Hurricane Irene is here. Since we can’t hit the beach this weekend, spicy ketchup is finally on the menu!

I’m starting with this recipe from the food network:

Ingredients

* 3 pounds very ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1 large clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup light brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
* Pinch ground cinnamon
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* Salt

Start by buying the ripest, most delicious tomatoes you can find.

From Hurricane Irene

We got these from a farmer’s market on 14th and U street in Northwest DC. The tomatoes are delicious: we ate one of the heirloom tomatoes destined for the pot in about 30 seconds flat.

Next, chop them coarsely and blend them to a puree.

Pass the puree through a wire mesh strainer and into a bowl or pot.

Use a wooden spoon to mash the paste through the strainer until all that remains is the solids.

Finely dice a small onion.

And fry it up.

Now the cooking begins. It will cook down for over an hour.

And the final product!

So delicious. It is mildly spicy: I will use 3x the crushed red pepper next time. I had no cider vinegar and used ordinary vinegar instead and it added became a little too tart. But man it was good. My cousins came over last night and we put the ketchup on everything from edamame to dumplings.

it was awesome.

Trying to pick my next home energy efficiency project. Melissa and I were supposed to go to the beach in Delaware this weekend but Hurricane Irene has thwarted our plans. I have a rainy weekend to try one of these:

1. Ceiling Fan in the guest bedroom. No more steaming while reading, and more comfortable for friends sleeping over

2. Solar Shades to keep the sun out and the place cooler (and let me sleep longer)

3. Home beer brewing. It takes soooo much energy to transport the beer from the brewery to me.

4. More motion detector light switches. Some of the lights turn off when you leave the room. Upgrade the rest of them.

Have to pick one, any suggestions?

Nerdiest funniest lolcat.