I'm not Linda Lou, but you will find that statement on many Extension sites. The caveat is that you have to be sure the meat was canned according to current guidelines. Here's what Missouri Extension has to say: All meats, poultry and fish canned according to current MU Extension publications may be eaten without boiling if you are sure you followed correct procedures. Alaska Extension is even more specific. No surprise since the majority of botulism cases from home canning occur in Alaska. [This document is actually posted on the NCHFP site, which does archive resources from other Extension agencies.] They say home-canned fish should only be eaten without pre-cooking IF the following conditions are met [several caveats]: Do you know if the dial gauge on your canner is reading accurately? Â Do you know when the rocking or jiggling weight is signaling properly? Â Did you follow the USDA Cooperative Extension recommendations for pressure processing this food? Â Was this preserved food a gift? If it was, do you know if the USDA Cooperative Extension Service recommendations for pressure processing this food were followed? So yes, meats and fish (i.e. home-canned tuna used in sandwiches) can be eaten without pre-cooking if you're sure all the appropriate conditions have been met. Any doubt and don't. I'm glad you asked this question. It clarified for me and provides valuable information for the Forum. Carol

If you have a pressure cooker, try this curry. Curry in a Hurry This recipe from Lorna Sass's Pressure Perfect is a quick and easy way to make a pretty tasty curry. You can make it with chicken, beef, lamb or pork, and vary the hotness by using mild or hot curry paste. 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste makes a pleasant-but-wimpy curry; 4 tablespoons of mild paste makes it pleasantly zingy; 4 tablespoons of hot curry paste makes it very hot, near my limit of tolerance (and I really like hot food). I generally use 2 tablespoons of hot and 2 tablespoons of mild curry paste. If you don't want to mess with the yogurt, peas and cilantro, don't bother--the dish will still be very tasty, but the sauce won't be as rich or velvety-smooth. ( I personally don't like cilantro, so I don't use it.) The recipe calls for 3 pounds of bone-in chicken; I find it easier to use about 2 or 2.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs. --Once you get the pressure cooker up to pressure, make a pot of rice. By the time the rice is done, so is this. 1 cup water 4 tablespoons Patak's Mild Curry Paste 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 pounds bone-in skinless chicken thighs or breasts, or 2-2.5 lbs boneless skinless thighs, or 2 lbs. other meat (see chart below) 1 cup plain yogurt 1 1/2 cup frozen peas 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional) Pour the water into a 4-qt or larger pressure cooker and blend in the curry paste. Place on high heat and add the onion and meat of your choice. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat bring up to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for the time indicated in the chart. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. (If cooking chicken, release any remaining pressure after 4 minutes.) Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow steam to escape. If the chicken or meat isn't tender, cover again and simmer until done. If necessary, skim off the fat that rises to the surface or degrease the broth in a fat separator. Blend the yogurt into 1 cup of the broth. Stir the peas into the curry and simmer until they are defrosted, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir the yogurt mixture into the curry. Stir in the cilantro and salt to taste. Serve in bowls over rice. Meat choices Cooking times Chicken (see notes above) 8 minutes high pressure, 4 minutes of natural release, then quick release Beef (boneless chuck, 1" cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Pork shoulder (1" cubes) 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release Lamb (boneless, 1" cubes) 12 minutes high pressure, then natural release If using beef, pork or lamb, trim off excess fat and cut the meat into approximately 1" cubes before cooking..

Teresa, I'm glad that you are looking out for me. I think I left ample fat. My first sausage will be with your patty recipe. Earl, Thanks for chiming in with that link. Actually I have read some of your sage advice somewhere?? Kathy, I'll have to practice some more first. I'm still working on mastering my new Weber. That's going well thanks in part to Lakeguy's Grill book and other grill accessories. Annie, Thanks for the recommendation. Jim, I'll check out that link as I'm sure bare bones basics is what I need...ESPECIALLY SINCE I RUINED MY GRINDER THE FIRST DAY OUT!! Yup, I put the workings in the dishwasher. I am diligent about reading directions but in my haste to clean before grand babies came over, I didn't inform myself about cleaning the grinder.

This is not a crockpot pasta -- more a salad that could easily be served cold or room temp, which could make things even easier for you. I found the recipe on another website and I think it came from a blog where the person recommending it had found it. My apologies to the author for only getting the first name -- no site to go check for more. Anyway, the recipe is very good. We used Olive Garden's Italian Dressing because we had some open but I don't remember what I used for the seasoning (never heard of Spike). Might have just been a seasoned pepper and maybe not a tsp. I had this on the brain this weekend, wanting to make it again, so thought I'd share since it is something a little different. Whole Wheat Orecchiette Pasta Salad with Roasted Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, and Mushrooms (Makes at least 6 servings; recipe created by Kalyn.) 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces 12 oz. brown Crimini mushrooms, cut into thick half in slices 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick strips about 1 inch long 2 T olive oil salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (for seasoning roasted vegetables) 1/2 lb. whole wheat Orecchiette pasta (or use any smallish whole wheat pasta shape) salt, for pasta cooking water 1/2 cup thickly sliced green onion 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley 1/4 cup freshly ground Parmesan Dressing Ingredients: 6 T purchased Italian Dressing (for South Beach Diet use a dressing with less than 2 grams of sugar per serving, I used Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing) 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use any all-purpose seasoning blend) 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Break a piece of asparagus to see where the woody part starts, then trim all the asparagus to that size and cut into 1 inch pieces. Seed pepper and cut into strips about 1 inch long. Wash mushrooms if needed and cut into thick slices (or half-slices if the mushrooms are large.) Put the prepared vegetables into a bowl and toss with 2 T olive oil; season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Spray or brush baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray and arrange vegetables in a single layer. (Next time I'd use 2 pans if the vegetables look crowded.) Roast vegetables 15-20 minutes, or until they're starting to shrivel but not completely soft. While vegetables are roasting, fill a medium-sized pot with water, add about 1 tsp. of salt, and bring to a boil. Remove vegetables from the oven and cool on the baking sheet 4-5 minutes. While vegetables cool, whisk together the salad dressing, Spike Seasoning and coarse ground pepper. Chop the parsley and slice the green onions. When the roasted vegetables are partly cooled, put them in a colander placed in the sink and let them drain until any excess liquid runs off. (Don't skip this step or the salad will be watery.) After vegetables drain, return to bowl and toss with 3-4 T of the dressing mixture and let vegetables marinate. Cook pasta to barely al dente (check package cooking time.) Drain pasta into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with COLD water, and then let drain well, stirring a few times so it won't stick together. When the pasta is well-drained, add it to the marinated vegetables, mix in the rest of the dressing, chopped parsley, and sliced green onions, and gently stir to combine. Add the freshly-grated Parmesan, stir again, and serve salad slightly chilled or at room temperature. This was still quite good after it had been in the fridge overnight, although pasta salad like this is best freshly made.