If you're like me you love fresh salsa. But it can be intimidating to know how much of everything needs to go in it. You don't want it too tomatoey or too spicy (unless you like that). So I experimented and came up with this recipe. It has been a favorite everytime I share it with others. It's for sure a game changer and you will love it.

My recipe is based on the delicious fresh salsa my mom would make us growing up. And also based on watching my roommate Shirley make amazing salsas in college. She is of Mexican and Guatemalan heritage and always made the most delicious food. I don't claim that mine is authentic or anything like that, I just picked up some ideas from watching her methods.

I love salsa made from fresh ingredients and I include only one canned ingredient in this recipe: canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It helps add a smokiness that I think is the key to its addictive flavor. It also is very easy to make because, after charring my veggies, I just chuck everything in the food processor and blend.

I hope you give this recipe a try! I'm making some today to share with some people from church and I don't expect to take any home with me.

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This blog post was originally published 7/9/2018. It is being republished on 1/25/2021 with updated photos, notes, and recipe instructions. Thanks!

     I truly admire my daughter, Maddy, for her ability to choose a vegan lifestyle and stick to it the way that she does.  We have a lot of family dinners around here and there are sometimes very few choices for her to eat, even though I try to make sure there are some vegan choices.  Also, there are a lot of temptations!

​Just yesterday we had a big dinner and there was delicious Texas Sheet Cake! Definitely not vegan and Maddy had to pass on it as she ate her rice and fruit choices.  I felt bad for her, even though she was uncomplaining.  I know that I do not have that kind of will power.  Well, while I searched for my Texas Sheet Cake recipe, I came across another old recipe that I had forgotten about.  It is this Goofy Chocolate Cake that has no eggs, no milk and can easily be sweetened in a vegan way. Since there were many people here yesterday and the Texas Cake is just about gone, I decided to make up this cake this morning as a surprise for Madalynn! She deserves a reward. 

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 12 Drummers Drumming... so I made breadstick drumsticks! Garlic Sesame Grissini in fact.

Actually Maddy made them for me because my original plan didn't work out. Sometimes recipe testing is just like that, nothing turns out the way you want, but it helps to have a great team around you who can help you out and come up with something even better in the end. Well I'm so glad she took over because her breadsticks came out much more beautiful and tasty than mine. And we're sharing the recipe with you now!

Grissini is a long, crunchy breadstick that originated in Italy. They're great for appetizers, snacks, or eating with soups. They're also beautiful and would be a great addition to a charcuterie board or a table spread. 

​Because Maddy made these that means they're actually vegan friendly (just substitute agave for the honey), which means all your friends and family can happily munch away on these tasty treats. Make sure to make extra because these are sure to go fast! 

You want to get these nice and long (at least 16 inches) so having even portions of dough is helpful. I love to use my bench scraper to help me cut and shape dough easily. Plus it has a little ruler on it which is helpful for measuring out portions of dough! And when it comes time to clean up, the scraper easily scrapes up any dough stuck to my counter (just be careful not to scratch your countertop if you don't have stone countertops).

This concludes our 12 Days of Christmas Recipes series, but don't worry we have more fun posts planned for this week. If you're wondering what we made for the other 11 days I'll link them below.

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​On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Eleven Pipers Piping!

Piping churros that is. In my opinion, churros are an excellent holiday treat. They’re quick to make, sweet and flavorful, and super easy to make extra festive! These churro bites make the perfect shareable dessert and paired with the peppermint chocolate sauce for dipping, they get taken to the next level!

As a bonus, they are totally vegan! Check out the recipe below and as always, read to the bottom for my pro tips that will make this recipe even easier and better suited for the holidays.

• To make these even more festive, toss a tablespoon of red or gold sugar sprinkles into the cinnamon sugar mix. They act like a subtle glitter!
• Create an easy workflow for yourself. I had my piping bag with churro dough, then the pot of oil, then a plate with paper towels to soak up excess oil, then the cinnamon sugar mix, and then a bowl for the finished ones. Having each station set up and ready to go made things move quickly and efficiently!
• To avoid overcrowding the oil, I did these ten at a time. I would pipe them into the oil and when they were ready, I would remove them onto the paper towel for a moment before dumping them into the cinnamon sugar. Don’t let them sit on the paper towel for too long as then they don’t hold the cinnamon sugar very well. I only left them there for as long as it took me to get all the churro bites out of the oil. Then immediately move them to the cinnamon sugar and toss. I would cover them in the cinnamon sugar and let them soak up the sweetness while I piped my next batch of churro bites into the oil. As they fried I would then remove the cinnamon-ed churro bites from the sugar and into the “finished” bowl. This was an easy rhythm to get into and made sure each bite was well coated in flavor.
• I used one slotted spoon to remove the churros bites from the hot oil and another slotted spoon to remove them from the cinnamon sugar mix. This made things so much easier and there was less mess to clean up.
• When making the chocolate sauce, microwave it in 15 second intervals, stirring between each one. This gives a better quality chocolate sauce as it won’t overheat.

So what do you think? Will you be trying these? If you do, be sure to post a picture and tag us on Instagram @3WinksDesign! And be sure to check out any of our 12 Days of Christmas Recipes that you have missed.

• Vegan Holiday Treats
• Vegan, Gluten-Free Peach Crisp
• Turn Your Favorite Everyday Cookies Into Holiday Cookies