Arrrgh!!!

Is there anything better than having a guest who feels comfortable enough in your home to go take a nap? Cop Car and I have had a lovely visit. We both slept well until we got to Saturday night, and for some odd reason, in our respective rooms, we both tossed and turned.

Sunday was declared "Chili Sauce Day." Elegante Mother's recipe takes all day to cook, and you have to get an early start. I got up at 5:00 a.m. and started peeling and chopping the tomatoes. I had just about finished cutting 14 pounds of tomatoes, when Cop Car and Elegante Mother arrived on the scene. Collectively, we chopped three onions, three green peppers and two bags of celery. EM added the cloves, dry mustard, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar, and I finished it off with a quart of cider vinegar.

We learned a number of years ago that this recipe needs to be divided up into two stockpots, or you need to be prepared to babysit the pot well into the evening. We took turns stirring, and let this amazing scent waft through the house.

I was rather surprised that the sauce had cooked down by 4:00. Cop Car and I set up a production line. I filled the hot jars, she wiped the lip of the jar, and then set lids in place. Dear Husband, who had returned from the lake early, tightened the lids. CC gave me a tip that was a real winner. She suggested using a measuring cup with a handle to fill the jars. I've been doing this chili sauce for years and years, and it never occurred to me to do it this way. I ladled a cup of sauce into the measuring cup, and then used the measuring cup to fill the jar. If I had to set it down, I could hook the handle over the edge of the pot. We were done in no time! As a matter of fact, we were so speedy that I've been able to come to the computer and blog for half an hour before we need to think about dinner.

So, where did the naps come in? About 1:30, Cop Car said she needed to take a nap. She stopped on her way out of the kitchen to be sure that we would continue to stir the pot while she rested! *G* We did. Elegante Mother and I shared the duty. I sat in the recliner with the kitchen timer and a book. Every fifteen minutes, one of us stirred. Cop Car's nap was short, and we put her right back to work. If you come to visit, be sure to get your nap. Otherwise, you can bet we'll keep you busy!