Remember soy sauces differ significantly, so depending upon the brand/type originally used in recipe development the final flavor might have been considerably milder. If there's an Asian market anywhere in the area you might ask if they ever do "tastings" of their products. Or purchase the smallest possible size until you hit on one that at least isn't so obnoxious. Pineapple is high-acid so if anything, as long as you continue to maintain a thinner sauce, there's no problem adding it. On another note, on that Idaho recipe I'd be inclined to reduce the ClearJel by half. That stuff has incredible thickening power and many of the "approved" recipes are just too viscous for my taste. Alternatively, leave thickening out and plan to thicken if desired once the jar is opened. Personally I think that would be a more versatile alternative - more possibilities for use as a marinade, etc.

I don't know if this is particular to my apples, or if all apples are this way. There is no way I'd try canning mine raw. Mine foam up when heated. I mean like expanding to twice their size. It's like some of the juice in them turns into a gas of some sort, Once thoroughly heated at a boil, this stops and they go down to normal. If I don't get that off-gassing happening (don't boil them long enough) and put them in jars, they do it during the processing and I have a mess. They do seem to seal up fine, but the outside of the jars is sticky from all the liquid that got squished out when the apples expanded. And then because there is so much gas in the jars from the apples doing this, I end up with jars that are floating when I take them out of the canner. This creates quite a vacuum in the jars as the apples cool, so the apples stay expanded and fill the entire jar. When I open them, I get an audible "whoosh" and the apples collapse to normal. I've used them with no ill effects, but there ends up being almost no syrup in the jar. If I did it with ground up apples, I bet I'd end up with half of it outside the jars after processing.

Here's one from bon appetit, that I haven't tried yet. PORCINI-GORGONZOLA BURGERS WITH VEAL DEMI-GLACE (not my pic) A true demi-glace the luscious sauce made by reducing homemade stock and red wine to a rich concentration needs to simmer for several hours, making it the perfect activity for a lazy winter Sunday. Demi-glace 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 1/2 pounds meaty veal bones (such as shank knuckle bones or neck bones) 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped 12 cups cold water, divided 2 teaspoons tomato paste 3 fresh parsley sprigs 2 fresh thyme sprigs 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns 2 cups dry red wine Burgers 2 cups water 1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms,* broken into 1/2-inch pieces 3 pounds ground sirloin 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter 6 4-inch square or round sourdough rolls, halved horizontally Fresh arugula Olive oil 6 1/4-inch-thick slices Gorgonzola cheese For demi-glace: Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add veal bones and sauté until deep brown on all sides, about 12 minutes. Transfer bones to bowl. Add onion, carrot, and celery to pot. Sauté until browned, about 6 minutes. Add 2 cups cold water, tomato paste, herbs, and peppercorns; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add bones with any accumulated juices, then remaining 10 cups water to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until stock is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 4 hours. Strain into 4-cup glass measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Refrigerate stock uncovered 1 hour. Spoon off fat from surface of stock. Place stock in heavy medium saucepan; add wine and simmer until reduced to 1 cup demi-glace, about 25 minutes. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.) For burgers: Bring 2 cups water and mushrooms to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until mushrooms soften, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to medium skillet. Slowly pour soaking liquid into skillet, leaving any sediment behind. Boil over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced to glaze, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Cool mushrooms. Transfer to work surface; chop mushrooms coarsely. Transfer mushrooms and any juices to large bowl. Add meat, salt, and pepper; mix gently. Shape mixture into six 1-inch-thick patties. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Preheat broiler. Rewarm demi-glace over medium-low heat; add butter and whisk until melted. Remove from heat. Place rolls, cut side up, on baking sheet. Broil until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove rolls; maintain broiler setting. Arrange roll bottoms on plates. Top with arugula. Heat 2 large broilerproof skillets over medium-high heat; brush with oil. Add 3 burgers to each skillet. Cook to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Top each burger with slice of cheese. Broil burgers until cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute. Place burgers on roll bottoms; spoon some demi-glace over. Cover with roll tops. Serve, passing remaining demi-glace separately. *Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and many supermarkets. Makes 6 servings. Bon Appétit January 2004 Great ideas at this site, too, - I will possibly make 2 kinds - one for kids one for grownups.

I make Ranch Dressing with all fresh ingredients (nothing dried), and it includes homemade mayonnaise, fresh dill, fresh parsley, fresh garlic (you can omit this if you have to avoid alliums), freshly ground black pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Sometimes I add sour cream, but generally not buttermilk, although you could. I have served it as a dip for chips. I also make several types of tartar sauce - most frequently with mayo, fresh dill, minced dill pickle, lemon juice, and black pepper. I also add minced green onion, if I have it, or fresh chives, which I always have in my back yard. I also make Molho Tártaro, a Brazilian tartar sauce that olives, capers, and pickled carrot, but no dill pickles. That harissa recipe is somewhat similar to the smoked chocolate Habanero sauce that I make, but I grill the red bell peppers, chocolate Habanero chilies, and garlic over mesquite, for the smoky flavor.Then I purée this with vinegar and brine, to preserve itThis has to be done outside, while wearing a swim mask and snorkel because of the chili fumes. Then I put it through a food mill, to remove chili skins and seeds. I add this sauce to mayonnaise, which could be a dipping sauce, but I simply use it as an alternative to regular mayo on sandwiches. I use flavorful vinegars (including some sweet Balsamic) when making this sauce, to give it a more complex flavor. I do not use the blender for anything else except for this sauce, and so I store this blender in the garage.