Day 13 & Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ahhh, I was like a superwoman for today's workout.  Lemme tell ya, I changed my normal routine of running 30 minutes after I down breakfast.  Instead, I had things going on here at the house (some plumbing work being finished up) and I just didn't make it out the door to well after 10 AM.  The combination of the cooler weather and being fully awake was like my morning dose of caffeine-- it got me moving a little faster!  Yes indeed, I could get used to this running later in the morning.

In other news, I'm slightly addicted to fishing, especially in the Fall. I feel like it's my very last chance to get out there and enjoy my relaxing hobby before the freezing cold weather ices things up, and I want to make the most of it.  Today I made exceptionally fresh & spicy tomato sauce and let it bubble away in the crock pot.  Dontcha love coming home to a home with something yummy cooking inside?  The beauty of making it in the crock pot is, Mama can take the evening out fishing and this little Mama's got supper covered! 

 

 

The maters are coming in like crazy around here!  This recipe takes 6, YES 6, big and ripe maters.  After washing them thoroughly, I quartered the maters and tossed them in the blender.  Don't worry when after you blend them up if it is a unmanly color, for as it cooks it will turn into a deep and vibrant red.  

 

  

 

Get the good ole crock pot out and pour it in there, if you please.  If you like meaty sauce, like my peeps do, then pour over a mix of some cooked ground beef/sausage that has been drained.  I cooked mine up earlier in the day along with a minced onion.  Sorry, no pics of the meat-- the battery needed a charging-- trust me-- it's in there.

Next, go raid your neighbors herb garden (just kidding) sorta.  I picked me a little this, a little that, mostly fresh oregano, basil and thyme.  Add salt and a couple of bay leaves and fresh cloves of minced garlic to the mix and you're in business.
 


I tossed my fresh herbs in with the maters to get chopped up.

At this point, if you like a little heat cayenne pepper does the trick nicely as does red pepper flakes.  I added a bit of both to mine.  Now you're gonna have to trust me and add a heaping teaspoon of sugar.  I promise it will not be enough to make the sauce very sweet, only take away some of the acidity.

 

While that simmered away, I cooked up some ziti.

 

Now here's the thing that takes your meal from yum to SUPER YUMM:

 

 

 BUTTER!

 

 

If you have fresh unseparated whipped Goat's Milk on hand, add that to the sauce for the absolute best sauce ever.  Nowadays, I just use good ole butter.

 

This time I tossed the butter in with the hot noodles, but you can add it directly into the crock pot with the sauce if you like.  It just adds that creamy bit of extra deliciousness.

 

When you are ready to sit down for supper, just spoon the hot sauce from the crock pot over the  buttered noodles and sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

And as the French say, BON APPETIT!

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef
1lb ground sausage
1 medium onion, minced (or cut in half)
6 big tomatoes
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf (or 2 small)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (as desired)
4 Tablespoons butter

Directions:

Brown ground beef & ground sausage with minced onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain then add to a large crock pot. Add all the ingredients, stir to combine, then cook on low for 3-5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir in butter if desired, then serve over cooked pasta.