Salsa Contest in Spanish Class

I've mentioned on here before that my life sometimes takes unexpected turns, and the pace sometimes feels like someone hit fast forward on the remote. I realize that this comes with owning a dog and having a teenager in the house! It makes life interesting. Yesterday was just another one of those "fast forward" moments.

It was early morning, and I was snuggled up against Hubby in a warm cocoon of blankets when I felt a shadowy figure looming over our bed. In a low whisper, someone said,"Mom, where are the tomatoes? Do we have any tomatoes?!" I looked up through half-opened lids to see our lanky 15-year-old with a harried look on his face. I was only in a half-awake state, but still aware that he doesn't eat tomatoes for breakfast. "There may be one in the crisper", I mumbled. I could tell that I was not being helpful enough, "I need a bunch to make salsa...today's the salsa tasting contest in my Spanish class!" he says. And, I'm still curled up contemplating just how important this is at 6:45 in the morning when he says the phrase that makes moms spring into action... "It's for a grade!"

(Now here's the "Fast Forward" part...)

I'm up, I'm up! and clothes thrown on in seconds. A comb goes through the hair, dab face with cold water, quick once-through with toothbrush and we have "lift-off"! As I yell, "You start chopping onions and get everything else ready...go clip some cilantro out back...and don't forget to wash it well... " I head out the door. I'm sure that's how all troop commanders do it; yell orders as they grab for their purse and car keys. I rev up the mini van and off I go.

At Country Mart, I cross the parking lot like a guided missile-I'm a mom on a mission! As I make it through the front door, fate smiles in my direction; tomatoes on-the-vine are one of the specials this week and so are bell peppers. I grab what I need and head for the register. The woman working is my favorite check-out person and she's used to me shopping there. This is good... and Bad! She looks at me (who is without make-up), raises an eyebrow, looks at the bag of tomatoes and one bell pepper, raises her wrist to look at her watch, and says, "What are you doing?!"
"My 15-year-old son has to make salsa for Spanish class...for a grade!" came spilling out like a confession. She just smiles and says, "Gotcha!" She's in my age bracket, has raised teenagers, and needs no further explanation; I love talking with women. They always "get it"!

I got home to find a bowl of chopped ingredients and the hulls of an already-squeezed lime. Ben is on top of things! I hand him the tomatoes so he can finish practicing his knife skills. Whew! I need my glass of Cranergy and a bagel before we start the school drop-off trip!
It was his final day before summer vacation. Fantastico!



I thought you might want the recipe for the salsa:


Ben's Salsa

4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a large onion (we used a red onion),chopped
1/2 of a large bell pepper, chopped fine
1/3 C pickled jalapenos, chopped fine
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Mix all together. Squeeze juice of 1 fresh lime over all and mix. Then add to taste: salt, jalapeno juice, about a TBSP of cider vinegar, more lime juice. Chill. Serve w/ Toastito Scoops.