Bye Bye 2011 - Happy New Year 2012

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  -Benjamin Franklin

Happiest of New Years

Hope to see you at the beach in 2012,

Susan

Happy Friday and Merry Christmas from Good Haven House

Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. 

To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.

-Calvin Coolidge

Happy Thanksgiving

 

 Thanksgiving has wings and goes where it must go. 

- Victor Hugo 

 

 

See all of Brent Walker's exceptional photostream of wildlife around Good Haven House on Flickr

I will be back to regular posting soon. Working on a big rehab project that I will share in a few weeks. 

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving all.

Happy Friday and Happy Labor Day

Have a restful Labor Day weekend everyone!

See you at the beach,

Susan

Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake

NEED NOW!

For the 8 dozen cookies make 1 recipe of toll house cookies from the back of the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
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I would leave the whiskey out (or give 2 or 3 servings of this to your kids just before nap time  :)  
just kidding, really)

from Martha Stewart Living July 2011

Happy Friday

Jump into the weekend!

See you at the beach,

Susan

Photo Unknown tumblr via Aubrey Road

Best Salsa Ever

Making a big batch of the 'best salsa ever' is a great way to use up all of the tomatoes coming out of the garden right now.

cast of characters

tomatoes, quartered

 1/2 green pepper in strips

cilantro, coarsely chopped

 Juice from 1 lime (this one was kind of dry)

 

 put all ingredients into the bowl a large food processor

 dig in!

Good Haven House's Best Salsa Ever

time: 15 minutes

total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

makes: 4-5 cups

6-8 medium tomatoes

1/2 of a medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic, quartered

1/2 green pepper, quartered OR 1/2 red pepper, quartered

1 jalapeno pepper, quartered, leave some seeds and spine depending on how hot you like it!

2 pinches of sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or more to taste)

1/2 - 1 cup coarsely chopped, packed cilantro (to taste)

juice from 1/2 a lime (or one if small or dry)

1. Put all ingredients in a large food processor and pulse 15 times or more (depends on how course you like your salsa chopped) Taste test on a tortilla chip and adjust to your taste. ( I rarely add more salt as the chips are usually pretty salty)

2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (if you can stand to wait!) to let flavors mingle.

3. Serve with tortilla chips or if you're really feeling ambitious, nachos. Delicious! 

Note 1: This is a very free form recipe, feel free to experiment and add or subtract ingredients to your own taste and the texture you prefer.

Note 2: This makes A LOT of salsa. You can cut the recipe in half if you don't have a big crowd.

Note 3: You can chop the ingredients by hand if you don't have a food processor. It will have a different texture but will still taste great!

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This will keep a few days in the frig. We love this stuff at Good Haven House and it usually doesn't last that long!