On my mammoth grocery shopping trip Saturday morning a woman waved me over in the cheese aisle and asked me to look at her recipe card.
She wondered what I thought chili sauce might be and where she might find it.
“Well, my Grandma used to make a sauce she called chili sauce and it was a sort of thin tomato sauce, kind of chunky but not as chunky as salsa. I’ve never seen it in a grocery store but maybe it’s in the sauces aisle?”
The lady was trying to gather what she needed to make something called Special Sauce from a recipe given to her by a friend. “You can put it on hamburgers, it’s great with eggs, it’s wonderful on fish…” For a moment I felt like I was with Bubba Gump describing all of the different ways to cook shrimp.
She thanked me and I wished her good luck. She carried on in her direction while I continued in mine.
Then we saw each other in the next aisle and I asked if she had any luck. “Not yet!” she said with a smile.
When I saw her in the next aisle I knew we were on a collision course of epic proportions. If I didn’t stop this we would see each other for approximately 10 more aisles! I gave her a smile and she nodded but it was starting to get weird. In the next aisle she held up a jar of salsa and said she would put it in the food processor and make it work. I congratulated her on her ingenuity. And now we were officially out of things to talk about. So I skipped an aisle. I didn’t have a comprehensive list and I had planned to go down every aisle but I couldn’t risk another face-to-face. Without saying a word we were communicating the same thing: please don’t run into me again because I don’t have anything left to say to you!
After checking out with my mountain of grocery items I hesitated before approaching the Xtrail because guess who was parked beside me? Yup. I unloaded my stuff and took my cart back to the store while she walked hers over to the corral. Problem solved. So, what is chili sauce anyway?
Hi Lisa, I used to make Chili Sauce all the time and still love it with roast beef, on potatoes, on toast. You are right. It is similar to salsa but with a runnier texture, and with a little different seasoning. I put tomatoes, celery, peppers, onions, hot peppers, peaches in mine and it has cinnamon and all sorts of other spices in it too – mouth is watering as I’m typing this 🙂 You can buy Chili Sauce in grocery stores down the aisle with pickles, relishes and other condiments. It is different tasting and a different consistency from the one I made. I have found one that mimicks my recipe and is sold at Pickards (sp?) I recommend you try it – BUT once you do, you will likely be hooked lol. I used to smell it down the road when I was walking home from school and my mother had started a batch earlier in the day…..more pleasant memories. You are taking me down that road again Lisa. Thanks
Ooooh that sounds delicious! I am eager to try it now. I always avoided Grandma’s and now I wish I had tried it. I have an aversion to green peppers. 🙂
Hi Cousin,
Mom is gearing up for chili sauce making season. I’m sure that she would love for you to try some. Mike calls it Award Winning. He puts that **#:** on everything. Best recipe is… 1 pack of Schniders red hot wieners in caserole dish and pour”Aunt Alice’s famous chili sauce ” over. Bake at 350 for an hour or so. Its pretty tasty!! Congrats on your new book. Can’t wait to read it. Your loving cousin Michele xoxo
Ooooh! I didn’t know there was a chili sauce making season! I would love to try Aunt Alice’s famous chili sauce. My sister-in-law gave me a jar of hers, too. 🙂
I love homemade chili sauce! However, I buy Heinz chili sauce because I don’t make it myself.
I didn’t even know Heinz made it. Thanks!