What's on the menu this evening?

[krystl]

Thanks Karen - this is great - it's the 'blueprint' I was looking for. And I guess after I get the hang of it, I can tailor it to mine (or my guests) tastes.

I will give it a go hopefully this weekend and I will let you know!

Does it generally freeze well? Or does the family wind up eating it all ?

I always make enough to freeze and it tastes even better the second time around.

[4bronxbombers]

I always make enough to freeze and it tastes even better the second time around.

I never freeze it...idk why. Do you make a double batch then??

[krystl]

I never freeze it...idk why. Do you make a double batch then??

Sometimes. I just use 2 cans of paste (or one of the bigger cans) instead of one and 3 or 4 cans of puree. But there's usually enough leftover from a single batch to freeze a small container, then I just add that to the next batch I make.

[jlw1980]

I'm no expert, but my sauce usually comes out pretty good.

I put some olive oil in a sauce pot and add chopped onions, sauteeing them for a bit, then I add chopped garlic, but not until you are almost ready to add the tomato paste because it will burn fast.

Add a can of tomato paste and stir it around a bit, then add water a little at a time. It can be a little thin because it will thicken as you cook it, but not too watery. Sometimes I add a little red wine if I have a bottle open. I also like shredded parmesan cheese in my sauce, so I add that too, along with some seasoning (italian seasoning, salt and pepper, maybe a little garlic and onion powder) and I aways add a little sugar (maybe a teaspoon) to take the edge off the acidity of the tomatoes.

Cover and let it simmer on low, and keep stirring periodically. If it's getting a little too thick, add more water, unless you like it thick.
After it's been simmering awhile, add a can or two of either pureed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce. I switch it up...using whatever I have.
You can also add more seasoning if you need to. And I always add more parmesan cheese!

Then just let it simmer, covered for awhile. Sometimes I cook it for an hour, sometimes 3. Stir occasionally. I once had someone tell me never to stir the hardened sauce off the bottom, but I do.

If you like it with meatballs or sausages, you can add those, but I don't like to cook the meatballs in the sauce...too mushy. I make them first in the oven, then add them to the sauce. Or for sausages, I parboil them first, then cut them in half lengthwise and fry them before adding them.

That sounds really good.

[GiambiRocks]

Asparagus Quiche and a Fruit Salad with a nice glass or two of Chardonnay

[destelle]

I always make enough to freeze and it tastes even better the second time around.

Excellent !! I am all excited now... I will be able to tell people I made a 'pot of sauce' (yes ... I am a dork) !!

[krystl]

Excellent !! I am all excited now... I will be able to tell people I made a 'pot of sauce' (yes ... I am a dork) !!

Can't wait to hear how it comes out. I am sure it will be fine. You just have to adjust the seasonings to your liking. I never measure, so I don't even know how much I put in.

[Trish]

I make my sauce much different. I don't use paste at all. I like a sauce that is a little more "saucy."

I start with a couple of cloves of garlic in olive oil. I saute them just until the aroma comes up. If you brown it too much, it makes the sauce icky. I don't use onion unless I'm making a marinara sauce. Then I put in about 4 of the large cans of Tuttorosso or Redpack tomato sauce (the only brands I'll use). The I add some basil, fresh if I have it, but dried works fine too. A little pepper, and about a good sized tablespoon of sugar.

I make the meatballs while the sauce is starting to boil. I use about 1 1/4 pounds of ground round, a couple of cloves of garlic, some parsley, some romano cheese, and I take a couple of slices of white bread which I run under the faucet and then squeeze the water out. It's a little old fashioned, but it makes the meatballs more tender than bread crumbs. (An old trick from Grandma).

I brown them well on the top of the stove, then I drain them and put them into the sauce. The sauce gives them flavor, and the meatballs also flavor the sauce as well. I also will take some pork ribs and cook them in the sauce. It makes the sauce incredibly flavorful.

Let it cook for a couple of hours. Even better, make it the day before.

[montrealer]

Asprins nd water

[Hildy910]

chicken in the slow cooker with mojo marinade (I was going to make that pork recipe but the meat was bad when I opened it. Hate when that happens.)

[allybear]

Hildy - wow that is annoying! We're having london broil on the grill tonight, I have it marinating now and we'll cook it when we get back from a meeting at church this evening.

[West Texas]

Asprins nd water

I finally made up my mind: Coronas.

[LDG]

An old standby that I haven't made in forever - meatloaf.

[krystl]

I finally made up my mind: Coronas.

Surprise surprise.

[krystl]

An old standby that I haven't made in forever - meatloaf.

I haven't made that in forever either. I love meatloaf.

[West Texas]

Surprise surprise.

I know, shocker!!

[Octoberbaby]

I make my sauce much different. I don't use paste at all. I like a sauce that is a little more "saucy."

I start with a couple of cloves of garlic in olive oil. I saute them just until the aroma comes up. If you brown it too much, it makes the sauce icky. I don't use onion unless I'm making a marinara sauce. Then I put in about 4 of the large cans of Tuttorosso or Redpack tomato sauce (the only brands I'll use). The I add some basil, fresh if I have it, but dried works fine too. A little pepper, and about a good sized tablespoon of sugar.

