Wysiwig, I'm glad to hear that you, too, enjoy the Spenser novels. I particularly like the language jokes between him and Hawk.

I do wonder how those foods get into his refrigerator when he never seems to shop.

I don't envy him his undisciplined dog, however. And his lover, Susan, is simply too perfect to be believed. Except that she cooks wih Miracle Whip.
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Somebody mentioned buying barbecue sauce. I don't buy it, I make it.

Best made ahead. Stir together:

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
ground black pepper to taste (red pepper disagrees with me)

Choose a secret ingedient and stir it in, such as

1/4 tsp ground cloves OR
1 teaspoon grated orange peel (I buy this in the spice dept.)OR
1 teaspoon rosemary

It seems more important to make it ahead if using orange peel. It seems to take a while for the orange flavor to disseminate.

Every barbecue sauce needs a secret ingredient. It's part of the culture. It's also part of the culture that a BBQ sauce needs about 12 ingredients, but I repudiate that.

Add water (a few tablespoons) as needed for the consistency desired.
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To use up the molasses faster, make gingerbread.