This past week we made an impromptu trip back to Austin to celebrate my sisters 30th birthdays! It was a whirlwind few days, but was a blast! We surprised Angela and Tiffany as they were eating with the rest of the fam at Jack Allen’s Kitchen, which was fantastic by the way. It was a great night with great food and (half of) our dearly missed family.
Happy Birthday Tiff and Ange!
The next day, we slept in then leisurely made our way to The Salt Lick to meet Rayner, Tanya, and little Gillian for some great bbq. On the way back into Austin, we saw a cyclist being trailed by a Nissan Armada. I joked that it was probably Lance Armstrong. When we got closer, I noticed the yellow accents on the jersey and realized it was, in fact, Lance! We snapped a picture, gave him a ” GO LANCE” and left him to his ride. It was pretty cool! We then went out with the crew for some more good times at Freddies for some additional tasty foods. My face was sore the next morning from smiling and laughing so much! Good stuff!
At the swimmin' hole
The following morning, we got up and went out to drive the Willow City Loop north of Fredericksburg to check out the amazing wildflowers that make their annual appearance in this special area. This loop would make a GREAT race! 40 miles on back roads through some of the most beautiful terrain Texas has to offer. I may have to go run it at some point just for fun – race or not! We made it back in time for a short nap, then went out to meet my sisters again at Red’s Porch. Another great evening with the girls!
Near Willow City, TX
All in all, another fantastic trip back to ATX. Here are a few more pictures… Click on THIS! Enjoy!
Michael
Fresh Peppers
Bottom line is that this is an amazing green salsa! It goes good with a basket of chips, on a taco, or in some migas. Anything you use it on, aside from a bowl of cereal, will be made better by this sauce. Depending on the kind of peppers you use, how thoroughly you de-seed the peppers, how long you grill them, etc, you can have complete control over how this verde sauce tastes and how hot it is. Here is a general outline of what you may need:
- Tomatillos (essential)
- Serrano Peppers
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Anaheim Peppers
- Poblano Peppers
- Spices (onion, garlic, whatever you think sounds good, etc)
- Some source of vinegar (I use the vinegar from a large can of pickled peppers – but you can simply use white vinegar)
- A grill (or broiler)
- Bag o’ chips for some taste testing
- A cool beverage (a margarita made with Republic Tequila does the trick quite well) to cool off your flaming tounge
Now, de-seed some or all of your peppers, depending on how spicy you want it (leave tomatillos whole), and just grill the heck out of those peppers and tomatillos (the more you char them, the smokier the salsa will taste – don’t be scared, smoky es bueno). Throw them in a blender and blend them up! If it’s too runny for you you can throw the entire mixture in a pot and boil it down a bit; if it’s too thick, add more vinegar or tomatillos, either will thin it out.
There you go. Easy, simple, and incredibly delicious. And, please, get creative. I made three batches today. One similar to what I explained above, one with some habenero peppers for a little kick, and one with some organic mango mixed in for a sweet twist on this fantastic recipe. Make it your own! That’s the fun part.
Salud!
Michael
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- Fresh Peppers
