Dripping with Butter and Sarcasm: Home Made Hot Sauce

I love to garden. Period. Yet, it is one thing to love a tender plant until it produces it's fruit, and it's an entirely different thing to know what to do with the produce. I learned that the hard way! Years ago I planted WAY more than my family could ever eat, and more than my poor neighbors wanted. So, if you want to garden have a plan and the time to prepare what you grow. Over the years, I have learned what my family loves the most is home made salsa. I mean, THIS IS TEXAS! We love our hot sauce, hot wings, hot chili and our Tex-Mex food. My family is no exception.


This is the amount of hot sauce we will eat until next summer's canning begins! (the darker is still hot sauce but it is in blue jars) I have a few peach and apple butters left from the summer, but it is mostly HOT SAUCE. I canned about 75 jars and have given some away, but most of it is in the pantry highly guarded by my boys! So let's get started on the recipe....You won't see me using "cups", so don't freak out because you cannot mess this up.

Here is what you will need: 5 large and fresh tomatoes or the equivalent of 5 large, 2 bunches of green onions in the bag (you will use the tops and the bottoms), 2 cans of rotel, 2 - 15oz cans of tomato sauce, 5-15 jalapeno peppers based on how hot you want your salsa, 2 T vinegar, 1 T sugar, 1 1/2 t garlic powder, 1 t salt, 1/2 lime, 2 large garlic cloves, and feel free to make it "your own" by adding any spices you like (season salt, paprika, cinlatro ect) This recipe will make about 4-5 pints

Chop ALL your veggies and peppers into BIG chunks because later you are going to put everything in the blender anyway. I use 5 peppers for a mild sauce, 10 for a medium/hot and 15 for a hot hot sauce! (I use my roasting pan to put everything in before blending because it is the perfect size.)

Add ALL the ingredients listed, slightly chopped in the pan. Mix just a little before blending in the blender. (Be sure you use the tops and bottoms of the green onions, it is a MUST)

When limes are our of season, you can place them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then roll before slicing. The heat make it juicier. But if you find you don't have much juice still, add ALL of the lime instead of half.

This picture shows it all together and below is what it looks like blended.

So when I say blend it, I MEAN BLEND IT! Liquify that salsa! Go girl go


When all of the salsa is blended, add it to a big stock pot and cook on a medium low heat until it has cooked down a little. Stir occasionally and do not cover. I leave it on the cook top for about 45 minutes. Sometimes less and sometimes more. Place it in your well washed ball jars and then in the refrigerator unless you 'can' it. The salsa should last in the fridge about 4 months.