Earl Grey Shortbread Bites.

Just a warning. These aren't healthy...

I am fascinated by using earl grey tea to bake tasty treats. These shortbread bites are not only simple to make, but wonderfully yummy. Like, melt in your mouth yummy. I got the idea from a book I found in mom's collection, "Simply Homemade Food Gifts." In the book, these little cuties are made with colorful sprinkles folded in. I thought it would be fun to try to make them with tea instead (since, you know, I adore tea). They turned out wonderfully, and I'd definitely suggest you give them a try if you are in need of a very quick treat!

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbs sugar (I used raw sugar and it worked fine)
1/2 cup butter
2 bags earl grey tea (I used Twinings)

Mix flour, sugar, and butter together until it becomes crumbly. You will probably want to use some type of mixer for this. Add the earl grey tea (make sure it isn't a "full leaf" variety--you want something with very small bits of tea), stir, and form the mixture into a ball. Knead it well, then roll or flatten it onto a cookie sheet. This is tricky... or at least, it was for me. I ended up doing this in small chunks, as I had a really difficult time getting the dough to stick together and not crumble. Cut this into squares (approximately 1/2 inch to an inch), and separate squares onto the cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for 12 to 14 minutes. Mine baked closer to 12 minutes.


Let cool. These will keep for several days in an airtight container, or you could freeze them for later!

Sweet and Spicy Salsa

Sweet and spicy salsa. Delicious.

 Who loves salsa? I sure do. I've tried making salsa more times than I'd like to admit. Sometimes it ends up too tomato-y. Sometimes, too garlicky. Sometimes it turns out great. What I've found is that when it comes to making salsa, I can always rely on canned tomatoes. Thus, this recipe uses:

-1 can of diced tomatoes 

-1 tomatillo

-1/2 cup chopped onion

-1/3 cup chopped bell pepper

-1 bunch of cilantro (I like to use a lot, you may not)

-2 jalapenos (or serrano, or habenero, depending on your heat tolerance)

-juice of one lime

-1 to 2 cloves of garlic

-1/4 tsp cumin

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 tsp sugar

-1 tsp vinegar

-1 tbs crushed red pepper (more or less depending on your taste

Alright. That's a lot, but it really comes together pretty quickly. I promise.

 Start off by tossing your diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor.

 Add the cilantro now, and put the rest in the fridge right away so it doesn't wilt. You need not chop the cilantro. The blender will take care of that.

 Looks tasty already. I like to use a lot of cilantro. I think it really makes salsa delicious. Some people aren't into that, though.

 This, my friend, is a tomatillo. You would be surprised how many people don't know that.

 For example, when I purchased this little guy, the cashier had to ask me what it was so that she could look up the price. Embarrassing.

 After slicing it up, it looks like this.

 Throw the tomatillo in there with the tomatoes and cilantro.

 Pulse, pulse, pulse, maybe stir a little, pulse, pulse.

 Juicing a lime. If you're lazy, you can just use a container of lime juice (a tablespoon or two).
P.S., yes, I have what is known as a "clubbed thumb," which can clearly be seen in the above image.

 Next, add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos (or hot peppers of your choice). Since this is for my family, I used jalapeno to keep the heat level down.

 Chop up some garlic. It doesn't need to be chopped too well, since it's going in the blender. Along with this, add the cumin, salt, sugar, vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Blend it up, and hope for the best.

 There you go, sweet and (just a little) spicy salsa!

 Of course it's good on chips. Also great with quesadillas, tacos, etc. You know how salsa works.

 Mmm, don't you wanna dig in? Enjoy it!