For a super-easy treat that will wow your guests, serve homemade baked tortilla chips. This dish is so simple, it doesn’t even need an ingredient list!

Baked Tortilla Chips

Heat 1 cup water to boiling and add 1/3 cup salt. Stir until salt has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Brush both sides of a dozen corn tortillas with oil. Stack tortillas and slice into triangles. Lay oiled chips in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated 400 degree oven until crispy and golden. While chips are baking, move cooled salt solution to a spray bottle. Immediately after removing chips from oven, spritz lightly with salt water. Serve warm with your favorite salsa.

Variation 1: Lime Chips

Replace 1/2 cup of the water with freshly squeezed lime juice. Goes great with beer!

Variation 2: Spicy Chips

Stir a shot (or several, depending on taste) of hot sauce into the salt water before spraying. Be sure to warn your guests if it’s super-hot!

Image byThe Rocketeer.

It’s a bit off-season to find properly fresh tomatoes, but don’t let that stop you from serving up some homemade salsa. Roasting adds a deeper, sweeter flavor to canned tomatoes, and the lime brightens things up. Perfect for Monday Night Football!

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

• Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 2 dried chipotle peppers, rehydrated and coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 lime, halved
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 bunch cilantro, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Drain tomatoes and spread thinly in a roasting dish or deep-sided sheet pan. Bake at 450 for 30-40 minutes or until sugars begin to caramelize. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine cooled tomatoes and remaining ingredients, stirring until well-combined. Add 1/3 of mixture to blender or food processor and process until smooth but slightly chunky. Return to bowl and stir into other ingredients. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Serves 4-6.

Image by Micah Taylor.

Fruit salsas are traditionally served as a topping or a side dish, but I like substituting them for tomato salsa in a chips-and-dip setting. This particular salsa pairs nicely with chili and lime tortilla chips. To make your own, brush store-bought tortillas with a solution of lime juice, chili powder, and salt, cut into wedges, and bake until crisp.

Papaya-Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 papaya
• 1/2 pineapple
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 small red onion
• 2 chipotle peppers, re-hydrated if dried
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Wash, peel, seed, and core all ingredients. Cut papaya and pineapple into 1/2″ dice, and bell peppers, chipotle, and onion into 1/4″ dice. Toss fruits and vegetables with lime juice; cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours to allow flavors to mingle.

Just before serving, roughly chop cilantro and stir into salsa. Sprinkle with salt.

Serves 12-16 as a hearty dip.