Newer version of Annie's Salsa - BWB only Annie's Salsa 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper 3 to 5 chopped jalapenos (for milder leave out seeds and ribs) 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp cumin (optional) 2 tsp pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/4 c fresh cilantro (optional) 1/3 c sugar (optional) 1 cup cider vinegar (see note on subbing lemon or lime juice option) 16 oz canned tomato sauce (to adjust density) 8-16 oz canned tomato paste (to adjust density) Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process pints for 15 minutes in BWB. Makes 6 pints. _________ A lot of changes have been made to this recipe over the years. Some people like lemon or lime juice in place of some or all of the vinegar, that's fine. (Note from Sheila - I like half lemon half lime.) Some people leave out the cilantro, that's fine too. Do not increase! Some people add more hot peppers or fewer onions, fine as long as you keep the same total measurements. (Note this is what NCHFP does in their new Choice Salsa recipe.) Some people leave out the sugar, that's fine. You can scoop out the goo in the middle of the tomatoes with your thumbs when I'm peeling and chopping for a less seedy version, so it's 8 cups of chopped tomatoes without the seeds and goo. Most who make it regularly as well as Annie recommend using a variety of different slicing tomatoes, not paste types, for best flavor and consistency. (Note: use the tomato sauce and paste to adjust the consistency of the final product to a "sloshy" consistency.) According to Annie "My salsa is not as thick as Heinz catsup but it's thicker than taco sauce. If you don't like it quite as thick or sweet, cut down the amount of paste. I would add some, then taste. Reducing that ingredient shouldn't affect the safety of the recipe. I use equal amounts of sauce and paste. You can pull it off the heat at any point and adjust for flavor. Before I cook it I check for salt, sugar, check the consistency. Add more pepper or cumin if I want. When I first started making this salsa, tomato sauce and paste came in 8 and 16 ounce cans. Like everything else, they've now been downsized, so now I have to use partial cans." Does anybody have good versions of the other recipes that have weird symbols in them for measurements?

Finally got around to making this over the weekend using the Almond Dream recipe that Michael posted. It was perfect. The flavor was bright, clean and creamy with nothing cloying about it...just like I remember. I eliminated the egg yolk & just used extra cornstarch, I also froze the mix on a sheet pan, then broke it up & pulverized it in the food processor. This resulted in a crunchier texture and a SUPER COLD Italian ice. Not so good for 20 degree nights in NY but it will be perfect for the summer. Making it this way also resulted in an extremely low fat & not to sweet but amazingly satisfying dessert. Unfortunately after eating it my tongue was so numb I was speaking as if I had just had it pierced! It was a riot, none of us could speak properly. Now all I need to do is to figure out the "right" way to incorporate the almond slivers into it and I will have succesfully duplicated the elusive Lily with Almonds. This recipe is a must try if you like Italian ices. It couldn't be easier & you don't even need an ice cream maker (I just didn't feel like dragging it out). Even my 4 year old ate it and pronounced it "delicious". OK, he pronounced it more like "derocus" because his tongue was so numb but he still enjoyed it. I'll probably try my hand at making almond milk eventually but for now the ALmond Dream works perfectly. Thank you all so much! Nina

Here's an interesting one that I haven't yet tried, but we almost finished up the chocolate sorbet tonight, so I think this one might be up very soon! I found the main ingredient up in the Sonoma area (wine country) in Northern CA. This brand has a sweet, lovely taste. If you can't find it in your town, they do ship! They're a small family company too. Verjus Mint Sorbet Verjus is the tart, unfermented juice of unripe wine grapes. Verjus (pronounced Vair-Zhoo) literally means "green juice." It is an elegant and delicate alternative to both vinegar and lemon juice in cook. Because this sorbet is made from verjus, it goes well with wine. Check out Ice Cream, Sorbet, Granita, & Gelato Recipes for more recipe ideas. ________________________________________ 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1 1/2 cups Verjus* 2 tablespoons vodka * Verjus is found in specialty or wine stores. To learn more about Verjus, check out my web page HERE. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, and mint leaves. Stir until mixture comes to a boil and sugar is dissolved; reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; place a fine strainer over a large bowl and pour syrup mixture through (straining out the mint leaves). Add verjus and vodka to the strained syrup mixture; stir until thoroughly blended. Let mixture cool to room temperature. NOTE: The vodka (or any other type of alcohol) is the secret to a soft sorbet. Alcohol itself does not freeze and adding a little bit keeps the sorbet from doing the same. Vodka is excellent to use because it doesn't affect the taste. Ice Cream Maker - Transfer mixture to ice cream maker, process according to manufacturer's instructions. Freezer Method - Pour into container, cover, and place mixture in the freezer. When it is semi-solid, mash it up with a fork and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Cover and refreeze until serving time. NOTE: Can be prepared 3 days in advance. Cover and keep frozen. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Here is a link that might be useful: My Verjus choice

Glad the photos are enticing! Thanks for all the comments and compliments! This is the first time I've made ice cream in about 6 years! What was I thinking? Why did I wait so long! Oh yeah, now I remember--calories! Lots and lots of calories! The ice cream canister is part of my little Rival electric ice cream maker--it looks like stainless steel on the inside, white high impact plastic on the outside, and if you shake it when its room temp, it sounds slushy--when it freezes, it's solid! I freeze the canister overnight, and then the motor sits on top of the canister. The motor part is connected to the stirring thingy, plug it in, turn it on, pour in the chilled ice cream base thru the little access hole on the plastic top (this is connected to part of the motor and even though it comes apart, I don't pull it apart unless I need to wash the plastic part). About 20 minutes later, ya gots yerself a creamy quart of cool yummy goodness! Smiles, Sooz