Caring, Canning, and Chow

This recipe for home-canned Chili Sauce has been handed down in the Beauvais family through generations.  I was honored to be chosen to be given this recipe to prepare for my friend and her family.

CARING:

I have a friend, Char,  who has her plate extremely full.  She is a caregiver for her husband and recently her sister, Joyce, had a stroke and also needed care.  She and her daughters have been carrying the load all summer with some help from a hired caretaker for her sister.  The daughters, however, are teachers and have gone back to work.  I offered to step in and help until they could find another part-time caregiver to hire.

It is a very easy assignment and I am happy to help out.  Light housework, helping to shower, and going for walks when Joyce feels up to it.  I also make Joyce a little lunch and make sure dinner is prepped and ready to go into the microwave to be heated for dinner.  

Joyce is very sharp mentally and able to tell you exactly what she wants and needs.  She has limited use of one arm so needs assistance with everyday tasks.  I have been enjoying my time with her, listening to the story of her life.  

CANNING:

Joyce has lived in the same house in which she was born her entire life.  Joyce was a teacher and never married or had children so she stayed in her childhood home and cared for her parents as they aged.  During our visit, Joyce mentioned that she was out of her home-canned chili sauce and was disappointed that she would be unable to make it this year.  

I offered to make some for her and she provided me with her mother's recipe.  Having never tasted the sauce before and working with a handed-down recipe that lacked exact measurements was sketchy but I did my best. 

It smelled good and it tasted good to me, however, I don't know if it tasted as it should.  I delivered the chile sauce last week and she had me open a jar and leave it in the refrigerator for her.  She said she would use it on her roast beef that evening and with her eggs in the morning.  I'm anxious to see what she thought.  

I was exposed to COVID so was unable to see her this week but I still wanted to share the recipe with my readers who may be looking for a way to use up all the tomatoes they are harvesting.

CHOW:

I had no symptoms and feel fine, however, I have been exposed numerous times and have never had any symptoms.  I didn't want to take the chance that I may be an asymptomatic carrier and unwittingly pass it on to someone who is vulnerable, so I stayed close to home all week.

That gave me lots of time to prepare for my trip that is coming up quickly, enjoy the last few nice days that we had left to enjoy the pool, and spend some time in the kitchen working on recipes for upcoming events.

Here are the meals I am preparing this week.  I'm happy to be able to go out again.....

Saturday

Cranberry Orange Chicken

Rice Pilaf

Green Beans

Sunday Supper

Grilled Steaks

Baked Potatoes

Broccoli

Meatless Monday

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Tomato Soup

Tuesday

Out to dinner with Amy and Doug

Wednesday

Cornflake Meatloaf

Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Thursday

Spaghetti

Tossed Salad

Fish Friday

Cod and Cranberry Stuffing Bake

Delicata Squash

Condiments, Sauces, Canning, Chili Sauce

Sauces, Condiments

American

Yield: 19 half pint jars

Author: Wendy Klik

Home Canned Chili Sauce

This sweet and sour sauce is wonderful with meats and surprisingly delicious mixed with scrambled eggs.

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 4 MinTotal time: 24 Min

Ingredients

• 12 large tomatoes
• 2 large Spanish onions
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 T. salt
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 2 t. cloves
• 3 c. sugar
• 1 1/4 c. cider vinegar
• pepper, to taste
• 1 qt. applesauce

Instructions

1. Quarter the tomatoes and squeeze releasing some of the juice and seeds. Place into a food processor and puree. Pour into a large pot.
2. Quarter the tomatoes and peppers, place in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the tomatoes.
3. Stir in the sugar, salt and vinegar, bring to a low boil and cook for 2-3 hrs, until it starts to thicken.
4. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, pepper and applesauce. Cook for another hour.
5. Ladle the boiling mixture into sterlized canning jars, place a sterilized lid on top, closing with a ring. Place onto a towel-lined counter and let cool to room temperature.
6. All jars should seal with a pop. Check for any jars that did not seal properly by pressing on the tops. There should be no give. If any jars did not seal properly store in the refrigerator instead of the pantry.

Notes

You can process this sauce in a water bath if you like. The original recipe that I was given did not process and all of my jars sealed correctly. I did adapt the recipe substituting Spanish onions for 12 small cooking onions and green peppers for red peppers.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

177.02

Fat (grams)

0.43 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

0.05 g

Carbs (grams)

44.21 g

Fiber (grams)

2.64 g

Net carbs

41.58 g

Sugar (grams)

40.42 g

Protein (grams)

1.42 g

Sodium (milligrams)

743.42 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

Nutritional information is per jar.

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