Hi Irish! Like DigDirt, I prefer the taste of roasted tomatoes for my sauce. I like to do things quick and easy, especially when it comes to preserving because it seems like everything comes on at once and it's hard to keep up. Here's the super-easy way I make roasted tomato sauce, which I freeze for use all winter long. I use Roma (plum) tomatoes for a thicker sauce. No amounts listed in my recipe because it really doesn't matter. I just keep roasting pan-fulls until I've used up the tomatoes. Jane's Roasted Tomato Sauce 1. Core and halve tomatoes (I run my thumb up the hollows quickly to push out most of the gel/seeds) 2. Put tomatoes in a BIG bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss to coat tomatoes. 3. Place tomatoes CUT SIDE DOWN in large rimmed sheet pan, as big as will fit your oven. 4. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 mins. Tomato skins will begin to shrivel and start to blacken on top, this is good. 5. When sizzley and well-roasted, remove from oven. The tomato skins will be loosened and most of them will slip off the tomato if squeezed lightly with tongs. If you wish to remove skins, go ahead. If not, it's okay too. 6. Place tomatoes in food processor, pulse a few times until thick and chunky consistency (or however you like your sauce). You will probably have to work in batches since the entire pan of tomatoes won't fit in food processor at once. 7. Pour into freezer containers and let cool before placing in freezer. This makes tomato sauce. I like Italian sauce since that's what I mostly use. So at Step #2 I also cut up some bell peppers and onions into big chunks, put them in bowl with tomatoes and oil. Also a few garlic cloves. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, italian spices. Then place in pan and continue in the same way. Easy, can do a lot at once. Can do tomatoes ahead and leave the big oily bowl covered in frig a day or two until you find time to roast. Free time while roasting, versus sauce on the stovetop that you have to keep an eye on. There aren't any finicky rules using this method. (I'm usually not good with finicky rules! LOL ) Enjoy!

I also think the infection is better than the kidney stones, providing the infection is cured before it does any damage. At this point, I don't even want to think about it, and I'm having a hard enough time trying to figure out how I will manage what I need to get done in Texas. On top of that, my boss wants me to take work with me to Texas, even though (as I discussed with the COO), I do not have any pressing or urgent projects that must be finished right away - I'm caught up for the present. I told her I would be taking my laptop, but it does not have AutoCAD on it, and so I cannot do any working drawings. I have not tried installing any other drawing programs, but I might do that eventually. Because the laptop has Windows 7, a lot of programs simply will not install, including my astrology program, and that was one of the main programs I wanted to use on it. For now, I'm just using it for music, pictures, internet, and movies, and so it is more for entertainment than work. Sony Entertainment gave Kevin a laptop so that he could work at home, and he will be taking his as well. I do not expect to feel up to working on furniture designs while I am in Texas, especially with the heat. Lars

Sounds really good! thank you for sharing it.

I didn't read the article until today, and Kevin told me yesterday that he had heard about this. Irwindale has some very beautiful spots, located at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, which I can see from my house. I don't know about a racetrack in Irwindale, but it is very close to Santa Anita and the L.A. County Arboretum, which has the pond and house from the TV show Fantasy Island. I can imagine the fumes from the factory from the chilies - I would not mind the garlic, but chili pepper fumes make me gag. But then I use habanero chilies, and the fumes from them are quite intense. I never noticed any intense garlic smells in Gilroy (I must have been there at the wrong time of year), but the smell of broccoli in Oxnard is quite offensive, even though I love broccoli. Stockyards are even worse, and my worst memories of those are from Fort Worth. I've heard they have even bigger ones in Chicago. I would take Sriracha over a meat packing plant or paper mill any day! Lars Here is a link that might be useful: Rec Area in Irwindale