The bears posed for their Christmas portraits tonight. Fa-la-la-la-la. La la. La. La.
And Matt and I had a fiesta!
Back when we were living in sin before we were married, in the wee beginnings of our first kitchen together, we created this onion-free salsa recipe. You see, I LOVE salsa, but I also hate onions (as you know!) and 99.9% of salsas have onions! So the best solution is to make your own. But sadly, we never remember to do that! But I’ve been having a craving for salsa, so make our own we did.
The recipe is just 2 chopped tomatoes, 1/2 of two giant bell peppers, a jalapeno (seeds optional!), about 1/3 cup cilantro, the juice of half a lime, 2 pinches kosher salt, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a sprinkle of chili powder and 30 minutes of refrigeration.
To celebrate the salsa, we made taco salads with black beans + corn (heated in the microwave with some cumin and more of the above seasonings), a bed of romaine, lots of fresh guacamole (made with the salsa) and some greek yogurt and hot sauce on top.
We both mmmed our way through this one!
A side of chips for dipping! Super important.
Tonight we watched the movie The Ugly Truth. Eh. It takes a REALLY clever comedy to get me to laugh. The movie was just OK. Many scenes were unbelievable and unrealistic, but there were a few good ones. I don’t know what was wrong with Colin!? I thought he was a hunk of a catch. I hate it when the character make dumb choices! Anyways….anyone seen any good movies lately?
A SUPER EXCITING post is supposed to go up tomorrow morning. You won’t wanna miss it!! I haven’t gotten a report on the final details, but check back first thing!
Nite!
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
Oy…that movie looked pretty bad in the previews.
On the other hand, your salsa looks excellent
What a fab looking dinner. I love Greek yogurt+salsa together! I agree–The Ugly Truth was just meh. I expected funnier and clever-er…
Yeah, I’ve seen The Blind Side and it was one of THE BEST movies I’ve ever seen. Y’all HAVE to see it!
I wasn’t too impressed with the Ugly Truth either. 27 Dresses (another Katherine Hiegel) was pretty good though.
Wow, that salad looks so delicious! I love salsa of all kinds, so you onion-free variety sounds just as good to me. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s post!
We just saw Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon – I loved it! But I am a sucker for movies like that
Yeah, definitely not a two thumbs up, even though I LOVE Gerard Butler. That salsa/salad looks amazing though!!
Can’t wait to see what’s on this secret post.
I don’t think I’ve even heard of that movie? But the dinner looks delicious!
Oh…I just saw a great movie. An Education — screenplay by Nick Hornby, starring Peter Sarskaard and Carey Mulligan, a British actress who is fantastic in this movie! The movie is about a British schoolgirl who falls for an older man in the 1960s — and I can’t tell you anymore because I don’t want to spoil the plot! It’s a British indie film, so it may be hard to find, unless you have an artsy theatre around you. Otherwise, definitely rent it in a couple months.
Hey Amy,
Ooh, Nick Hornby also wrote About a Boy..one of my favourite movies EVAH! Seen it? I will have to check out An Education – thanks for the tip!
Homemade Salsa is my favorite! And the bears look cute all christmas-ed up!
I wasn’t a huge fan of Ugly Truth either…
Excited for your big news!
Mmm…homemade salsa is the best!
Love the bear portrait!
Yum, that looks delicious. Love the bear family portrait.
I love salsa without onions, too! Yours looks great.
I liked the Ugly Truth, but then I really like Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler!
That salad looks delicious! And we just picked up avocados at the grocery store, too!
dinner looks great! Can’t wait for the post tomorrow =)
Your dinner looks so good!
I have to agree with the person who said that The Blind Side is awesome. I definitely recommend it. Of course, I’m a sucker for sports movies
Your dinner looks awesome! Shane and I lived in sin for about 2 years before we got married, haha.
I’m not a huge fan of romantic comedies at all. Same ol’ same ol’.
you should watch my movie, “saving face!” i may be biased, but i think it’s a really good romantic comedy….
I didn’t know you were in a movie!! I put it in my queue!! Please tell more details!
I think I missed the story on the bears. But it is fun when they make appearances
your taco salad looks yummy and filling! Excited for the announcement!!
I don’t know how, but somehow I produced an onion loving daughter – I hate even the smell of onions!
Love the taco salads – I had taco night at my house too!
I just got the Ugly Truth in the mail today through Netflix! I can’t wait to watch it! This inspires me to get my paper done so I can watch it soon!
I can’t imagine not liking onions, but your taco salads look mighty good!!
I was SO disappointed in the movie…it was terrible!
That salsa looks so pretty and flavorful!
Yum! Your dinner looks delish!! I’m curious about the exciting post in the morning…
Yummy dinner! I literally JUST finished watching Gran Torino. It definitely was not a romantic comedy, but it was really good.
I love making my own salsa, too. I will have to try your recipe soon.
I saw The Ugly Truth in theatres and I actually liked it. It wasn’t realistic at all, but it was cute.
I’ve heard The Blind Side is supposed to be AWESOME! I also really liked The Proposal – sort of predictable, but best new romantic comedy I’ve seen in a while. Coincidence that both of these movies have Sandra Bullock in them??? Yes. : )
I love customizing recipes to my own tastes. I especially like to make things spicier
We saw Planet 51 on Thanksgiving. It was great…funny and cute.
