Ninfa's green Sauce

I just read from Homesick Texan that Houston is the only city that serves up green sauce...can that be? I guess I assumed my whole life that the whole world fed their babies this stuff. So Now I have to go ahead and post the recipe even before I make it so that all ya'll in Dallas or Tempe, Kansas City, Seattle or New York can poke around to find some tomatillos.

Ninfa’s Green Sauce Ingredients:

3 medium-sized green tomatoes, coarsely chopped (you can substitute yellow if you can’t find green ones, but never use red)

4 tomatillos, cleaned and chopped

1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed and coarsely chopped

3 small garlic cloves

3 medium-sized ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

4 sprigs cilantro1 tsp. of salt

1 1/2 cups of sour cream

Combine chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapenos and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil (tomatoes provide the liquid), reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.Remove from heat and let cool slightly.Place tomato mixture with the avocados, cilantro and salt in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.Pour into a bowl and stir in sour cream.Makes 4 to 5 cups

This recipe is Ninfa's, but I found it on gorgeous Homesick Texan's website. She has awesome Texan faves. I think she lives in NY now, which makes sense...homesick!

Fresh from the garden bliss

A must have in my neighborhood on Memorial day is the chips and salsa. I'm trying to will enough tomatos to turn red so as to make it fresh from the garden.

Here is my VERY simple from the garden, tried and true and beloved Texas salsa recipe...gulf coast style. Use fresh whenever possible.

Melo's Gulf Coast Salsa

two or three tomatos

two fresh jalopenos

a few sprigs of cilantro

LOTS of lime to taste, I use two, sometimes three (this is key)

one onion

one or two ( I usually add just one) clove garlic

I put all my ingrediants in a little cuisine art mini chopper I bought from Walgreens ( too easy!)

Or you can chop everything up very finely for more of a pico

For flair I sometimes add a mango (which I am going to do for this Memorial day weekend.) Just make sure to add enough jalopeno to offset the sweetness of the mang0.

I will post Frank the Tank's margarita recipe this Sunday. It's perfect. As well as his colorado mojito with fresh mint magic. oh I can taste it now!

FYI Frank the Tank is my boyfriend and in his college days he bartended. Trust me this boy knows his way around the tequila. Even if he is a Colorado boy. And a cuban. ( mojito, mojito, mojito)

I also plan to serve up some guacamole, bacon wrapped jalopeno with cream cheese stuffed inside, grilled chicken quarters, chili lime corn on the cobb, and home made ice cream and brownies for desert.

Here is my challenge:

( Melo GIVEAWAY) I need a recipe for the chicken ( I bought four leg quarters "great for the grill") and I also need some kind of potato cheesy side dish that my son will eat. Please leave any suggestions in the comments section. I will be drawing a winner this Sunday! This prize is one of my ultra cute grocery bag dispensers that I sew from my label Choclate Tamales. Lord knows some of ya'll have grocery bags tucked all kinds of places...mmhmmmm. You know who you are.. so help me out and melo out!

Good luck!