Salsa has been tricky for me, which sounds silly. I’ve made several versions, and historically the best ones I’ve made have used canned tomatoes. As someone who is trying to move to “fresh” as much as I can, that’s been frustrating. But it makes sense, because canned tomatoes usually contain additional things that make the flavor more consistent.
Fresh tomatoes are hit and miss, especially buying from a grocery store out of season. But I think I’ve finally figured out the trick, thanks to my brother-in-law who is a Monterrey, Mexico native – you gotta grill the stuff!
Grilling the vegetables is a way to cook the ingredients, while still maintaining freshness. Fire roasting tenderizes the vegetables, takes out some intensity and deepens the flavor. Manage the spice level by adding as many arbol chilis as you want (even if it’s zero), and keep a jar on hand because this salsa is so tasty.
Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.
We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.
We partnered with Stuga on a line of hardwood floors — The Ingrid is really livable, and the color is very neutral. It doesn’t lean warm or cool, it’s that just right in-between. We have really loved putting it everywhere in our house. It’s the best jumping-off point for design, no matter your interior style. In addition to being beautiful, Ingrid is really durable — we have three kids, and we always have a home construction project going on. Ingrid stands up to it all.
SHop all
Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop.
Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
The next project we’re checking off our 2023 project list is the mudroom! This used to be the laundry room until we built out a much bigger, better laundry room upstairs. So, in the meantime, this space has been exclusively Cricket’s room. Cricket will still have a special space here, but we’re transforming this dingy […]
We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?
Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
Links
Get Around
Make yourself right at home
Portfolio
Design
Casual Friday
Projects
Lifestyle
Gift Guides
All Posts
Shop
Wow wow wow! This recipe is inspired! I’ve been wanting a roasted fresh salsa recipe. This is it. Built a fire outside today (90 degrees, nbd) and roasted the things. The flavors here are incredible. Well done!
Chris Cooks stan here. Your 5min hummus and Thai beef salad are the TRUTH, staples in my house.
We’re a huge salsa family and can’t get excited about fresh tom versions unless they are charred. Canned ftw, no shame. Also: smoke the damb jalapeños. Once that is done, nothing else will do.
Hello, so if I don’t want spicy do I leave out anything ? Thank you.