Salsa

I like salsa.

And when I say salsa, I don't necessarily mean this:





Although, I will admit that this Salsa is pretty darn smooth.

My husband, the bike junkie, bought it for me early this summer after spotting it in a high end bike shop that he frequents often. He was so impressed by this bike that he was willing to sell his Cannondale single speed in order to buy it.

Don't tell him this, but I'm pretty sure he was more moved by the guilt of selling the mountain bike he bought me as a wedding present over 9 years ago, just so that he could buy another race bike.

Just kidding. I actually encouraged him to sell my bike because I had really young children at the time and as a result, mountain biking was last on my list of things to do. Actually, it was not even close to making it on that list. I think it has been filed under the list of things to do when my children leave home.

But that's not the case anymore. I have a bike again, and now a whole new world of possibilities has opened up to me. And while I love riding my Salsa, I must admit that I was not prepared for the comments it would receive, all because of this little part here:



To those of you who know what this is, I commend you. But more than that, I feel sorry for any non-cyclist that lives in your household who knows what a Chris King headset is for the simple fact that they hear the word all too often and, let's face it, any other bike term including but not limited to: carbon fiber, full rigid, full suspension, tubeless and my all time favorite...grams. *ugh

And because I fall into the category of 'non-cyclist living with a cyclist', this is the comment I hear most often:

You bought your wife a Chris King headset!?

To which I reply solely for the looks on their faces:

Chris King headset? Is that supposed to be cool? I just like the color and the curves of the bike.

Well, that and the little chili peppers that adorn it.


Speaking of chili peppers - sorry, I got way off track here - here is the recipe for canned tomato and chili pepper salsa.

In honor of my bike, I will name this my Salsa, salsa!



6 cups peeled, cored and chopped tomatoes
4 cups seeded, chopped green chiles
1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 large green peppers, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 jalapeno's, seeded and chopped
12 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 cups vinegar
1 tsp. ground cumin
4 tsp. oregano
3 tsp. salt

Throw all the ingredients in a large pot and heat on medium high, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle salsa into pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe rims with a damp cloth and place lids and screw bands on jars. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, 25 minutes if you live above 6,000 feet.

Yields: approximately 7 pints.



I recommend using a food processor to chop up your onions and peppers. It just makes life easier!

Oh, and this is a pretty spicy salsa. If you don't like spicy stuff, make your adjustments accordingly.

Enjoy!

As for me, I am off to enjoy my salsa. No, not that salsa. The other one.