Pineapple Salsa and Housecleaning and Creating Space

Housecleaning  and Creating Space

I am housecleaning right now since we are putting new floors in the bedrooms in our house.  The less stuff on the floor the easier for the people doing the floors to move furniture and install the hard wood planks.  Renovation and the housecleaning and decluttering that results from it usually make people realize they can really get along with less stuff and wish they had done it before. 

I think it was Meryl Streep who said that life is full of metaphors.  In our recent faith sharing session hosted by Sue at her house, she mentioned a beautiful metaphor.   We were talking about meditation and Sue said that it is like housecleaning wherein you are allowing God to fill more space in you.  Something to think about when we clutter our lives with so much activities. 

I am featuring the recipe for Pineapple Salsa which Sue loves and which I had brought to our meetings occasionally.

Pineapple Salsa

(Adapted from the recipe submitted by Linda P. for the cookbook "Recipes and Spiritual Reflections of the Associates of the Sisters of St. Joseph Baden, Pennsylvania".  Cookbook is now out of print) .

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 tbsp orange marmalade
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
• 2 tsp lime juice (fresh preferred)
• 2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Serve as a dip for corn chips or as a side dish when serving baked ham, pork or chicken. 

 

Notes:

1.  If you are using unsweetened crushed pineapple, you might want to either increase the orange marmalade or add sugar to increase the sweetness of the salsa.  About 1 tbsp of either one will be enough.

2.  You can substitute chopped green onions for cilantro.  The salsa is fine without adding either cilantro or green onions however.

3.  Use fresh jalapeno pepper or a good canned one.