Playing Catsup...

Tell me what to do with all of these green to semi-ripe tomatoes. Please!

So, you may have noticed my absence in the interweb world lately... Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit proud to expect that you faithfully check my little ol' blog for food inspired puns and up close shots of my dinner--but a girl can dream!

Anyway, I am in the final (!) stages of completing my thesis and being a full fledged master--according to the Evergreen State College. As a result, I've been quite absent from here and as a friend in the real world. My sincere apologies to all affected parties. After November 15th, I promise to make up for it in puns, posts, letters, phone calls, baked goods, crafts, hugs, and fiddle lessons (but that's more for me). I can taste the freedom!

That said, I have been taking a little time to enjoy the onset of fall. I spent the first weekend of October at home in the breadbasket of Illinois visiting with my lovely lovely family. It actually turned from summer to fall while I was there.

Last weekend, Justin and I grabbed our bikes and passports and caught the ferry to the great city Victoria in the exotic country of Canada. On the ferry, we even won free passes to the Royal BC Natural History Museum. So, we spent the weekend as tourists--well-fed tourists. And on Sunday, I ran the city's marathon. Justin was a great support staff; he biked to various points along the route and offered shouts of encouragement. It was a beautiful course and I felt quite strong. Good weekend.

We had mammoth of a time, but Justin was too afraid to turn his back to creature to pose for a photo.

Not a bad view to enjoy while trying to ignore leg cramps.

And now for the real CATSUP!

A few weeks ago, I had an inspiring new friend over to process 30 lbs of tomatoes from a local farm. I've had visions of trying to make my Grandma Arlene's catsup for some time now...its happened. 15 hours of a house scented in mysterious spices and hot boiling tomatoes later, we had 4 whole pints of Arlene's finest. Her recipe called for "mixed spices", which I assumed was code for her secret blend, so I threw in a combo of cumin, paprika, and turmeric. After a conversation with Grandma, it turns out, "mixed spices" is an actual blend sold in most grocery stores. Oh, well. The hardest/messiest/most fun part was smooshing the hot mess through a sieve. The result is a tangy delight!

CATSUP
inspired by Grandma Arlene from The P Family Reunion Cookbook

4 quarts of quartered tomatoes
2 c. vinegar
3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. red pepper
2.5 TBS salt
2 TBS "mixed spices"
1 TBS ground mustard seed
1 TBS cinnamon
2 large chopped onions
3 TBS cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Combine above ingredients (except cornstarch) in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 hour. Sieve. Boil one hour longer. Thicken with cornstarch. Seal in jars.