Peanut Butter Cookies ...

My good friends know that I don't use cookbooks or recipes, but that doesn't mean I don't love to cook or bake. To make these you just need 3 ingredients;

1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Egg

Mix together, roll into balls, press down with a fork to make the criss-cross marks and bake for 10 min @ 350º ... yes really, it's that easy =)

Would you like a margarita?

This is my favorite margarita glass. I bought a pair at the Goodwill on El Toro Rd, Lake Forest, CA they were .50¢ ea and they've lasted for 5 years. They are the perfect size and I love how they look in the sunlight next to my sink about 5:45 in the afternoon.


I hate that summer is coming to an end. It doesn't feel right to make my favorite drink while the leaves are starting to change and there's now a slight chill in the air. Since I live in Orange County, I think I can fit in a few more before fall officially arrives.


In case you want to know how to make a "real" Mexican Margarita; it's half tequila (5 oz.), one third (2 oz.) fresh lime juice and one sixth (1 oz.) triple sec which is a citrus liqueur. The rim of the glass is rubbed with lime juice and dipped in salt. The ingredients are shaken with cracked ice and strained into the salt-rimmed glass. It's served garnished with a wedge (not a slice) of a mexican lime (the tiny ones that look like key limes) You can get a bag of 25 for .99¢ at the 99¢ store, also on El Toro Rd.


This margarita is smaller and more potent and definitely more refreshing than the typical huge, frothy happy hour concoctions, you know, the ones that taste like a 7-11 slurpee. Be careful; there's a fine line between great conversation and inebriation ... therefore these should always be served with food, even if just a bowl of tortilla chips and salsa.


From my experience, the best time to enjoy a margarita is not at a noisy bar, but at home with my husband, preferably while sitting on a green plastic adirondack chair on my freshly mowed lawn under the huge tree in the front yard while watching the girls ride their the bikes and draw with chalk.


Now go enjoy your margarita before the eggnog and cider arrives =)

Making Salsa ...

Here's a picture of my daughter while helping me make salsa today. We listened to great "ranchero" Mexican music as we chopped away.

Making great salsa isn't that hard to do. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll share my "top secret" recipe with you =)

Start with (6) fresh red tomatoes, (1) small red onion (actually looks purple, but they are called red), (1) lime, (3) serano chiles (use jalapeño if you can't find serano), (3) yellow chiles, (1) tsp of salt, (1) bunch of fresh cilantro. Wash everything and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut the stems off the chiles and the bottom inch of the stems off the cilantro, use all the leaves. Chop everything and put together in one bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over your chopped ingredients, add the salt (if you want more than 1 tsp., taste it first, and season how you like it), give it a good stir and chill for at least 30 minutes to merge all the flavors. Serve with chips and a pitcher of margaritas ... and slow down and enjoy your family, friends and the rest of the summer!

ps. My husband insists I warn you that this may be too hot for most people ... make the margaritas first, so that you have something to cool off your mouth =)