Marinara Spaghetti Sauce - for preserving

This recipe is for bottled spaghetti sauce, from our cousin, Amy Whitford

12 C blended tomatoes (cored, blended in the blender; save some out to make more chunky)

Bring to a boil, let simmer for one hour, then add:

5 6oz cans tomato paste
3 yellow onions, chopped or pureed
3 bay leaves
3 tsp oregano
1 tsp fennel seed
1 T basil
2 1/2 T salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder or fresh equivalent (be generous w/garlic!)
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C sugar

Let simmer two more hours, then place in clean prepared bottles, leaving one-inch headspace. To each bottle, add 1 tsp lemon juice per quart or 1/2 tsp per pint. Place canning lids and rings on top.

Place hot bottles of sauce in a canning pan of boiling hot water (so the bottles don't crack,) with water covering the lids and process: 

Pints - 30 minutes
Quarts - 40 minutes

Hawaiian Haystacks - A major family FAVORITE!

Click on this image for another blogger's recipe

I'm a dump cook, I'll completely admit. Hawaiian Haystacks is a very flexible recipe, very forgiving even. I make it so many different ways that I didn't realize I wasn't following a recipe. But since it's been the birthday request of my oldest son for most of his life, I should have it documented! So here's my attempt.

Hawaiian Haystacks Gravy

1-2 pcs chicken (breast, thigh, whatever, you'll be removing the bones if there are any)

Boil the chicken in (3-4 cups?) salted water (maybe 3/4 tsp salt?) until cooked through.

Remove the chicken and let it cool so you can chop/shred it up. SAVE the broth!!!

Bring the broth to a boil, and add:

• 1/2-3/4 c cornstarch or flour with 1 1/2-2 C water, mixed well

Allow this to thicken. After it's thickened, you may add any or none of the following - 

• The pineapple juice from the can of tidbits you plan on serving with the Hawaiian Haystacks
• A brick of cream cheese OR some sour cream OR neither
• A can of coconut cream...mmmmm, I love it when I add this!
• The diced or shredded chicken you just cooked - okay, I ALWAYS add this

(Instead of adding the thickener-flour & water-you may add a couple of cans of cream of chicken soup. But I like the freshly made stuff instead. If it needs more flavor, I add extra chicken bullion.)

Serve over hot rice (white or brown or mixed) with:

• Grated cheese
• Pineapple tidbits or mandarin oranges or both
• Chinese noodles
• Anything else you want, like:

• diced tomatoes
• diced peppers
• sliced green onion
• chopped celery
• sliced olives
• raisins/craisins
• chopped nuts
• shredded coconut (esp without added sugar)
• anything else you like

Mmmm! My WHOLE family totally loves this because you eat what you like. They're all salivating as I'm finishing this recipe! Coming up in a couple of days...too bad they all live away from home now!

Pinto Bean Dip

2 cups raw pinto beans
1 large onion (chopped)
1 to 2 cups grated cheese
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Cook beans and chopped onion in 4 or 6 cups of water until the beans are tender, (approximately 4 hours). When the water has cooked out of beans add flavors and mash with a potato masher. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 cup of the cheese - stirring into the bean mixture. You may add a few drops of hot sauce to taste and sprinkle the other cup of cheese on top. Serve with nacho chips. (Taco seasoning can be used instead of the spices.)

One of my favorite recipes from Jil Abegg's "How to Save Big Money Grocery and Household Shopping Savers' Seminar", and Marie Rick's homemaking class.