Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the US (following English, in case you were wondering). I know some people might think it’s because of an increase in the country’s Hispanic and Latin American population but I think there is a different reason.

The Spanish language is fun to speak.

There are accents and the Spanish ‘ñ.’ You can roll your ‘r’ and pronounce words that sound so much sexier than their English translations because you’re speaking another language, a romance language and and if you are fluent, you can speak it quickly and enthusiastically. If you’re not fluent, it’s easy to fake.

Sort of.

Of course, another great part of the Spanish culture, aside from the language, is the food. I mean, I like tapas and I like eating dinner at 9 PM. Maybe I should pick up and move to Madrid.

When it comes to food, as a child I wasn’t very adventurous. In fact, I grew up on jars of salsa and liked to dip my chips into the saucy liquid part of the dip. No chunks of tomatoes, no onions, no “green stuff.” I wasn’t necessarily anti-vegetable, but I liked salsa plain and simple and artificial. In ninth grade I somehow discovered Newman’s Own Salsa in Pineapple. I liked it all. The sweet and salty chunks of fruit and tomatoes, the spicy green chiles. I was a salsa convert and despite my favoritism toward fruit salsas – peach, pineapple, mango – I also appreciate the sanctity of a fresh, simple salsa.

Perfect Party Salsa

What You Need:

1.5 pounds plum tomatoes (or 5 large tomatoes) seeded and finely chopped
1 can chopped green chiles, drained
1 jalapeño chile pepper, seeded and minced
1 large garlic clove minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
Pinch of oregano, if desired
Salt and pepper to taste

How-To:

1. Chop and peel tomatoes, reserving most of the juices and place in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Mix in chopped green chiles, chopped red onion, minced garlic, jalapeño chile pepper and cilantro. Mix in and taste. Adjust if needed. Add oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 8.

 Print This Recipe