Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I don't think that most spaghetti sauces include gluten, but hey... some of us are just picky enough to make our own. Orrrr... we forget it at the store and decide to make something up on the fly. Take your pick.

My favorite spaghetti sauces are the ones that include a bunch of chunky vegetables. Unfortunately, my children do not share in that preference. In fact, if I give them spaghetti sauce with bits of onion and pepper in it in particular, they will either refuse to eat it, or they will pick all of the veggies out before consuming. I'm not sure where these children came from, because they don't take after me OR my husband in this respect. I'm hoping they will grow out of it.

But in the meantime, I was left with this predicament as I pondered my homemade spaghetti sauce. Do I leave the veggies out and lose my desired flavor, or do I leave them in and have a battle at the dinner table over uneaten food? Solution: include the veggies, then pour the whole thing into the blender or food processor before adding to the girls' pasta. I know you are probably all thinking "Duh!", but I was pretty proud of that idea. Worked like a charm, too! Not a peep of complaint over unwanted veggies in the sauce. And it was still pretty darn good, too. (I left a bit of the chunky stuff out for myself, and I thought the kids' version might have actually been better.)

Anyways... on to the recipe...

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Ingredients:

* 1 tbs. olive oil

* 3 large cloves garlic

* veggies as desired (I used 1/2 a large green pepper and 1 small onion, both diced. Other ideas could include chopped mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, or whatever you like)

* 1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce

* 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes

* 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste

* 1-2 tbs. of fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried basil

* 2 tsp. Italian seasoning

* 1-2 tsp. salt

* 2 tbs. wine or vinegar (whatever kind you prefer -- I used white vinegar because other vinegars and wines have been bothering me lately for some unknown reason)*

* 1/4 c. apple or white grape juice

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute garlic and veggies until tender. Add tomato products, seasonings, and liquids. Stir well. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer about 30 minutes for best flavor. Puree in a blender or food processor if desired.

* I probably would normally have added wine but for the reason above. Also, my husband is a huge fan of vinegar, so he enjoys the extra little tangy zip. This is a slightly more tangy spaghetti sauce rather than much of a mellow or sweet sauce, but we certainly enjoy it!

Fresh Salsa

Okay, so I was a little "take it or leave it" with that last recipe, but THIS one, I can promise you, will not disappoint. This is from my sister Katie who married a man from Texas under the condition that she would learn how to cook good Mexican food, and she definitely delivered on that promise. I'm not positive where she got the recipe or whether she made it up, but wherever it came from originally, it is daaaang good. When we have a family gathering in the warmer months, this salsa almost always makes an appearance, and it usually DISappears within about 10 minutes of being out on the snack table. Katie usually has to make one batch for snacking before the meal and another batch for the meal itself, because the first batch won't last till then. I made it myself for the first time last week, and until then I had not realized how easy it was! I will definitely be skipping the store-bought stuff from now on when I want a chip dip. Normally, the store-bought stuff gets used once and then goes bad in the fridge, but I finished this off by myself within a few days. And uhh... I guess I ate it up so fast I forgot to take a picture. Whoops. I'll get back to you on that.

FRESH SALSA

Ingredients:

1 large can whole tomatoes (29 oz.)

1/2 sweet onion

5-8 garlic cloves

1/2 to 1 jalapeño, seeded and ribs removed

1/2 to 1 (depending on size) bunch cilantro

1 tsp. salt or to taste

Directions:

Rough chop all ingredients and then purée in a blender or food processor until fairly smooth. (You will probably want to go ahead and mince the jalapeño fairly fine, especially if you are using a food processor, just to make sure you don't leave any large chunks.)

That's it!!!

Just a couple of additional tips on handling jalapeños if you have not done it before: do handle them with care. They are kind of deceptive little dudes that make you think you are just chopping a small green pepper until 20 minutes after you're done chopping them and your fingers are on fire. Gloves are really recommended when chopping jalapeños, but if you don't have any, make sure you wash your hands immediately and thoroughly after handling them, and while you still have the juice on your hands, be VERY careful not to do anything like rubbing your eyes or touching someone else. And just in case you are very unfamiliar with jalapeños, the seeds and the little whitish ribs on the inside are the hottest parts, so be sure to remove them if you don't want a whole lot of heat.

And there you have it!