I make the meatballs while the sauce is starting to boil. I use about 1 1/4 pounds of ground round, a couple of cloves of garlic, some parsley, some romano cheese, and I take a couple of slices of white bread which I run under the faucet and then squeeze the water out. It's a little old fashioned, but it makes the meatballs more tender than bread crumbs. (An old trick from Grandma).

I brown them well on the top of the stove, then I drain them and put them into the sauce. The sauce gives them flavor, and the meatballs also flavor the sauce as well. I also will take some pork ribs and cook them in the sauce. It makes the sauce incredibly flavorful.

Let it cook for a couple of hours. Even better, make it the day before.

I make my sauce similar to your way but I don't use sugar in my sauce at all and I use fresh tomatoes and I add the basil at the end when the sauce is done. I also don't use onions. If I use the canned tomatoes I like the Tutturoso also and Luigi Vitelli is good too. I use canned tomatoes only when I want to make a lot of it or add a lot of meat to it. In the summer I get fresh tomatoes and make big batches of marinara sauce that I freeze and use all winter long in cooking.

I make my meatballs like yours, wetting the bread down using day old bread, except I cook them in the oven. You are right the meatballs come out more tender when you wet the bread down. This is also from my mother so is the way the ancestors did it, I guess.

[Octoberbaby]

Fusilli with Broccoli, and Broiled Salmon.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

Turkey hot dogs.

[DontHateOnNumber2]

Fusilli with Broccoli, and Broiled Salmon.

That sounds so much better than what I ate. I need to learn how to cook.

[Octoberbaby]

That sounds so much better than what I ate. I need to learn how to cook.

Reading this thread should give you some pointers. A lot of recipes get posted in here.

[yankeeschic12324]

Reading this thread should give you some pointers. A lot of recipes get posted in here.

He's lazy about it..lol

[Trish]

I make my sauce similar to your way but I don't use sugar in my sauce at all and I use fresh tomatoes and I add the basil at the end when the sauce is done. I also don't use onions. If I use the canned tomatoes I like the Tutturoso also and Luigi Vitelli is good too. I use canned tomatoes only when I want to make a lot of it or add a lot of meat to it. In the summer I get fresh tomatoes and make big batches of marinara sauce that I freeze and use all winter long in cooking.

I make my meatballs like yours, wetting the bread down using day old bread, except I cook them in the oven. You are right the meatballs come out more tender when you wet the bread down. This is also from my mother so is the way the ancestors did it, I guess.

I like the fresh tomato sauce too, but I only really seem to like it in the summer. For me, it doesn't seem to make that real hearty type of sauce that I like.

I forgot about the Luigi Vitelli products. They're good too.

[allybear]

I agree on the fresh tomato sauce - I like it but it's not "sauce" to me, it's fresh tomato sauce (if that makes sense). If you like roasted red peppers, I have a recipe for a roasted red pepper pasta sauce that is fantastic. I make my sauce more or less like Karen does. I make meatballs with bread crumbs, not white bread, although I should try that. I usually lightly fry the meatballs first and then finish them in the sauce.

OH - I have a fantastic crockpot tomato sauce too - I lightly saute onions and garlic and put them in the pot with canned diced tomatoes (don't laugh - I usually use Stop & Shop, mainly because they have the no salt added ones and I prefer adding my own salt as needed), olive oil, red wine, dried basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper. Turn the pot on and 8-10 hours later, you have a great pot of sauce. I could put meat in it, but I usually don't, I put some of the sauce in a pot on the stove and then reheat it with meatballs or turkey sausage. Oh, speaking of meat, do you use regular ground beef or ground turkey for meatballs or "meatloaf mix" - I like the meatloaf mix better, but JP isn't supposed to have any of those meats, so I tried using a mix of ground turkey and ground pork once and it wasn't bad - not as good as beef/pork/veal, but decent.

Ah well, tonight is takeout night because I'm cooking for the FP today, which I should go do now.

[krystl]

I make my sauce similar to your way but I don't use sugar in my sauce at all and I use fresh tomatoes and I add the basil at the end when the sauce is done. I also don't use onions. If I use the canned tomatoes I like the Tutturoso also and Luigi Vitelli is good too. I use canned tomatoes only when I want to make a lot of it or add a lot of meat to it. In the summer I get fresh tomatoes and make big batches of marinara sauce that I freeze and use all winter long in cooking.

I make my meatballs like yours, wetting the bread down using day old bread, except I cook them in the oven. You are right the meatballs come out more tender when you wet the bread down. This is also from my mother so is the way the ancestors did it, I guess.

My grandma was Scandinavian, so she never cooked an Italian meal in her life. If she wanted spaghetti, she opened a jar or can of stewed tomatoes and that was her sauce.

Her "meatballs" were pan fried, more like hamburgers and she always used bread in them. I don't know if she wet the bread first, but it never mixed completely in, so there were pieces of white bread in the meatballs. I loved them like that as a kid.

Anyone else used to eat pieces of the raw chopped meat after it was seasoned? I used to love that when my mom or grandma made stuff with ground beef. Wouldn't dare do that now though!