Pumpkin Seed Salsa - Keeping it Simple by Tenina

[matmob]

This is absolutely delicious - a little bit of mucking around toasting the seeds and chargrilling the tomatoes but soooooo worth it.  I always keep chillies in the freezer so used that rather than dried - was fine.  I didn't need to add any oil.  Used for the Chorizo Quesadilla recipe, and leftovers now going on sandwiches.  Yum  

Linked JD

[cookie1]

Matmob you have been very busy trying Tenina's recipes.

[matmob]

Yes, I have been having fun!  (Not to mention enjoying the tastings!)  But to be perfectly honest, I really don't think this book is one of simple recipes, nor one of normal pantry items - I mean who has duck fat in their fridge?  We live in a small country town and there is now way we could buy that.  It's all very well to make the 'Shelf Control' pantry items, but they wouldn't keep forever and the chance of having them on hand when you want to make something is rather slim I feel.  I don't mean to be critical, but I was a little disappointed in this regard.  There is no doubt that the recipes are fabulous, and the taste even better, just that some of them are still a bit complicated IMHO.

[judydawn]

I have to agree with you matmob but I can understand why Tenina's books are of such a high standard.  Once you reach her level of expertise in the kitchen, it's probably impossible to create very simple recipes using just a few ingredients.  I'm nowhere near the class of Tenina or some of the members of this forum but when I have one couple to a meal, the husband eats very plain food and I find that's the hardest thing to cook as I do like to go to a bit of trouble for visitors and serving up meat with no sauce and plain, steamed vegies goes against my grain. As I like to cook ahead for visitors so that I can spend more time with them, it's very hard to cook a meat or poultry dish without a sauce.

If there are any budding cookbook authors out there, I'd love to see a TMX cookbook dedicated to low calorie recipes for all those wanting to lose a few kgs.

[CreamPuff63]

I have duck fat in my fridge ... now. Its in the supermarket in the meat section (of ours), but maybe a country town supermarket is not big enough to stock these items. Sometimes its very hard even for city people to source an elusive item. Just yesterday I had to track down allspice berries for a chicken soup recipe in the TM Cooking for me and you as the supermarket doesn't stock them. I probably should start cooking only with fresh ingredients as I have way too many pantry staples, and I'd probably lose weight as a result. I would find it very hard to give up all these special ingredients though that have awakened my taste buds since getting a TM.