Marcia's Creamy Mexican Dip

 Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 C sour cream

1/2 of a 15 oz jar of Tostitos Salsa Con Queso (I use medium)

1/2 pkg of Taco Seasoning

1/4 to 1/3 C favorite Salsa

chopped ripe olives (optional)

1/2 to 3/4 C shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

In Food Processor or w/Immersion Blender, blend cream cheese and sour cream until completely incorporated. Add Con Queso, taco seasoning, salsa and olives, again blend well. Put in oven proof dish, add layer of cheddar cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly around the sides ... serve with tortilla chips. 

Marcia’s Salsa for canning

        35-40 medium tomatoes

8 medium apples (different varieties for the best flavor)

4 green peppers

2 red peppers

6 cloves of garlic (crushed)

4 medium sweet onions

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup plain salt (no iodine)

1 cup vinegar

2 Tbsp. chili powder

3 tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. oregano

5-7 chili peppers (use a variety of chilies, Pablano and Anaheim add great flavor)

5-7 jalapeño peppers

If you like hot salsa then do not core any of the chilies and peppers. If you like a milder salsa, remove the core and seeds on all the peppers and chilies...you can also cut the number of chilies and peppers for a milder salsa.

Course grind or fine chop all vegetables and apples. Put in a large stockpot. Add all the other ingredients. Boil for two hours, stirring often. Pour into hot sterile pint jars and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Debra’s Salsa

        1 (102 oz) can crushed or diced tomatoes - or combination of two OR

equivalent of fresh tomatoes, chopped*

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (add more if you like the taste)

1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)

3 Tbsp. garlic salt

3 small jalapeños, chopped with seeds removed

3/4 cup vinegar

Mix all together in a large bowl. This salsa can be frozen in small portions or canned using a water bath canner.

*When making this with fresh tomatoes, use a variety of kinds. Ex: Roma, grape, yellow pear, etc. Chop 3/4 of the tomatoes and then run the rest through a food processor to make a sauce.

**You may need to add more lemon juice if you use fresh tomatoes to make it a bit more tart.

***Be careful with the jalapeños. Make sure you get all the seeds out. You may want to start with 2 and see if it's hot enough for you and then add more if you want to increase the heat. Note that the salsa tends to get a bit hotter after it sits for 24 hours.

Restaurant Style Salsa

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)

1/4 cup Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1 whole Jalapeño, Quartered And Sliced Thin or chilies, Pablano and   Anaheim add great flavor

1/4 teaspoon Sugar, honey or Agave syrup

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)

1/2 whole Lime Juice

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeño, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.