I agree, as long as you are longing for the salt flavor, you won't notice the other flavors. My favorite way to dress pasta is to sautee some garlic, add chopped fresh tomatoes just until warmed, toss in the pasta, add copious amounts of chopped fresh basil, some pepper and freshly grated parmesan, yummy. Those fresh homegrown SunGold cherry tomatoes are lovely for this purpose. Of course I don't like the cooked tomato sauces very much, so.... And, as has been mentioned, if the tomatoes weren't wonderful, the sauce won't be. Sometimes canned tomatoes really are better than fresh. My doctor told me yesterday that average humans have 10,000 taste buds. Those regenerate approximately every 10 days to 2 weeks, so we get a whole new set of taste buds. If you don't get the new taste buds accustomed to salt, you won't miss it after a few weeks, and will even notice the salty flavor more, so there's hope. As for the tomato powder, I haven't tried it. I sliced tomatoes, put them in the dehydrator. 40 HOURS LATER, they were still flesible but certainly couldn't be powdered. And yes, they were homegrown tomatoes and yes, I have a very nice Excaliber dehydrator, so that's not it. It just didn't work and was a waste of time and perfectly good tomatoes. Well, it wasn't, because I re-hydrated the tomatoes by throwing them in soup, but they couldn't be powdered. so, I'd suggest you buy some of the commercially prepared stuff first and see if it helps, then you could try to make your own, hopefully with better success than I had. Also, if you get tomatoes that are wonderful in season, you can just wash them and toss them in the freezer in a bag. When they thaw, the skins slip right off and you have really good tomatoes. If you have any freezer room, LOL. I can mine and that way I can add no salt at all and still have wonderful home grown tomatoes in the middle of winter. Annie

Bread Crumbs... Because I make my bread with coconut oil, I don't have a problem storing homemade bread crumbs vacuum-sealed in a canister because I use it a lot. Coconut oil keeps foods much longer and doesn't readily go rancid like other fats do. Freezing or refrigerating will also work well. Emergency Eggs... It's a good idea to have things on hand you can use as a substitute for eggs. For me, that's flax seed. Made into flax seed "goop", it does nicely in most recipes requiring an egg. You can also use flaxmeal (ground flax seed) as a substitute. One egg in a recipe usually serves as a binder in the recipe. In that case, almost any egg substitute will work. Two or three eggs in a recipe typically provide leavening. That's when Ener-G Egg Replacer is a good choice. --In most cases eggs can be eliminated from pancake and waffle recipes. --In cookies without eggs, add 1/4 t. more baking soda, increase liquid to one tablespoon per egg AND 1/2 to 1-teaspoon more cooking oil or fat. Some other choices... -2 T. cornstarch = 1 egg -2 T. arrowroot flour = 1 egg (good binder in baked goods) -1 heaping T. soy powder + 2 T. water = 1 egg -1 T. flax seeds + 1 cup water. Blend seeds and water for 1-2 minutes until desired consistency. OR Boil 1 T. flax seed in 1 cup of water for 15-minutes. It will cook down to 1/2-3/4 c. Cool, and add to baked goods, substituting for part of the liquid ingredients. This mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days and used as needed. -Lecithin and water to equal 1/4-cup = one egg -1/4 c. mashed potatoes = 1 egg and can be used in cookies as a substitute -One whole egg = 2 T. water + 1 T. oil + 2 t. baking powder -One banana or 1/4 c. applesauce for each egg (use only if banana or applesauce would taste good in the recipe) -Grainlady

So, lindac, you think what I said is "very odd", and you are determined to make sure everyone knows how you feel by posting your objection more than once. Not that you care, but Christmas means a lot to me, including recipes, so I quickly tuned in without ever checking a date. While your intelligence is surely appreciated, these forums are also full of your bark and bite replies which in mho could/should be tempered. As for Jasdip, who does not play by rules and apparently walks on water, I'm harshly chastised by her for not avoiding use of my blue pencil in games she'll be pleased to learn I shall no longer join. Although neither of you know me or anything about my life, it is not open to grouchy rudeness and unnecessary criticism, so I shall temporarily bring myself down to your levels by saying, with good humor, you can both KMA in Bloomingdale's window. No need to reply. Thanks to you I will no longer be here. Ta-ta.

I have to go to work...will try to work on this from there...or when I get home. Nancy