Grace's Salsa

This is currently my mom's salsa recipe. We got it from Grace, a former co-worker of mine.

22 medium tomatoes (blanched-skinned- cut in small chunks)

2 large green bell peppers (remove seeds-cut in small chunks)

5 large onions-cut in small chunks

1 jalapeno papers with seeds – add more if you want it ‘hot’

Cook for 30-40 minutes…add:

½ cup vinegar

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup canning salt

12 oz tomato paste – (Grace put in 4 - 6 oz cans)

1 tsp. black pepper

Put in hot water bath (canning) for 20 minutes

Jamie's Salsa - corn starch

I received this recipe via my mom from her co-worker Jamie. It's a little different than what I'm used to - peels? Corn starch? Trust me it takes way less time. Makes about 14 pints.

6 quarts chopped tomatoes, with peels (and don't be afraid to use a few greenish ones - chunky!)
2 cups chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup salt
6 oz tomato paste
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic sale
3/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp black pepper

Mix all in a large pot. Cook over low heat for 1 hour. Stir frequently.

Stir together 3/4 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup water to make a smooth paste. Add a little of the hot liquid, then a little more, and a little more. Don't be afraid to keep adding, the idea (in case you've never worked with cornstarch before) is to slowly bring up the temperature of the cornstarch before adding it to the full heat of the pot.

Finally, add the corn starch mixture to the pot and bring to a boil for one minute, stirring constantly.

Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Jason's Salsa - traditional cooked and canned

Over the years, I've collected a number of salsa recipes - here's the first... From my mom, from her friend Brenda, now used exclusively by my friend Jason.

20 medium tomatoes (no skins)
3 green peppers
1 large onions
1 cup white vinegar
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder
2 TBSP crushed red pepper

Chop tomatoes, peppers and onions. Mix everything together in a huge pot. Cook slowly until thick (4-5 hours.) Stir often.

Hot pack into hot jars. Adjust hot clean rings and lids.

My mom says to turn upside down to seal - yeah... I don't do that... process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Then, if you want to turn upside down, it's up to you.

Too easy fruit salad

My husband says I should share this - says it's brilliant. I disagree, but in the interest of marital harmony...

1 banana, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 apple, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 handful (or so) green grapes, sliced in half
1 6 -8 oz container of cherry yogurt with fruit.

Just before serving, dump fruit into a bowl. Stir. Add yogurt, stir.

I know... it's that easy... use yogurt as salad dressing. It really doesn't feel original.

Mexican Rice

I didn't realize that there is a difference between Spanish and Mexican rice. My husband found this recipe online, it's a great side dish, and it's really quite tasty when stuffed inside a taco shell with cheese (I ran out of taco meat at the end of the meal...)

• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (we used Minute Rice)
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional, it was good without)
  
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped(or 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained)
  
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tbsp dried cilantro
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

In a medium sauce pan, cook rice in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and tomatoes. Add bouillon cube, salt and pepper, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Stir until cube melts. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.

Zucchini Pork Chop Supper

This is why I like real cookbooks. You can page through and find totally awesome stuff. This one comes from The Best of Country Cooking 1998. I adapted it to the ingredients I usually have on hand. The result is shake n bake-esque pork chops, creamy yet crunchy stuffing, and zucchini that's a little sweet. YUM!

3 boxes stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 lbs zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (no need to peel, do seed)
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp pepper
6 loin pork chops (I used bone-in, they worked...)
Additional milk

Combine 1 box of stuffing mix with half of the melted butter. Place in the bottom of a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

Combine soup, milk, sour cream, parsley and pepper. Add zucchini and carrots. Spoon over stuffing. Combine 1 box of stuffing mix with remaining butter. Sprinkle stuffing over zucchini.

Crush final box of stuffing mix (use a blender, food processor or zip-top bag and rolling pin, aim for coarse crumbs.) Dip pork chops in milk, then in stuffing crumbs. Place chops on top of casserole. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over all.

Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until pork chops are cooked through (use your meat thermometer and check!)

Zucchini Carbonara

I'm cheating, and I don't care.

We had this for dinner on Monday night. Heaven... Heaven I tell you!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/beautiful-zucchini-carbonara-recipe/index.html

Warning gardeners: If you pick all the baby zucchinis for this recipe, any big ones left will double in size overnight.