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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

February 2024 in the Twelve Months of Salsa - Fresh Pineapple Salsa by Fran Joyce

This year I’ll be making twelve versions of salsa or Pico de Gallo from an incredible website I found, https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/types-of-salsa/

Traditional salsa is made with cooked tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices. Usually, it’s blended or pureed to create a smooth texture. Sometimes sugar is added.

Raw salsa is uncooked fresh ingredients that are still blended like traditional salsa instead of left chunky like Pico de Gallo.

Pico de Gallo is a chunky, uncooked sauce made from chopped tomatoes, red onions, peppers, cilantro, and lime juice.

You typically won’t find cooked salsa used in traditional Mexican cuisine.

My family prefers Pico de Gallo, but there are a few store-bought salsas we enjoy such as Cholula Original Medium Salsa and Cholula Hot Smoky Chipotle Salsa which we like to mix together. The Hot Smoky Salsa brings the heat, which is great for recipes, but a little too intense to eat with tortilla chips alone. I always keep a few jars around for when I don’t have the fresh ingredients to make Pico de Gallo.

For February, I’ll be making Fresh Pineapple Salsa. Here is the link to the recipe from the website, Fresh Pineapple Salsa - A Southern Soul

Serve pineapple salsa with tortilla chips, fish tacos, or enchiladas, or spoon it over tofu, roasted pork, shrimp, or fish.

The best way to prepare this recipe is with fresh pineapple, but I had a couple of cans of canned pineapple in the pantry, so I used one of those. The recipe calls for red onion, but I substituted yellow onion instead and used dried cilantro. I used fresh tomatoes and jalapenos, and this recipe was delicious. It’s so nice when you can make substitutions based on what you have in your kitchen instead of having to run to the store.

I served fresh pineapple salsa over tofu tacos. And it was a hit!

I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.

I’m starting the list of the Twelve Salsas, but I won’t be posting which salsa/Pico de Gallo I’ll be making in advance. You’ll have to check back every month to see what’s cooking!

The Twelve Months of Salsa

January - Pico de Gallo - Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca) - Peas and Crayons Blog

February – Fresh Pineapple Salsa - Fresh Pineapple Salsa - A Southern Soul

February 2024 Dare to Believe - Pauli Murray and Malcolm X by Fran Joyce

February 2024 What's in a Word? by Fran Joyce