What better way to celebrate?

I went home last week - well, more like a week and a half ago - Neil and I drove up to WA state to spend time with my family. It was great 'cause we usually don't all get together except at Christmas, but Greg, Heidi and the boys (James & Evan) made it out from NY - yay!!!

AND, not only did we all get together, but we got to celebrate some milestones, like Scott finishing his A.A., Elizabeth (my oldest bros g/f) finishing her B.A., and Greg finishing his Ph.D. (and getting a "real" job at the university). Congratulations to all!!!

As with any family get-together, there was a ton of tasty, tasty food - including some fresh-caught salmon compliments of Greg, fresh crab, salad, veggies, etc. etc. etc.
For some of Heidi's recipes, I recommend visiting her recipe-exclusive blog.

While I have not yet started uploading my recipe collection, I promised to share at least two of them that made appearances in WA: peach-mango salsa and scones. I really suck at providing specifics, but I'll do my best. So, without further ado...

Peach-Mango Salsa

> 3-4 ripe mangos

> 4-6 ripe peaches (or one 29 oz. can of peaches in water or LIGHT syrup)

> 4-6 cloves garlic

> 1-2 jalapeno peppers

> Red onion (1 small or 1/2 large)

> Cilantro (a small bunch or a large bunch depending on how much you like it)

> Lime

Wash everything! Peel and chop the mangos, peaches, and onion in as large or small of chunks as you like & toss 'em in a bowl. Dice the garlic, cilantro, and jalapeno and add 'em to the bowl. For milder salsa, discard the seeds - for spicier, keep the seeds. Cut the lime in half and squeeze juice from one half over the salsa. Use the rest of the lime in your Coronas.

Toss to combine. Enjoy immediately and/or let sit in the fridge. Great with fish, poultry, on salad, and with chips 'n cheese.

Source: not sure???

Notes: sometimes Juilie & I added yellow and orange tomatoes and/or bell peppers (any color)

Scones

> 1 C. Sour Cream

> 1 tsp. baking soda

> 1 C. butter, slightly softened

> 1 C. white sugar

> 4 C. all-purpose flour

> 2 tsp. baking powder

> 1 tsp. salt

> 1 egg

> 1-2 tsp. vanilla

> dried fruit or fruit pie filling (optional - I usually use raspberry pie filling)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In small bowl, combine sour cream and baking soda. Let sit.

Combine sugar, flower, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter. Add egg, vanilla, and sour cream mixture. Mix until just moistened. Dough should be slightly sticky. If dry, add some milk or sour cream. If wet, add some flour.

And now, two ways to proceed:

1) If using dried fruit, mix in at this point. Turn dough onto floured surface. Pat or roll into 3/4" thick round. Cut into wedges. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart and bake 12-15 min.

2) If using filling, I like to work with small rounds of dough. On floured surface, roll or pat enough for a 6" diameter, 1/4"-1/2" thick round. Cut round in half. On each half, spread about 1-2 tsp. of filling. Fold each half over on itself and seal edges. Repeat with remaining dough. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart and bake 15 min.

Source: originally from allrecipes.com as "Grandma Johnson's Scones" - presented here w/ some modifications :)

Notes: Sometimes I'll add 1/2 C. cream cheese with the butter, plus another cup or so of flour.

You can also use preserves or jam for filling - either before or after baking.

Not the most specific directions, I know - but hopefully something you can make use of :)

Enjoy!