I have been wanting to try my hand at making salsa for a long time. [Ever since coming up with the idea for a salsa-tasting class/party/business/whathaveyou.] The problem? My lack of food processor. Or blender. Or other choppy type appliance.

So when my friend Michelle [who just so happened to have recently purchased a blender] and I started planning a Mexican dinner, I immediately offered to make the salsa.

Because I’m a giver. [Seriously! I am! I even made pico de gallo, too - just in case the salsa wasn't good! Giver!]

I considered three different recipes – albeit, three different recipes that were fairly similar – and in the end, I went with the Pioneer Woman.

Homemade Restaurant-Style Salsa

• 1 can (28-ounce) whole tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans (10-ounce) Ro-tel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or one tsp minced garlic from a jar)
• 1 whole jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/2 whole lime juice

Chop everything up (except the canned tomatoes. And the lime juice. And the seasonings.). Put it in a really big blender (bigger than Michelle’s 6-cup blender, just so you know) and pulse. I prefer my salsa a little chunkier than mine turned out. That could be due to my lack of blender inexperience. Or you might consider draining the Ro-tel before dumping it into the blender. Your choice.

Be forewarned: This recipe makes a LOT of salsa. I couldn’t stop laughing at the enormous bowl of it on the table. It just looked so . . . ridiculous. And delicious!

So good, in fact, that I couldn’t keep other people’s hands out of my picture:

Have you ever made your own salsa? What kind [of salsa - duh!] do you like best?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green and Foodie Friday. It will also be linked to Ingredient Spotlight at Eat at Home.