Best Family Spaghetti Sauce Ever!

I can't believe I'm actually sharing this little secret recipe with you...But I love food and I love you too much to withhold. Be adventurous and experiment with spices and flavors. This is just a base (and not exact measures)....so feel as adventurous as you want! I've made some suggestions on what you could add or substitute to make this recipe your own! The best spaghetti sauce is always a labor of taste and adjust, taste and adjust.

2-3 sweet onions chopped
2-3 lbs ground beef (we always add pork sausage as well)
4-5 cloves of garlic minced
60oz of canned Crushed tomato and diced tomato combined
60oz of canned tomato sauce
12oz can of tomato paste
add water for consistency
handful of brown sugar
a couple teaspoons of sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1-2 bay leaves
chopped fresh herbs - basil, Italian parsley, oregano, rosemary, or whatever else you love.

1. Brown meat in fry pan.
2. Start cooking onions and garlic in large pot with olive oil.
3. Add browned meat, all tomato cans, water, and spices.
4. Simmer for 1-2 hours (my grandpa used to let it sit on the stove all day....the longer the flavors marinate together, the better the sauce becomes!)

Enjoy!

Chili....Perfect for Fall...

Chili Con Carne

4 lbs. Ground Beef (you want a higher fat percentage for good taste)
5 onions chopped (about 4 cups)
4 cans (1lb 12 oz each) of chopped tomatoes
5 cans (15 oz) kidney beans, reserve liquid
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 sm can tomato paste w/ 1 can of water
2 Tbs Sugar
4 1/2 Tbs Chili Powder (use more if you want it spicier)
1 Tbs and 2 tsp Salt

1. Cook and stir ground beef and onion in Dutch oven or large pan until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in tomatoes, bean liquid, tomato sauce, paste, water, and seasonings. Heat to boiling.
3. Reduce heat nad simmer uncovered or 1 hour and 15 minutes.
4. Stir in beans and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 more minutes.

Asian Turkey Wraps

Made these delicious little wraps for dinner on Monday. It was simple, super tasty, and I think kids would love it too! Who doesn't love eating with your hands?

Asian Turkey Wraps

1) Dice up whatever Asian-style veggies you desire in the mix. I used carrots (1/2 cup), shallots (1 small), half a spicy pepper, and bamboo shoots (half a can). Water chestnuts would be good, so would snap peas, shiitake mushrooms, or anything crispy. Make the diced pieces really small.

2) Cook the diced carrots in about 1/2 cup water for about 4 minutes, or until the water is all dissolved into the carrots.

3) Add the rest of the veggies, and 1 package (20 oz) of ground turkey meat, 2 tbl of chopped fresh ginger, and 1 or 2 chopped garlic cloves.

4) Add the tasty sauce.... 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce, 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 3 Tbl smooth peanut butter, 1 Tbl sesame oil, 1 Tbl rice vinegar.

5) Cook mixture until the meat is fully cooked (about 5-10 minutes) on medium-high heat.

6) Scope into pieces of iceberg lettuce leaves and top with chopped cilantro.

ENJOY!

Roasted Tomato Soup

1) Toss together the following

• 5 lb Tomatoes, stemmed and quartered
• 6-8 cloves of Garlic
• About 1/4 cup of Olive Oil
• Salt and freshly ground Pepper
• I usually add a couple basil leaves to the mixture

2) Roast the tomato mixture in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. The tomatoes should be very soft and a lot of liquid should have seeped out of the tomatoes.

3) Saute the following in a large pot on the stove

• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 cups Sweet Onions (I used Walla Walla's

4) After the Onions are soft, add the following ingredients

• 2 tbs Sugar
• Kosher salt (to your taste...I use about a teaspoon)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (triple it if you want it spicy)
• Roasted Tomato mixture

5) Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.

6) Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.

7) After blended, add 1/2 -3/4 cup heavy cream.

8) Garnish with fresh basil leaves.