To answer the first question about olive oil, I'm not sure what purpose it serves (except the tongue) but I would suggest adding it after opening if it is for the taste. It would spend less time this way floating on top of the contents of your jar and would eliminate the rancid issue (added at time of use). Oils also make jars harder to get a good seal on them. On the other hand, if you have a recipe that calls for browning of meat, I see no reason not to use lard. It is an animal fat and there is no prohibition on animal fat - hey, all the meat we can is full of it. In fact, most complain of canning chicken breasts and pork loin because the resultant meat contains too little fat and it is too dry. Pork shoulders are preferred because they contain more animal fat and are thus more moist when opened. Just a thought. By the way, if in filling your jars that you do splash some oily broth on the sealing surface of the jar, wipe it off with a clean paper towel with a little vinegar on it - it should wipe much cleaner (grease free) than simply wiping with a dry paper towel. Jim in So. Calif.

I freeze Ann's Green Chili Sauce all the time. It's super easy and makes quite a bit. I was watching to see if Teresa would post her recipe but since she hasn't I hope she doesn't mind if I do. It also freezes well. Texas Red Enchilada Sauce Posted by TeresaNC 2 TB butter or margarine 2 TB flour 5 t. red chili powder - plain ground red chile, not a blend with garlic, oregano, etc. 1 1/2 t. ground cumin 2 t. garlic powder 6 oz. tomato paste 2 1/4 cups water salt and pepper Teresa's note: instead of the tomato paste and water, I used about 3 cups of crushed tomatoes because I was making pizza sauce at the same time and had opened a huge can of crushed tomatoes Melt butter/margarine in a sauce pan. Make a roux by browning flour in melted butter. Add spices and paste; stir until well blended into roux. Add water gradually, stirring constantly. Heat until boiling. Simmer and stir until desired thickness is achieved. Taste often and adjust spices as needed. Use immediately for a pan of enchiladas or cool, package, label and freeze. Linda

I've been making this enchilada recipe for years. I've tried others but this one is my favourite. The stacked enchilada recipe is also very good. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Enchiladas De Pollo =================== Edited: April 20th, 2006 Deluxe Chicken Enchiladas Source:Barbara Hansen's Mexican Cookery 2 whole chicken breasts chicken broth 1/2 small onion 1 bay leaf 8 peppercorns garlic clove salt 1/2 medium onion chopped 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese 1 4 oz can green chilies garlic 1 13 oz can tomatillos, drained 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 3/4 cup whipping cream 1 egg salt 1/4 cup lard or oil 8 corn tortillas 1 cup cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese Gaucamole 1 cup sour cream lettuce black olives . Place chicken in large pot and cover with chicken broth. Add onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Simmer until tender. Let cool in broth. Remove chicken and save broth for another use. Shred or cut chicken to to smaller pieces. Add chopped onion, Parmesan cheese and Monterey Jack Cheese. Taste and add salt if needed. Set aside. IN a blender or processor, combine green chilies, tomatillos , cilantro, whipping cream and egg and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. Heat lard in small skillet. With tongs, carefully place one tortilla at a time in hot lard. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds and drain on paper towels. You want the tortillas to be softened but not crisp. Place some of the chicken mixture on the tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam-side down in a baking dish. Pour cream mixture over the Enchiladas and sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of cheddar or Monterey cheese. Bake about 20 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Serve with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce and olives. NOTE: Instead of softening the corn tortillas in hot oil use the following Enchilada sauce. (Alternative Enchiladas Sauce) 4 tablespoons oil 5 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin 1 garlic clove Heat the oil and add the flour, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin and garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the chicken broth. 2 to 3 cups chicken broth Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Stacked Enchiladas ================== Source: Southwest Cookbook Vegetable oil for frying 12 corn tortillas (6 inches) 1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) chili Chili Sauce (recipe on page 195) 2 cups (8 ounces) grated Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese 3/4 cups finely chopped onion Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour vegetable oil into a medium , heavy skilled to depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium high heat to 375°F, or until a strip of tortilla browns in 60 seconds. Soften the tortillas, one at a time, for about 5 seconds per side in the hot oil and drain on paper towels. Heat the green chili sauce in a shallow pan and dip each softened tortilla into the sauce. Place 1 coated tortilla on an oven proof plate and top with 1 tablespoons green cili sauce, 2 tablespoons grated cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion; repeat twice so that 1 serving contains 3 layered tortillas. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 tortilla stacks. Bake the stacks for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts. NOTE: Add cooked chicken and or pinto or black beans between layers. Green Chili Sauce 1 Jalapeno chili seeded and diced 1 garlic clove crushed 1/4 cup chopped green onions 4 tomatillos, husked and diced (or use canned) 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 2 new Mexico green or Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced. 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon heavy cream salt and freshly ground pepper to taste In a medium saucepan, place the jalapeno , garlic, green onions, tomatillos and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat' reduce heat and simmer until theliquid is reduced to about 1 cup about 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the chicken stock misture into a blender or food processor. Add the Anaheim chilies, cilantrol and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1 to 2 days refrigerated.

I use the recipe linked below for homemade enchilada sauce. It makes a really good sauce and you can easily regulate the heat by how much chili powder you use. My younger son doesn't like hot stuff and I put in a small amount of chili powder and he loves it. I have done different knids of enchiladas - chicken, beef, veggie - all using this sauce. I agree that the best thing you could have done was to throw out the sauce. It was WAY not worth going to more effort and expense to try to save it. Here is a link that might be useful: Epicuriousl Garden Vegetable Enchiladas