Easy, Delicious Pasta Sauce - YUMMY!

 

Italian Pasta Sauce

 

 

 

I'm going to share with you my Mama's pasta sauce recipe.  It is so delicious! And the best part?  It's so easy to make!  Impress your kids, your significant other, or your picky in-laws. 

The hardest part of this recipe is the chopping. 

Once you've finished that, it's an easy downhill ride of pure scrumptiousness.  This sauce gets even better after it's been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. 

I swear, it's so good it will make your toes curl.
 
Here's what you'll need: 

• 6 ounces of real, honest to goodness, olive oil (not the extra virgin kind)
• 1 package Hillshire Farm Mild Italian Sausage (or you can use a pound of ground beef.  Sometimes in the winter I will use BOTH since my hubby is quite the carnivore.)
• 12 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 sweet onion (I like vidalia) or you can just use a regular white onion (medium sized)
• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes. (Try to find organic or imported - these have little to no citric acid in them and your sauce will taste better)
• 1 teaspoon salt (DON'T use table salt. Use kosher salt or sea salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves (if you have fresh basil, use a large handful)
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning

This is how you do it:

 

Slice the italian sausage into 1/2 to 1 inch thick slices.  Chop up onion and garlic.

 

 



 

In a medium/large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil.

 

 

 

Once the oil is heated, add the chopped onion to the pan.  Cook onions about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

 

 

 

 

 Add the chopped garlic and continue to stir for about 2 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add italian sausage and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until sausage browns.

 

 

 

 

 

 It should look like this when it's done

 

 Pour both cans of crushed tomatoes into a crockpot and add all the seasonings.

 

 

 

 

 

Pour in contents from skillet - do not drain! 

(If you choose to use ground beef, then you SHOULD drain it)

 

 

 

 

 

Here is your pot of deliciousness ~ Stir everything up and cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cook on low in crockpot 8-10 hours or high for 4 hours.

 

If you don't want to wait, you don't have to use the crockpot.  You can just put everything into a large saucepan, heat on medium high until mixture bubbles, then turn it down to medium low and let it simmer for a good 20 minutes. 

 

Serve over pasta of your choice! 

I like whole wheat thin spaghetti, cheese tortellini or ravioli.

 

YUM!!!

Imperfect Dieter

I started a cleanse/diet last week.

It started off really well and I was following the plan perfectly.  However, as is the case with every diet I commit to, there were several bumps by the time day 5 rolled around. I woke up that morning and the first thought that hit me was: 

I'M HUNGRY.

Now, I should mention that I am currently nursing a three month old chunkster.  He weighs about 16 pounds.  He eats A LOT.  On a normal non-dieting day, after feeding Charming, I could do some serious damage to any food that comes across my path.  On top of that I'm doing a cleanse, watching my caloric intake AND I'm still nursing.

I could potentially kill someone for a cheeseburger.

So, back to the morning of day 5.

I wake up and I am hungry.  I'm also in a terribly bad mood.  Charming has just finished his morning meal (yes, people - I feed him in bed with me while I'm sleeping - sue me) and proceeds to throw most of it back up on my boobs and neck.  I move him over to his co-sleeper and get up to go take a shower. 

Sassy (my two-year old) wakes up and comes plodding into the bathroom screeching, "MAMA!  I take shower with YOU!!!"  

Goddammit.

I summon up the sweetest voice I can muster and answer,  "Okay, sweetie.  Hop in here with me."

What should have only taken a short amount of time, ended up taking over forty-five soul crushing minutes. 

Sassy and Charming are clean.  I'm in a somewhat presentable condition and then I hear it.  The sides of my stomach are rubbing together and it is howling for food.  My dark mood darkens further.

I make it down the stairs to the kitchen.  I get a bowl of cereal ready for Sassy and Princess (who, thank goodness, is able to clean and dress herself for school now) and then I remember I haven't taken my thyroid pill.

Goddammit.

If any of you out there have a thyroid issue, you know that you're supposed to take your thyroid medicine THIRTY minutes before you EAT.

Screw it.

I pop the thyroid pill in my mouth and chug it down with some water.  I look at my 'meal plan' for day five and I'm thrown into a fit of despair.  It says: Drink a Meal Replacement Shake OR eat a Protein, Carbohydrate & Vegetable.

What?  No donut?  No pound of bacon?

I yank the blender out of the cupboard and I begin the process of making my damn meal replacement shake.  I'm beginning to hate that stupid blender.  I want to add a banana to my shake so I look toward the fruit bowl and see that there are no bananas left.

What?! No bananas? SHIT!!! 

My husband must have eaten the last banana.  I could rip his eyes out of his head this very moment.  Good thing he's at work...

I decide that instead of making the shake with water, I will add milk.  I used the last of the milk in the refrigerator in our kitchen for the kids' cereal, so I plod downstairs to get another jug out of the fridge in our basement.  I open the refrigerator and let out a hiss.  No milk.

Goddammit.

I stomp back upstairs and make my shake with water and no banana.  Princess announces that she's going to be late for the bus.  I tell her I will drop her off at school since I need to run to the grocery store. 

