Yummy Zucchini Chips

 Do you get the crunchy munchies at night for something savory? It happens to me all of the time! I adore potato chips, popcorn, flavored corn chips, crunchy cheesy doodles etc.  I could eat an entire bag, of  these bad boys, each and every day!!!!!  Not the snack size bag.  You know the ginormous family size bag? Yep, that's the one!  If I did,  I would weigh three hundred pounds and my doctor wouldn't be pleased!!!! Instead, I find creative solutions to curb the desire for unhealthy crunchy foods.
I've spent a lot of time in my kitchen the last few weeks preserving food from my veggie garden.  While I was at it, I took into consideration my love of crunchy foods and dehydrated some zucchini chips. The flavor combinations are nearly limitless so have some fun and be creative! Add a low calorie dip for a festive occasion and make sure you drink plenty of fluids. This snack is more filling than fried chips so they may help maintain your weight too! This helps me a lot! Enjoy the video!

My Best Canned Salsa Recipe Revealed!

Years ago I tried a salsa recipe from a book entitled Canning and Preserving by Linda Ferrari. I checked and you can still buy this book new or used on line. The recipe is very good but I had to do my own tweaking. I looked at canned salsa recipes and studied canning information regarding acidity levels and came up with this recipe which makes 6 to 7 pints.

My Best Canned Salsa

5 1/2 Pounds Plum Tomatoes 

3 Cups Chopped Onion

7 Ounce Can Diced Green Chilis

1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves

1/2-1 Jalapeno Pepper, Finely Chopped

2 Cloves of Fresh Minced Garlic

2 Teaspoons Canning Salt

1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper

3 Tablespoons Bottled Lemon Juice

1/2 Cup White Vinegar, 5% Acidity

1/2 Cup of Tomato Juice (This can be made from the skins and seeds of the 5 1/2 pounds of tomatoes. Refer to the following video for more information.)

Working in small batches, plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for one minute and then into ice water to loosen skins.

Peel, seed and chop tomatoes into a large bowl or pot. Reserve skins and seeds to boil. Process skins through a food mill and reserve a cup of the juice for the recipe. Compost the skins.

Combine all ingredients and heat until salsa is hot.

Place salsa into hot sterile pint jars and leave 1/2 inch of head space.

Clean jar rims with a damp paper towel.

 Attach lids and rings.

Place in a water bath canner with hot water below 180 degrees and water covering the jars by at least one inch.

Place the lid on the canner and bring to a rolling boil.

 Water bath process for 45 minutes.

Turn off the stove and remove the canner lid.

After 5 minutes, remove the jars and place on a towel in a draft free place. 

Once the jars have cooled for 12 hours, remove the rings and wipe jars with a damp cloth.

Make sure all jars have sealed and store in a cool dry place. 

If a seal has failed, you may reprocess the jar using a new seal or place in the refrigerator for use within a few weeks.

This salsa is fairly mild. If you would like a medium or hot salsa, add more Jalepeno pepper and increase the cayenne pepper to 1 1/4-1 1/2 Teaspoons.
I like to make double batches of this since my family enjoys it so much.

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!