wait a minute, isn’t that a TV show? Oh no, that’s kids…ha ha ha.

Tonight's dinner...

Since I got a bit caught up writing this blog today, I decided to make an old favorite of ours, Boboli pizzas. Boboli's are the best invention ever, I just love them!! They are so versatile and help make a quick dinner possible, just 10-15 minutes at 425*. Tonight we have pesto pizza with tomatoes, hot peppers and basil right from our garden! I also love to add olives and parmesan cheese...and whatever else we can find in the fridge... Be creative with your Boboli!!

My first post...

OK…here we go! This is my first blog posting ever. I must be honest; I’m a bit nervous, yet very excited!! You will find most of my posts will be about food, either something I’ve made, recipes that have been shared or found, restaurants that I have visited or any other thing that has to do with food. My husband & I just love food, and we love to explore flavors from all over the world. Since we can't travel the world, we bring the world into our kitchen.


The funny thing is I didn’t always have this affinity for food. For the first 11 years of my life, the only things I would eat were peanut butter & jelly, spaghetti & butter, Capt’n Crunch, and grilled cheese sandwiches (the cheese must be white!!). So, to the Mom’s out there with similar children, don’t worry too much, as long as the get the protein and vitamins from a certain source, they’ll be alright.

When did I discover just how wonderful food can be? Around 17 years ago I was at a luncheon and a fruit plate was served. I wasn’t too keen on anything in the melon family, but that's what was offered. Like a polite trooper, I tasted the fruit, and what a surprise I had!! The cantaloupe was super sweet and juicy, with a warm, mellow flavor, and I just fell in love with it. Then I tried the green melon. With a crisp, yet sweet flavor and just as juicy as the cantaloupe, I fell in love again. I had been living in Florida for 2 years, where the freshest fruit was all around me, and I had never tasted melon?!? Crazy, no? Why had I dug my heels in the ground when it came to trying something new, especially something as simple as fruit? I never answered that question, but from that moment on, I had agreed to try just about anything that was on my plate…I do have my limits!!