Oh So Slow Cooked Spaghetti Sauce

The house smells so good right now.

The kids requested spaghetti, and I didn't have any sauce in the house, so I decided to make my own. I happened to have a giant can (102 oz.) of diced tomatoes on hand so I decided to make a triple batch. In the summer when my tomato plants are producing, I like to freeze them for use in the cooler weather months. Here's the recipe I sort of followed, in single-batch quantities. This is a great recipe to double (or triple), and freeze.

Oh So Slow Cooked Spaghetti Sauce

1 to 1-1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (could use a combination of beef & Italian sausage)

1 onion, chopped

1 tbsp. minced garlic (like a heaping tablespoon!)

3 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

1½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. basil (or use 1 tbsp.-ish of fresh if you have it - 1 tbsp. fresh generally = 1 tsp. dried)
½ tsp. parsley (use fresh flat leaf if you have it - 1 tbsp. fresh generally = 1 tsp. dried)

3 whole bay leaves

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
brown sugar, to taste (I used a heaping tablespoon, but we don't do too sweet)

salt, to taste (check how much sodium is in the tomatoes you're using)

In a large skillet, cook the meat and onions until the meat is brown and the onions are tender. Add the minced garlic near the end of this step to prevent it from burning. Drain off the fat. Place meat mixture and all other ingredients into a large crock pot. Cook on high for at least 5-6 hours, or low for 10-12 hours, stirring occasionally. Season to taste before serving over your favorite pasta noodles.

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or...

Skillet Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti & Asiago Cheese

We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and chop...

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you'r...

A Cooking Baker

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