Have You Ever...

Almost had a finished post only to accidentally hit something and delete the whole thing? Ahhhhh!
Yep, just happened to yours truly.
Grumpy gills, right here.

Instead of retyping what promised to be a great post (seriously y'all missed out), I'm just going to stick to the bare bones.
Sorry. I just don't have the time...ok, or the patience.

Today is another recipe day.  It's chilly here and I decided to make homemade spaghetti and meatballs last night because it's one of my favorite comfort foods.  This recipe is a great base for any red sauce so feel free to adjust it to suit your preferences or tastes.  It does take a lot of time, but it's not difficult (you can even adjust this to a crock-pot).


Remember: Don't be intimidated by making your own sauce. You can do it and I hope this simple recipe gives you a great start.


Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Makes 14-18 servings (it makes a LOT...I usually freeze half of the sauce to use later)
Prep-time: 15 min
Cook time: 4-6 hours on stove top

• 3 (29oz) cans Hunts tomato sauce
• 1 (29oz) can tomato puree
• 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 3 bay leaves, whole
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 Tbsp basil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 4 or 5 garlic cloves, whole

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot on low heat. After cooking for at least 1 hour, taste and adjust seasonings if desired.  Cook for 4-6 hours.  About 30 min before serving cook pasta of your choice according to package directions. Using a ladle, spoon desired amount of sauce over cooked pasta (you will have LOTS of extra sauce...I usually separate it into another container and freeze it for another day when I don't want to make it.) Remove garlic and bay leaves before serving.

Dump all the ingredients in the stockpot.

Stir together....and wait.

(This is where we're heading)

But we've got a meat-a-ball to make first......

Meatballs
10 servings
Prep-time: 20 min
Cook time: 3.5 hours

• 1 lb organic lean ground beef
• 1/2 c breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c milk
• 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 and 1/4 tsp Worchestire sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl by hand. Roll meatballs to about the size of golfballs. Drop raw meatballs into sauce. Simmer for at least 3 hours.

 Ingredients.

raw meatball.

Plunk those babies in the sauce and let them cook.

The sauce gets the great meaty flavor. The meat gets all the saucy flavor.
Yuuuuuuuuuum.

Warning:

Do not sir for at least 1 hour to give the meatballs time to firm so they won't fall apart.

Now we savor.

 (I likey the parmesan)