For the last couple of days we have talked about how it is the end of August which makes me so very happy. It is one of my favorite times of year. If you follow our blog you know I love football. My kids have started playing little league football, our friends on the high school team have started to play, college play starts next week and the NFL is on television. I am surrounded with football and I love it! I went to two high school games last night and another tonight and they were awesome. Football is here! Now we are getting ready to watch some football on TV this weekend. One of the things my family loves about watching football on TV is the snacks that we make. We make lots of different snacks and another one of our favorites is any sort of salsa and chips.

One of our very favorite football snacks is salsa and chips. Every single member of my family loves salsa and chips – it is one of those miracle snacks that makes everyone happy. There are a few store bought salsa options that are really good but there is nothing like homemade salsa to go with your chips. Pair yummy homemade salsa with some good chips and any game is instantly more fun. Do you make your own salsa? If not, you should try it! There are lots of different kinds of salsa you can make. It is a perfect football snack. Here are few of our family favorite unusual salsa recipes to get you started.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 mango – peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 green onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix mango, red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, and lemon juice.
2. Cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

Green Salsa

Ingredients:

8 tomatillos, husked

3 shallots

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded salt to taste.

Directions:

1. In a food processor, place tomatillos, shallots, garlic, green chile peppers, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and salt.
2. Using the pulse setting, coarsely chop.
3. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package frozen corn kernels, thawed

2 (2.25 ounce) cans sliced ripe olives, drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 avocados – peeled, pitted and diced

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and onion.
2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat.
4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.
5. Stir avocados into the mixture before serving.