The Best Pico de Gallo with Lime EO!

Pico De Gallo with Lime YLEO

We are in full blown summer mode around here. Just got back from a week long vacation at our happiest place on Earth and am feeling refreshed and relaxed. There's nothing like a true vacation full of rest and relaxation with the ones you love. While we were gone, our tomato plants went bonkers and produced crazy amounts of a variety of tomatoes, and jalapenos to boot! I looked at my husband, jumped up and down, ran outside and frantically started picking off the vines. I brought in over 40 tomatoes and a few peppers. What's a gal to do with tomatoes and jalapeno peppers? Why, make pico de gallo of course!



This recipe is very straightforward and easy. From start to finish it takes about 35-40 mins...but maybe that's because I distract myself like you wouldn't believe...or because I'm slow as molasses when it comes to chopping veggies... ;) Anyway, there is nothing better than the taste, smell, and feel of veggies fresh from your garden - right? I need to figure out how to bottle the smell of tomato vines and sell it. I'm obsessed with that smell, people! Without further ado, here we go!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c seeded and diced tomatoes (we used a combination of our Isis Candy, Juliet, Green Zebra, and Cherry)

1/4 c diced red onion (I used white, but I don't think it matters much)

1T diced jalapenos (2 small or 1 large)

1T minced garlic

1 drop of Young Living Essential Oil Lime (in place of 1T lime juice)

Salt and pepper to taste

Makes approx 3 cups

Directions:

Dice and mince to your heart's desire and put all ingredients in a glass bowl. Mix until well combined.

Pico People, are your mouths watering yet? Can you smell the pungent garlic? The juicy tomatoes? What about the crispness of the onion and spicy jalapeno? My mouth waters just looking at it all. 

The very last thing you are going to do is add the essential oil. I use Young Living Essential Oils in my baking and cooking. This recipe originally calls for the juice of a lime, but who wants to use an 'ol lime when you have LIME ESSENTIAL OILS?! HOLLAH!! 

One drop is truly all you need for this recipe. Anything more will overpower and you want to be able to enjoy all those flavors in one delicious bite :) 

There you have it! An easy and light appetizer, perfect for last minute weekend BBQ's or summer night get-togethers ;) Pair it with a margarita and use a drop of Lime YLEO to kick it up a notch. Or add a drop of Lime YLEO to your Corona or Modelo and you can always thank me later ;)

Here's to summer!
The NorCal Contessa 

Red, White, and Oooooh!! S'mores Cookies for the 4th of July!

Let's salute to the Red, White, and Oooooh!! There is nothing more American to me than S'mores on the 4th of July. Our favorite way to make them is over a traditional campfire, but if you aren't camping, the next best thing is to bake them in the oven! A super simple recipe that won't take much time but will definitely impress your partygoers :) I came across this recipe a couple years back from the The Girl Who Ate Everything and it's been a favorite of my family ever since! 

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies, depending on how big or small your dough portions are.

This Recipe Calls For:

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Friends, let me tell you something. These are amazing. A gooey, chewy, deliciousness graham cracker bottom topped with a mixture of marshmallows, chocolate chip batter, and big 'ol chunk of Hersey chocolate to boot. BOOM. Deelish! Take a look for yourself: 

Directions are pretty simple and straightforward.

1. Place parchment paper on cookie sheets and line it up with graham crackers. I separate each graham square. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon, then set aside.

3. In a bowl using an electric or hand mixer, cream butter, both sugars, until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. *Side note: This image makes my mouth water! I love the different textures...dying right now...

4. Add your flour mixture to your butter/sugar mixture and blend on low speed until well combined.

5. Fold in your chocolate chips and marshmallows - you're almost done! The original recipe says you have the option of chilling the dough for 1 hour or overnight. I was short on time today, so I made them right away. I've chilled the dough in the past, but don't really remember there being much of a difference.

6. Place one tablespoon of dough on top of each graham square. Gently place fingers on top of dough and press down to flatten. 

7. Bake for 5 minutes and then remove them and place one Hersey rectangle on each graham square. Gentle smoosh (yes, that's my technical word for it) down the chocolate. Place back in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until the top of the cookie is nice and golden brown. Remove from pan and place on a cookie sheet to cool. The cookies will spread and kinda mold together. Simply take a pizza cutter or sharp knife and gently cut the cookies that overlapped. 

And that my friends, is how to make the most amazing S'mores Cookies!! Now excuse me while I go sneak a few while the boys aren't looking... ;)

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

The NorCal Contessa