My Most Requested Recipe is…(drum roll)

…my salsa

I don’t care who you ask, this is hands down the best salsa you will ever eat.

That’s right, and you make it in your own kitchen and your friends will think you are Maria Guadalupe. And if your name is really Maria Guadalupe, I applaud you because I think that’s a really cool name.

But, if you are me, Cindy G. Foust, aka The Alphabet Mom, and you have culinary ambitions, and you are stuck with some normal, random ordinary name, like Cindy G. Foust, then you might want to think about changing it, so you sound more, well, like a culinary genius.

Maybe I will change my name to Cindy Guadalupe…maybe I will bottle this salsa and sell it as Madam Guadalupe. Maybe I will stop renaming myself and get back to the blog post.

Speaking of names, my dad got my late sister’s name off a soap opera. Yeah, she got a really cool name…Angel. And subsequently I named my daughter after her, which makes me and my dad both really cool.

Wait.

Why was my dad watching a soap opera? Or is it daytime drama? I don’t know, I haven’t watched a soap opera since Nikki and Victor were together, like 20 years ago. Or 20 minutes ago depending on which day you watch it.

The Young and the Restless…wonder who made up that name. Probably someone young and bored, agitated, disturbed, sleepless and troubled (thank you thesaurus.com).

Yeah, makes me want to watch a show like that.

Then there’s the whole double naming business here in the south. Aren’t we the ones famous for it?

Robert Scott? Samuel Thomas? Angel Grace? Yes, I totally double named all three of my kids.

But that’s not what this blog post is about.

It’s about my salsa. And possibly changing my name.

Nearly every Sunday OF MY LIFE I make three batches of salsa. I bought a nice plastic jug with a good sealed top, to help keep it fresh, and I keep salsa in the fridge all week.

Incidentally, you sort of want to designate this jug as the “salsa jug” because well, if you try to make tea in it after you’ve routinely been storing the salsa in it, then it will probably taste like Madam Guadalupe was drinking something stronger than tea.

Where was I? Most anyone that knows it stays in the fridge all week, comes in the house looking for it.

Especially Gracie. I found the recipe on Pinterest several years ago and I have made nearly 2,000 batches of it since.

Maybe not 2,000…but I’ve made a lot.

I keep the ingredients on hand, except the fresh cilantro, because it will go bad on you before “quick can get ready.” That’s something my dad routinely says, also known as a “Tommy-ism.”

I mean, doesn’t everyone’s dad say “I’m so hungry I can see cornbread walking on crutches?”

Let me tell you who’s going to be hungry, and that’s you after you taste this salsa.

Before we go any further, let me also say that sometimes my cooking is not an exact science. I wish I could really enunciate “exact” and draw it out about 12 syllables, but I can’t because you can’t hear me.

Because sometimes, I’ll be just cooking, and singing “Reunited Cause it Feels so Good” while listening to the Ambrosia Pandora station (note: I do not own the rights to that song nor is this a paid advertisement for Pandora), and I’ll look in my spice drawer and see something I think might enhance the food I’m cooking.

I mean, I wouldn’t put basil in salsa, but I would put honey.

Don’t stop reading! This is the secret ingredient, I promise.

Okay, let’s find our way out of this rabbit hole we have fallen in and get back to it before you get so bored you find yourself switching over to Apple Music to download a Peaches and Herb album because I suddenly reminded you about how great this musical duo was and how much you loved them.

And then you would be spending money. So just stay on this page so you don’t spend money.

See, reading my blog makes you not spend money…I knew I could be a big help if you just gave me a chance.

Salsa…where are you salsa?

Before we get started on this recipe, I make mine in my Cuisinart food processor. Only the second best gift my husband ever gave me; the first best is my Cuisinart stand mixer.

Okay, that’s a lie. My first best gift is my children. Then my dog, Annie Lou Foust, THEN the mixer and then the food processor.

You still with me?

First, I assemble all of my ingredients:

• 1 large (28 oz.) or 2 medium (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

• 1 can Rotel tomatoes

• ½ purple onion

• Juice of one lime

• 4-5 jalapeno slices (more or less, depending on how hot you like it)

• 1 handful of cilantro

• 1 TBSP honey

• Salt and garlic salt to taste

Put all ingredients in your food processor and give it a pulse. You can pulse it to the dipping consistency that you like. Enjoy!

A couple of extra comments:

One, I use a cool handheld juicer for my lime that gets all the juice and no seeds. Very inexpensive and one of my favorite tools in my kitchen, and you will notice it in the ingredient picture.

Two, I wash my cilantro very, very well, with warm water. There is no telling what has walked all over it during shipping.

Three, the honey, salt and garlic salt are all based on your likes. I promise you, the honey enhances all the distinct flavors going on here and it’s a necessary ingredient!

The secret weapon, actually.

So get to it! Easy and delicious and your fans will be screaming for more.

Just tell them Madam Cindy Guadalupe is a culinary genius. Because it would be true.

Question: Are you a salty or sweet snacker? I promise…this survey will come in handy for me!