Random and Marinara Sauce

 Hello Everyone.  It has been awhile since I posted anything.  My bible study began with children last week and so the last couple weeks have been really busy.  I have a bad cold or sinus infection and woke up coughing and miserable so I decided to post a recipe for my dear friend Mary to try that will hopefully be enjoyed by Bob.

I want to give an update on Will, myself and what's going on with us first.  Will had not had a weekend off until this past Labor Day Weekend and I was going to be working, so I encouraged him to do something for fun with Daulton that got him outside and moving.  Last year he had brought sand in to use on the house, 5 loads from near the home site, and as it sat and the weather eroded it, we began to find arrowheads in the sand.  Really pretty arrowheads of all different colors.  Last week he was exploring and found some warpaint.  He decided when he knew he would have a few days off that he would like to finally buy himself a early happy birthday to Will present.  He bought a metal detector after hours and hours of internet research.  The one ordered was not going to arrive until sometime this week so Saturday while I was working, he and Daulton drove to Sulphur to buy and entry level metal detector.  He and Daulton then spent Saturday and Sunday swimming at Pennington Creek and walking the banks learning how to use the metal detector.  There is a BIG learning curve though and so he found coins and an abundance of pull tabs from cans. 

Pennington Creek

 

 

At my house, he and I were trying to see what we could discover in the front yard.  Have you ever seen the movie entitled "Holes"?  We received a strong beep at one location and he took the trusty pickaxe and began to dig and he found a long-lost earring of mine buried about 3 inches deep near the fish pond.  I was thrilled because I have the matching earring in my jewelry box and I always pick it up and think "I wish I knew where the match was because I love these earrings".  For that reason alone, the metal detector is one of my favorite purchases Will has made.  We finally have gorgeous weather and it will feel so good to be outside seeing what we can discover.  So far the loot has been my earring, pull tabs, coins, a bread pan, a wrench and random hunks of scrap metal.  Will has been terribly stressed and has not done anything fun since January except the work on the house and I am very glad for him to do something enjoyable.  He is so outdoorsy. He gets restless if he has not been able to walk trails, fish, hunt or be outside.  A good weekend.

As for me, TMBS for Children has officially launched and we have had two successful weeks with 33 kids the first week and 31 the following week.  The children are PRECIOUS and are eager to learn about God's Word.  I have been helping mostly in level 1 which is 2 and 3 year olds.  We had lots of weepy kids the first week and that classroom is housed in a room in the nursery section and so we had a cacophony of babies crying the first week but this last Tuesday was calm and wonderful.  The children's leaders that God selected and called into this ministry are all so talented and wonderful.  I ordered some felt kits of bible stories and I felt like it was Christmas when they arrived.  This last Tuesday, I was using a picture bible in level 1 and going through the first couple chapters of Genesis and I pointed to a man in the bible and said, "does anyone know who this is?" and this adorable sweet little girl with a tiny little face said in the sweetest tiny voice "Adam". I will always remember that sweet little response and we are going to have an awesome year.

I have had to work lots at the store.  We have had lots of people needing days off and I am the backup plan.  I think this week everyone is working and so I am relieved because I love staying home even if I am sick.

Okay, now you know the high points of what has been going on with us.  Mary had tried the angel hair pasta with lemon that I had posted before and Bob thought it was okay but prefers pasta with a tomato based sauce.  I wanted to post the sauce the Irma taught me, it's a meat sauce, called bolognese (bowl ug naisy) but because we never make it according to recipe and nothing has been written, I need to make a batch so I can make notes before I can post it.  In the meantime, I use this recipe for marinara sauce which is good on pasta, as a pizza sauce or in lasagna.  Marinara sauce is the go-to sauce for Italian women because it is so easy to make, so versatile to use and freezes easily.  I hope you try it and hope you enjoy it.  Let me know!

Marinara Sauce

 Level of Difficulty - Easy
 Prep Time - 10 minutes
  Cook Time - 1.5 hours


Ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped - if the leaves are attached to the stalk you use, finely chop them and add them too.  They have a lovely flavor.

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped - baby carrot are acceptable but a whole carrot seems to have more flavor.

1/2 teaspoon sea salt - good if you are avoiding sodium, if you don't have sea salt, use kosher salt. 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes - I love Contadina Crushed Tomatoes with Added Puree but if you cannot find it, use your favorite brand of crushed tomatoes.  The absolute best are imported San Marzano Tomatoes that I whir up in the food processor but they are hard to find, especially in Oklahoma.  Whole Foods or Lavera's in McAlister has them.  The flavor of San Marzano's takes you right to Italy.

2 dried bay leaves

In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until they are a very light toasty brown, stand and watch your garlic because if you let them get darker than a very light toasty brown, they will be bitter.  Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.) The sauce should have a viscous consistency where it will stay on a spoon.  You may serve over any kind of pasta, I prefer spaghetti, linguine or penne.  If you like making lasagna without meat, this qualifies as a vegetarian sauce.

Make sure your sauce has this consistency

I hope you enjoy it.  If you have fresh basil, you can tear or slice the basil and place on the top of your pasta and sauce to add amazing flavor.  I also always grate parmesan cheese on top of my dish before I serve it and let the cheese melt into the sauce.