Newer version of Annie's Salsa - BWB only Annie's Salsa 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper 3 to 5 chopped jalapenos (for milder leave out seeds and ribs) 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp cumin (optional) 2 tsp pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/4 c fresh cilantro (optional) 1/3 c sugar (optional) 1 cup cider vinegar (see note on subbing lemon or lime juice option) 16 oz canned tomato sauce (to adjust density) 8-16 oz canned tomato paste (to adjust density) Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process pints for 15 minutes in BWB. Makes 6 pints. _________ A lot of changes have been made to this recipe over the years. Some people like lemon or lime juice in place of some or all of the vinegar, that's fine. (Note from Sheila - I like half lemon half lime.) Some people leave out the cilantro, that's fine too. Do not increase! Some people add more hot peppers or fewer onions, fine as long as you keep the same total measurements. (Note this is what NCHFP does in their new Choice Salsa recipe.) Some people leave out the sugar, that's fine. You can scoop out the goo in the middle of the tomatoes with your thumbs when I'm peeling and chopping for a less seedy version, so it's 8 cups of chopped tomatoes without the seeds and goo. Most who make it regularly as well as Annie recommend using a variety of different slicing tomatoes, not paste types, for best flavor and consistency. (Note: use the tomato sauce and paste to adjust the consistency of the final product to a "sloshy" consistency.) According to Annie "My salsa is not as thick as Heinz catsup but it's thicker than taco sauce. If you don't like it quite as thick or sweet, cut down the amount of paste. I would add some, then taste. Reducing that ingredient shouldn't affect the safety of the recipe. I use equal amounts of sauce and paste. You can pull it off the heat at any point and adjust for flavor. Before I cook it I check for salt, sugar, check the consistency. Add more pepper or cumin if I want. When I first started making this salsa, tomato sauce and paste came in 8 and 16 ounce cans. Like everything else, they've now been downsized, so now I have to use partial cans." Does anybody have good versions of the other recipes that have weird symbols in them for measurements?

Luvs, I have some beautiful rooster plates that normally are displayed on the kitchen counter "plate rail" I made. Plus some large rooster figures and a cannister set. I really need to let these go instead of taking up space in the cabinet unused (and un-appreciated). If you come again in Jan, take them home with you.. if you want them! Playing with a table setting will be real interesting with my Jazz Cat around. I'll have to lock him in the bedroom for sure. I had to laugh when Betty suggested setting things out, sleeping on it, and rearranging till I was happy. Jazz would never allow that. LOL. My other cats would be good, but definitely not him. I can't even sneak anything in, he knows when something new comes in and has to check it out. A 4-legged version of the Dish Police? hugs, Karen

I hosted Christmas Eve (7 adults, one toddler, one infant) and had a lot of fun doing so. Deep cleaning & decorating were done a week ago. All cookie & pie doughs were made on the 22nd & 'fridged. So the heavy lifting was over & done with. On the 23rd, I picked up a prime rib roast & did my baking -- two types of rolled cookies, one batch of drop cookies, and a huge pumpkin pie made in a 12" quiche dish. I adore pre-holiday baking and like to listen to classical holiday music while working in the kitchen. Such a beautiful time. Then I set the table & got out serving pieces in the evening. On the 24th, I placed the roast in a pan in a convection oven, peeled/boiled/mashed potatoes, made gravy, and fixed what turned out to be the surprise hit of the meal -- Brussels sprouts combined with baby carrots, microwaved & sprinkled with a touch of nutmeg. So easy! Baby carrots & Brussels sprouts are a good combo, and the hint of nutmeg sets off the flavors really well -- everybody kept asking why are the veggies so good, lol! So the meal wasn't anything complicated, just easy basics done well. Champagne, coffee, & desserts followed, and we had a grand time playing with our adorable grandbabies. My gallant DIL hosted Christmas day, bless her heart, and did a fine job with delicious foods & a pretty table setting. She works part-time in health care and has been having 12- 14 hour shifts as flu & colds season sets in. Plus she has two little ones under the age of two, and she and my son have awful commutes -- an hour at least. So my hat's off to her for organizing our Christmas day so beautifully despite the stresses she's under. She is amazing, and we love her dearly. I love to photograph my holiday settings. Sometimes I use the Friendly Village buffet plates, as shown here, sometimes a white Homer Laughlin earthenware set. Either are so festive this time of year : I bought the Smith & Hawken cast aluminum patio chairs for $80 each when S&H went out of business. Back then, my wooden dining chairs were beyond repair, & I got the aluminum ones as temporary replacements. They're so practical (light, strong, roomy) that I've just never replaced them with proper dining room chairs yet. I have a black metal chandelier & black iron curtain rod to kind of tie them visually. A bit odd, decorating-wise, but they sure are comfy. Oakley & lukkiirish, wishing you both peace and healing in 2017.

ok schoolhouse -- so the kernels need to be on the clean and maybe dry side -- sounds good! beesneeds, I looked up cau-cau stew ... no thanks, tripe is not something I want to sample, although the rest of the flavors sound good.