Enchiladas are one of my husband's favorite dishes that I make. These pseudo-homemade Mexican-inspired delicious babes have made their way into my regular dinner rotation. See my recipe for Clinton's Favorite Chinchillas here.

Recently, I found a recipe for Enchilada Sauce in a super, duper old canning cookbook and decided to give it a try. First batch was... alright. Nothing special. The second batch (after some modifications to the recipe and technique) turned out amazing and tastes even better than the filled-with-who-knows-what from the store. Don't get me wrong, I fed my family the canned version for a long time, but after making this recipe, I don't see myself ever turning back.

Roughly chop your tomatoes, onions, and peppers. You don't have to core or seed the tomatoes, because you're going to strain them later. For less "heat" in your sauce, take the seeds out of the peppers. Start your Water bath.

Use a measuring cup or ladle to transfer your blended-up mixture into a strainer. You can separate the strained mixture into a stainless steel bowl or another stock pot.

Use a spatula to push the mixture through the sieve until only the seeds, peels and leftover pepper/onion chunks are left. This takes a little while, and your arm might get sore, but try to smash out as much as you can. 

These are the spices I had on hand, so they're the ones I used. If you don't have these blends, don't worry. But I'll shamelessly plug Wildtree. Your cooking cabinet isn't complete without some Garlic Galore. Buy it now, thank me later.

We like spicy sauce, so I added:
- A heaping palm full of Oregano
- Two teaspoons of Cayenne (heat!)
- A heaping palm full of Cumin
- Two tablespoons of Garlic Galore
- Two tablespoons of Fiesta Salsa Mix
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/2 Cup Lime Juice
- 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sugar to taste

Allow the mixture to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you stir, take a taste and add spices to suit your flavor. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar; for tang add more vinegar or lime juice; for more spice, add cayenne.
Use a ladle to transfer to hot jars, wipe off rims, add rings, and process for 20 minutes. Cool on a towel and check the lids for a good seal.

I choose to leave the seeds in and peels on for my spaghetti sauce. You can do either way. Take the cores out of the tomatoes and rough chop the celery and onions.

Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. After things are bubbling, turn down the heat a little until the tomatoes are smushy (technical terms, I know!). Simmer 10-15 minutes.

Use an immersion blender or Potato Masher to blend everything together. You can also work in small batches using a food processor or blender. Be careful! This stuff is HOT!
Start your jars to boil in your canner. Need directions? Check Ball's website here.

Chop up your herbs and garlic. Add it to the pot. Add in the Spaghetti seasoning, and 1/2 cup of lemon juice and Apple Cider Vinegar (for preserving and flavor). Add sugar to taste (start with 1/2 cup, add to taste), and Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20-30 minutes.

Once your sauce is the desired consistency, ladle it into hot jars, wipe off rims, place lids on, add rings (but not too tight!), and process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Use tongs to remove jars, and allow to cool on a towel at room temperature. Listen for the lids to pop.