black bean and mango salsa

i got this recipe from the one and only, our best bites! 

its simple, easy and very flavorful.

we are having a small dinner party at the hotel tonight so i thought this would be the perfect recipe to bring. sure enough, it was hit! 

how to make the salsa:

in a large bowl combined 1 15oz can of black beans (rinsed and dried), 1 medium size mango, half of a red onion and 1/2 a cup of chopped cilantro. 

how to make the dressing: 

in a small bowl combined 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar, 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. 

drizzle the dressing over the salsa and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.

add 2 small avocados to the mix and.. voila! 

...you've got a salsa party in your mouth! 

holiday flavors

fall is just around the corner, which means the holidays are soon to follow! 

i've always bought seasonal scented candles but this year i'm looking forward to cooking up some festive recipes to make our home smell like the holidays.

so whats on the menu?

starbuck's carmel apple cider

cinnamon rolls

pumpkin creme brulee

pumpkin spiced pancakes 

marshmallow peppermint sticks

cant you just smell the cinnamon, pumpkin and peppermint! 

my taste buds are pretty jealous of my nose right now

you may have missed...

with a party to plan and a cruise to prepare for, my brain has not stopped to focus on just one thing! 

i apologize for the lack of posting (not that anyone even noticed) 

so to make this short and sweet, i decided to direct you to our family blog to check out three recipes we've tried and loved! 

 penne with shrimp and herbed cream sauce 

coconut curry shrimp

ceviche 

all three are very simple and very tasty!

enjoy! 

bruschetta {our version}

bruschetta's most popular recipe is traditionally made up of bread, mozzarella, tomato, basil and olive oil. we decided to put a little twist on the original recipe by adding in lime infused olive oil and olives. 

collin worked as a sandwich maker at our favorite little artisan bakery, flour girl and dough boys. its the best place to get freshly baked breads. 

 

sciabicas, is a really great olive oil company based in modesto, california. they make some of the most flavorful, infused oils we've had. instead of going with the basil, which would have been equally delicious, we went with the lime. (we tend to gravitate to anything lime flavored)

fresh mozzarella is always best. harmons, (were we picked up the olive oil and cheese) has a cheese monger right in their store who is packed full of information on all things cheese! the day we picked ours up, it was only 30 minutes old! talk about fresh.    

  

preparing the bruschetta is easy. 

-slice your bread (or ask the bakery to do it for you, less work :))

-drizzle the olive oil over the bread 

-start to layer: add mozzarella, tomatoes, olives and salt to top it off 

-bake at 350 degrees

easy and oh so delicious!  

a hello from us + our very first post

your probably wondering this very thought:

'why did they start a food blog?'

well to answer your question,

we love to eat food and we love to cook food.  

so we thought, 

'what the hell! why not start a food blog!' 

collin and i are always searching for new and exciting foods to try out. we're always on the hunt for those 'unknown' eateries where the food takes you by surprise! weather its ethnic, american, gourmet or homemade, we are more then willing to give it a test run.. and now we can share it all with you! 

-enjoy!