Salsa Queen

Many years ago when I was very pregnant with my second child, I made this salsa with a friend. I referred to her as "salsa queen" from then on.
This is a great, easy recipe.

Also to the basic recipe I have added a can of drained and rinsed black beans, niblet corn and fresh cilantro for the Santa Fe version. So without further delay here it is:

SALSA (basic recipe)

30 medium Roma tomatoes, blanch, peel and chop

2 cups chopped celery

2 lrg green papper, chopped

2 lrg red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp dried red chilis

2 lrg jalapenos or a jar of them, chopped

2 cups chopped onion

5 cloves of garlic minced

2 cans green chilis (old el paso)

2 13 oz cans tomato paste

3 drops Tobasco

3/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp chopped parsley

4 tbsp pickling salt (coarse salt) 2 tsp paprika

Put all into a large pot, bring to a boil, mix well and simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir as needed. Seal in prepared jars and immerse in hot bath for 30 minutes depending on your altitude.

One recipe makes 12 pints.

Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

This recipe uses the leftover chicken and potatoes from yesterday's roasted chicken recipe.

Slice up potatoes and place them in the bottom of a casserole dish. (You may want to put a bit of oil or non-stick spray in the bottom to ease clean up.)

In a separate bowl add:

cooked chicken, chopped up into bite sized pieces (I had about 1.5 cups leftover)
one tomato chopped up into bite sized pieces
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (important to rinse to get rid of the sodium)
1/3 cup of salsa - or more if you like salsa
3/4 cup of frozen corn (or can of corn) - optional

Mix these ingredients together and pour over the potatoes

Top with grated cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through.