Last day...

Tomorrow a handful of my favorite people get here...I am beyond ecstatic! In approximately 24 hours I'll be heading to the airport! That means today is another 'last'...today is the end of my time at the apartment and of being solo in Charlottetown. Oooh, ain't that bittersweet! I swing from pure happiness at the thought of first having my people come here and then going back home to lump in my throat sadness at saying goodbye to the people I have come close to here! So, in attempt to keep my mind busy I have spent most of the last two days in the kitchen cooking up a storm! It's one of the things I miss most about being away from home...cooking for all the people I love. While I do often smother them with hugs and kisses, food is one of my favorite ways to communicate my love and affection to those who are close to me. I also cook to comfort myself, most times I don't even have to eat it, just the act of creating something real and delicious calms me. That's also probably one of the reasons why I've been cooking so much!
I have enjoyed spending the time in the kitchen, windows open and music blaring. The leaves are just bursting and it makes me so happy to look up from what I'm doing and see this...Now, on to the important stuff! Tomorrow not only does my Ma, Gran, Gramps, Ant, Stacey, and Zach arrive but it is also Cinco de Mayo! Yippee! A holiday! Not to be confused with Mexican Independence day, which isn't till September, Cinco de Mayo is a 'voluntary' holiday that is celebrated mostly in the US and the Puebla state of Mexico. It marks the victory of the Mexicans over the French in 1862. Essentially it's a holiday to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture! And, of course, I started celebrating it a couple years ago! I have a Mexican feast for tomorrow night but I thought I'd share a quick recipe so that you all can enjoy some Mexican deliciousness tomorrow too! But before the recipe, first a rant!

The great Guy Clark once wrote a song called "Homegrown Tomatoes", it's a great song, catchy and truthful. I think of my Gramps every time I hear it...he loves tomatoes. I do too, there is nothing like fresh, plump tomatoes. Guy Clark song sings the praises of homegrown tomatoes and how delicious there are. So, what is it with these people that walk into the store in the middle of winter and buy tomatoes!?!?! I want to wretch the poor, pale, hard balls of 'tomatoes' from their hands and ask them in a calm voice what they are doing, that these sad excuses for one of the worlds greatest treats should not be consumed while there is a wind chill outside. Then I would lead them down the aisle with the canned tomatoes and place a few cans in their cart, and say "there, now this is what you do in the winter when you can't get fresh tomatoes, you eat the ones that were canned when they were fresh, as to not disgrace the holy ripe, local tomato". And then they lived happily ever after, eating pounds of bright juicy tomatoes in the summer and ruby red canned tomatoes in the winter.

Now you're wondering where the heck I'm going with this...well, although there is no wind chill out fresh tomatoes are still a little while away, what are you to do if you want delicious salsa for Cinco de Mayo then? I think you know the answer.....canned tomatoes! This recipe is not like summer-on-a-chip but it is still fresh, satisfying, and definitely worthy of your Cinco de Mayo day eats!

Not Quite Summer Salsa
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
1 (19 0z) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 whole jalapeno, cleaned of seeds and ribs, sliced (depending on how spicy you like things you can hold half the jalapeno back)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse 10-15 times. Check for seasonings. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.