Mmm, your fiesta plate definitely beats Chipotle. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s post!
Gorgeous salad!!!
I’ve been having a hard time finding any movies that look interesting on Netflix — what’s up with Hollywood these days? Time for some foreign subtitled film recommendations.
Jenn
you have me craving mexican food now!!
That salsa and salad look delish! We love salsa but haven’t made it before – perhaps we should next time!
I am pretty sure I could eat paper if it had guac on it
Ya girl! My husband and I love making fresh salsa. So sad without the onions though. I understand. Looks great!
that movie was terrible! it looked so cute but i thought it was a big fail as well.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm mexican food. My favorite.
I thought The Ugly Truth was funny!! Stupid, but funny. I watched Angels and Demons last night. It was good. Just saw The Blind Side at the theater….I think you’d like that a lot. Sandra Bullock’s character is one tough cookie…love her spunk and confidence. Definitely go see it!
Night!
Mmmm. That dinner looks so good!! There really is nothing like homemade salsa — there’s just such a difference from the stuff in the jar!!
“I love you man” HILARIOUS. So, so funny.
Away We Go is the best movie I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Beautiful photos! Really craving Taco Salad now
I agree, that movie was horrible. My family just watched it this week and we’ve been saying how horrible it was since. Sad. I wanted to like it.
Mmm that salsa and salad looks scrumptious! Excited for the post in the morning
Can I have dinner at your house haha – looks delicious and energizing!
That salsa looks fantastic! Great idea serving it on a bed of lettuce – I will have to try that next time!
We loved these three from Netflix:
1. Le Valet (soooo funny, set in chic France)
2. The Red Shoes (1948 a stunning classic set in Europe)
3. The Palm Beach Story
Just saw Fantastic Mr. Fox tonight. Great movie!!!
MMmmm salsa ^_^
I couldn’t even get through 15 minutes of that movie! i was expecting it to be typical/bland/clich, but it was even worse than i had imagined. I used to like Katherine Heigl but now she just gets on my nerves. Gerard Butler is still A-OK in my book, though
cliche*
Laughed out loud at the crossed through “living in sin” comment. Gotta love the teensy bit of tongue-in-cheek humor that comes out in some of your posts. I think we’d be great friends if we ever got the chance to hang out in person.
Aaand, on that creepy stalker note… I’ve heard The Blind Side is great too. But that’s still in theaters… Um, other ones I’d recommend that I can’t remember if I’ve “seen” you watch or not yet:
1. The Darjeeling Limited (love me some Adrian Brody, India, colonial trains, and Louis Vuitton trunks)
2. Lost in Translation – a classic
3. The Proposal – I think that’s out on video now? Better chick flick than The Ugly Truth.
4. The Brothers Bloom (more Adrian Brody… Not as good as the first rec. though.)
The bears look handsome. I wonder how you ever go them to sit so still.
Have you ever tried avocado on toast?
mash avocado,add sea salt, pepper and spread plain on toast!
to. die .for!!!!
That dinner looks awesome!
I agree about The ugly Truth, I thought it was just meh. For some reason, I feel that way about most of the movies I have seen lately
I love your Salsa recipe! Making homemade salsa is so much fun, because you have room to experiment. The mexican inspired meal looks delicious! I never saw the Ugly Truth, but romantic comedies are kind of blah in my opinion most of the time! I’m much more into horror movies.
Yeah, that movie did look pretty horrendous. Those chips and their toppings, however, look pretty fantastic! There is nothing quite as delicious as homemade salsa, particularly with a sprinkle of cilantro.
So while you like salsa but hate onions, I like salsa but hate tomatoes…. Any thoughts for that? To be fair, I don’t mind mashed up cooked tomatoes, but I can’t deal with chunks of raw ones. I like a little spice though and I love guac. Your dinner looks great.
I used to be the same way. Do you like them pureed? I would puree the tomatoes, then add the peppers and seasoning (or just puree it all like the Mexican restaurants do)
That taco salad looks amazing! I’m in Spain right now and it is near impossible to find good Mexican food anywhere and it is my absolute FAVORITE. Never thought of adding some greek yogurt in there too (another favorite food I’m extremely antsy to have soon when I get back to the US!)
I just watched Chocolat for the first time which I am sure you have seen but I loved it!
i recommend “a christmas carol”, i saw it yesterday and thought it was sooo good
Haha, looks like you got your Christmas card for this year!
I COMPLETELY agree with you on The Ugly Truth. I think the whole movie was a bit overdone and you’re SO right that Colin was the catch in this one!
Yeah, I agree with you on the movie. She just picked the bad guy because, you know, that’s how the stereotype goes.
I was disappointed in the Ugly Truth too… the Proposal was MUCH better!!
Good movies? The Blind Side. It’s awesome, I LOVED it. I agree on the Ugly Truth, it was just meh…
Thanks for all the movie recs!! My queue is totally full now!
Your salsa recipe is the same as mine! Fresh salsa is amazing and I am NOT an onion fan either. Have you ever tried ancho chili powder (made from ancho chilies)? It imparts a subtle cocoa-y taste.
Have you seen ‘My Sister’s Keeper’? Phenomenal movie. Just have some Kleenex handy. And if you’re in the mood for a cute romantic comedy, you can’t beat Betty White, Ryan Reynolds, and Sandra Bullock in ‘The Proposal’. (: