The Great Salsa Snafu

In the 30 years I have cooked for a crew, I have never done anything like this.

I've debated whether I ought to even confess this or not. My entire 30 year cooking reputation has been wrecked...shattered...destroyed. Through the years I've heard tell  that I am a good cook. I am not, I am a plain and simple, nothing fancy, but plenty of it, kind of cook.

The worst thing I've done is put cornstarch  in the biscuits one morning instead of baking powder, but in my defense, it was 3:30 in the morning and I'd been up at that ungodly hour too many times in a row that week. And I did burn a cake recently because I was on the phone with a good friend.

But cowboys are unfailingly kind to the cook and often the crew is compromised of single fellas who are over the moon grateful for a home cooked meal, but I sure tested my boys on Tuesday.

I had made enchiladas, Spanish rice, beans, salad, and rolls for dinner, along with homemade salsa. By the time they rolled up in their rigs for dinner, I was feeling pretty puny and I rushed to set everything out. They filed in, thirsty and hungry, commenting on how good it smelled. After filling their plates, and settling in, I turned to put a few things away. I grabbed the salsa bowl and something caught my attention. It looked funny. Darker than I remember it being when I made it the day before. So I put on my glasses and well, it wasn't salsa! Any guesses? It was APPLESAUCE! LOL

I just about died laughing and I popped into the dining room and piped up, "O.K. Which one of ya'll scooped up some of this salsa?!" Oh, the looks I got were priceless! They looked absolutely sheepish and their eyes were filled with laughter that they were trying their best to disguise. I could barely get it out, "THAT was applesauce boys! I am SO sorry!" But it's hard to believe an apology is sincere when the one apologizing is doubled over in hoarse laughter. But I think they were relived at my reaction because they all burst out  laughing as well. Oh my goodness! I was SO embarrassed, but it was SO funny!

Honestly, I was running a pretty good fever of 103°, my ears were plugged up so I couldn't hear very well, I couldn't smell or taste anything and apparently I really can no longer see without my glasses! Both my salsa and applesauce were in mason jars. I keep everything in mason jars.

Yes, in these pictures, it is entirely plain to see which is which, but honestly, that day, in that bowl, in my kitchen...well, it just wasn't. Even DH didn't say anything and he WOULD have, had he noticed.

 And every one of those boys cleaned their plates and told me how wonderful it all was for which they received swats with my dishtowel for fibbing as they walked out the door.

When I shared this with our girl, she laughed too. She was with a friend who is a guy and he told her that fruit salsa is a 'thing' and that I was just being trendy. I could have used that information during my applesauce adventure.

And then, when we got back to branding on Friday, they asked for more salsa. I told them that they could all expect some in their Christmas stockings. When they were filling their plates yesterday, I said that I couldn't believe that 30 years of my cooking reputation had been tarnished by one little bowl of applesauce and one of those dear boys, who's been helping us for a long time, gave me the sweetest smile and said sincerely, "Not even a little".

I honestly felt SO badly, but they thought it was the best thing ever. See, why I love these fellas? Still, I wonder if I'll ever live it down.