I drop Princess off at school and make my way to Safeway.  I do an internal check of my stomach to make sure I'm not too hungry.  You see, if I go into a grocery store even a little bit hungry, I will end up spending hundreds of dollars on junk food.  My stomach seems to be tamed and my mood has lightened just a bit. I feel safe enough to enter the store.

Sassy, Charming and I make it through the produce section, the dairy section and the bread aisle with no issues.  I'm starting to feel empowered.

YES!  I am kicking this diet's ASS!!  I am HOT!  I am WOMAN!

We make it to the checkout lane and this is where it all goes to hell. 

The candy is calling my name.  The peanut m&m's!  The plain m&m's!  The dark chocolate Hershey Bar!

Holy Mary Mother of God - they are buy 2 get one free. 

I start to rationalize.  I tell myself, "Hey, you've been so good for the past five days.  You DESERVE a treat!"

Damn right I do.

"Come on, they are buy two get one free!"

You said it sister. 

I look around guiltily, then I grab a bag of peanut and plain m&m's and a Caramello.  Oh, I can't wait to sink my teeth into the chocolatey goodness.

The cashier eyes me impatiently since she had finished ringing up my groceries five minutes ago.
I hand her my three choices.  I watch as she scans each delectable package.  I notice she has charged me for all three.

"Um, excuse me", I say a little sheepishly, "those were supposed to be buy TWO get one FREE".

She looks at me over the rim of her eyeglasses and scowls, "The Caramello bar ain't part of that promo".

Goddammit. 

This must be a sign from God - I shouldn't be so gluttonous.
I tell the cashier to only ring up the peanut M&M's.

I load up the groceries and the kids back into the car.  I'm sitting in the grocery store parking lot opening up my candy with such fervor that I could be mistaken for a druggie about to take a hit.

I plop a couple of m&m's into my mouth and let out a quiet groan.  Holy shit, these things are DELICIOUS!

I hunch over in my seat and shovel a few more into my mouth.  I don't want Sassy to see me eating any because I don't want to share.  With about half the bag already eaten, I start the engine and head for home.

I'm feeling really good!  Poppin' m&m's and listening to Pearl Jam while driving with two kids in my minivan.  Life is GOOD.

I'm enjoying myself so much that I don't see the jackass in the right lane trying to move over into my lane.  Suddenly, the jackass's car is swerving into my lane and I stomp on the brake.  I drop the bag of m&m's. Before I can rescue my precious chocolate, the bag is on the floorboard under my feet and my beloved sweet morsels are rolling around all over the place.

Goddammit.

I can't rescue all of them.  I'm able to grab a good portion of the m&m's but I just KNOW there are a few rogue one's underneath my seat.  I look at the candy in my hand and ponder, for just a second, whether or not I should eat them.  I mean, they have been on the floor of my car.  Lord knows what else is on that floor.  Eh, fuhgeddaboudit.  I throw them in my mouth. 

I make it the rest of the way home without incident.  I'm worried about the rogue m&m's. I try feeling around underneath the seat.  I crane my neck to get a good look under the seat. 

Nothing.

I just KNOW that Michball (my husband) will clean out the car and find one.  He will then proceed to hold it up between his fingers and look at me accusingly with squinty eyes and ask,

"Aren't you supposed to be on a diet?"

Then I will answer with an excuse such as,

"I didn't eat any m&m's! It must've been one of the kids.  You KNOW how messy they are!"

He will just shake his head and give me a look that says he knows I'm lying.

Whatever.  It was worth it. 

Did I mention that I've lost nine pounds?

Getting to Know Me

 

 

This is me around 4 years old ~ circa 1979

 

 

My 7th Grade School Picture

(things got a bit hairy in my awkward stage -check out the bad perm and

WHAT was my mother thinking putting me in that dress?!?!)

 

 

My First Best Friend

My sister from another Mr.

  

My forever friends. 
(Notice here that I'm the only one that looks like a hoochie - this was a sign of things to come!)

 

 

Highschool Sweethearts (that's my sweet Michball!)

 

My Brother

 

My Parents!

 

 

Our Wedding Day

My Princess (currently in 3rd Grade)

 

 

 

Little Miss Sassy (2 1/2 years old)

 

 

Charming (3 months old)

 

 

 

 



“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
― Mae West

 

 

 

 





 



 

 

 

 

 

 



First Words

Hello! Welcome to my little space here on the blogosphere.  My name is Rachel. If you really care to know what I "do", I guess I have to label myself as a stay at home mom. I never intended to be one but here I am! I have three children: Princess (age 9 - the one on the right), Sassy (age 2 - on the left) and Charming (4 months). There will be no more.

I am married to a very sweet and wonderful man - he just has a hard time showing these qualities - I will refer to him as Michball (pronounced meesh ball). We met in high school and dated for a couple of years. I decided I didn't want to have a boyfriend when I left for college so we broke up. I met someone in college and married him instead. I will refer to him as Penis Wrinkle. I divorced Penis Wrinkle after 7 years of marriage. The beauty that came from this imperfect union is the aforementioned Princess.  Michball and I reconnected and the rest is history.

Hopefully, some of you will identify with this little blog of mine. Others may get offended and for this I apologize. My intention with this space is to be as honest (maybe too honest?) as possible with my feelings and life events so that some of you may feel a connection and that I may feel a connection with you.

It's our imperfections that help us identify with each other and learn to accept each others' short comings.