SALSA

My mom started making salsa a few years ago and since she started, it has been something that our entire family looks forward to every September (for our yearly supply of course). I started making it with her last year. A few days after making it, I brought a jar over to a friend's one day and, after consuming the entire thing, we had convinced ourselves that we were capable enough of making some of our own. A few days later, we had purchased the jars, all the ingredients and we were ready to go. It started off pretty well- There were a few little glitches like how we would chop the veggies because we didn’t have a food processor* so we tried the magic bullet but it wasn’t quite strong enough so we just ended up chopping them all. Everything else seemed to go pretty smoothly and we thought we had pulled it off. So we sealed the bottles and split them up between each other. I never actually tried the batch (BIG mistake- ALWAYS sample) until a few weeks later when I brought a jar to a friend's place. We decided to make a big batch of nachos and pour the salsa I brought all over it. One of my friends was sampling as the nachos were cooking in the oven and she had said it was good and had a "smoky" taste to it. This threw me off because there weren’t any ingredients in it that would make it smoky. So I tried it and it turns out we had burned it. I talked to the other girls I made it with to see if maybe it was just mine but theirs was burnt as well. If it starts to stick (and burn) at the bottom of the pot (with big batches this is pretty common because it needs to cook for so long), it’s important to not scrape the bottom of the pot and mix it with everything else so that your entire batch isn’t ruined (like ours was). Had we of known that going in, maybe we wouldn’t have ruined 24 jars of salsa J.
So anyway, this year I decided to document the process to share with you all because it really is pretty easy. We use the Bernardin mix every year and the recipe listed below is for Pearadise Salsa. They have all sorts of recipes that come in the mix including regular salsa. Pearadise is pretty delicious though. It’s a nice change from regular salsa but still has the spice with a hint of sweetness from the pears. We added in some (chopped) jalapeños as well for some added spice as well. The recipe listed below is pretty easy to follow- you can find it online but also like I said before it comes in the packages with the mix. You can find the mix pretty much anywhere- most grocery stores carry it. I found it at Canadian Tire this year and they had the jars and lids there as well.



The mix

9 cups (2250 ml) chopped, seeded tomatoes, about 5 lb (2.3 kg), 20 medium

7 cups (1750 ml) chopped, peeled pears, 5 - 7 medium

2 cups (500 ml) chopped celery

1 cup (250 ml) cider vinegar

1 pkg (115 g) BERNARDIN® Salsa Mix

4 tbsp (60 ml) brown sugar

*My mom uses a food processor for the veggies after chopping them a bit- it’s faster and more consistent. Also, when chopping cut the veggies the same size so they cook evenly and if you end up food processing them they’ll process at the same rate and you won’t have random chunks of veggies in your delicious salsa.

• Place 6 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

• Combine tomatoes, pears, celery, vinegar, BERNARDIN® salsa mix and brown sugar in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Over medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer stirring constantly, just until mixture is heated through.

The first batch cooking.

• REFRIGERATED: Ladle hot salsa into six hot 500 ml jars or two 1.5 L mason jars; apply closures. Cool 30 minutes and refrigerate up to 3 weeks or freeze in straight-sided jars or containers up to 1 year.

• SHELF-STABLE: Ladle hot salsa into a hot 500 ml mason jar to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more salsa. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining salsa.

• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars –15 minutes.

• When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

Some of the finished products!

We usually make a few batches since we want it to last the whole year (and need to supply our extended family with it as well). One batch typically makes about 6 big (500ml) jars or 12 small (250ml) ones. Also, it's a great thing to bring when you are invited over to a friend's house and would be great to bring to any holiday party's you may have coming up.

Here's a link to a bunch of salsa recipes: http://www.bernardin.ca/pages/salsas/23.php.

Happy Salsa’ing!

-Meghan

“I want to be a part of it, New York, New York”

When I woke up last Friday, the first thing I did was read an article about how amazing the New York City Marathon is.  The event is apparently a HUGE citywide party, and I immediately wanted to experience it.  So after calling and messaging a ton of people, I was finally able to convince a friend to head down to NYC with me for the day. =)

We got on a bus at 10pm Saturday night, arrived in New York at 8am Sunday morning, partied for 15 hours straight (thank you daylight savings for the extra hour), before boarding our Toronto bound bus at 10pm that night.  Now I know this sounds completely insane (especially since I was at work by 10am Monday morning), but it was honestly one of the funnest, craziest days of my life!!

For hours my friend and I cheered, danced and partied in the streets of New York City with 2 million other people!  We followed the marathon route from Brooklyn to Queens, to Manhattan, to the Bronx, then back to Manhattan in Central Park where runners crossed the finish line.  (Unfortunately they don’t allow spectators at the starting line which is on Staten Island.)  This legendary course passes through all five boroughs and provides an incredible view of New York.  It was absolutely amazing getting to see all the diverse neighbourhoods and cultures of the city!

Unlike other marathons, the majority of runners aren’t super serious.  They realize how big of a party it is, and aren’t concerned with times or personal bests.  I was actually really surprised to see hardly anyone wearing watches or listening to music.  Instead, the runners were smiling…yes smiling!!  They were holding video cameras, they were dressed up in costumes, they were dancing, they stopped frequently to take pictures with the crowd, and some were even drinking beers that spectators were handing out! 

There was a live band at every mile, all of the stores were handing out free stuff, and everyone had some sort of noisemaker.  The bars along the route were packed, signs of encouragement could be seen for miles, and I must have high-fived at least a thousand people.  The vibe was just incredible!!

As you can see the NYC marathon isn’t just another race, it’s huge event!  It attracts runners of all ages and skill levels from all over the world, and to race through it without soaking it all in would do it a huge injustice.

So I got back in town Monday morning absolutely exhausted; feet killing, head pounding, but with a huge smile on my face. I met a ton of cool people, got to see parts of New York City that I had never seen before, and experienced what many call the greatest marathon in the world! 

Honestly, if you want to be a part of something big and crazy, then you definitely have to go to NYC on “Marathon Sunday”. 

=)

Rachelle

At the NYC Marathon finish line.  We made it!!

It’s MOVEMBER!

Nose Mullet. Mustachio. Trash-Stache. Lady Tickler. Duster. Soup-Strainer…

Call it what you will.  Either way, it’s that time of the year for guys all over the world to grow out their moustaches (or at least attempt to).

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces.  With their “Mo’s”, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men's health, specifically for prostate cancer.

On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. For the rest of the month, these generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

The staff here at Victory Volleyball is participating in Movember this year.  We have 5 guys supporting this cause by growing out their moustaches;

Ian “Grown Man Mo” Cater
 Will “The ‘Stache Thrill” Liambas

Jimmy “Thick Whiskers” Ly
Bernard “Black ‘Stache” Cooper

 Mark “7 hairs” Valente  

If you are interested in donating for this great cause, visit:

mobro.co/bigmarkus

You can donate to us individually or to the group “Victory’s Finest Mo’s”

We appreciate your support!

Mark Valente