My father’s mother was the queen of the canned foods—she didn’t do much cooking. A big treat at her house was made by Chef Boyardee. My father used to comment that my mother didn’t buy normal food, but she bought ‘weird stuff,’ like flour, oil and sugar. I grew up thinking that special food came from cans, too, but I didn’t like the fact that you needed a can per meal. After you finished the can, the ravioli or spaghetios were gone. It just isn’t economical to spend all your grocery money on ready made canned food. It’s much cheaper to fill your pantry with ‘weird stuff’, too.

The peppers you choose will vary the spiciness of the salsa. I like to use a little of all four kinds. Anaheim and Jalapenos will give fairly mild salsa, and Poblanos and Serranos kick it up a notch. My favorite mix is 6 Anaheim, 1 Poblano, 4 Jalapeno and 1 Serrano chili peppers if I can find them at the store. This makes about 7 pints. You could double the recipe and make quarts.