The Secret Is In The Sauce....

This weekend, I taught Sarah all of our family secrets....starting with our famous marinara!!




Marvelous Marinara

Olive Oil
Large Onion
4 Cloves of Garlic(Fresh)
2 TBSP of Tomato Paste
2 28oz cans of Crushed Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper
Red Crushed Pepper(optional)
Pinch of Sugar


Heat Olive Oil in a pan, add chopped onion and cook until translusent,
Add minced garlic, but be careful...do not burn it....it will become bitter.
Add a pinch of salt, some ground pepper, a dash of red pepper flakes(optional)
About 1-2 minutes after the garlic hits the pan, add 2 TBSP of tomato paste and mix.
Now add the crushed tomoatoes
Add a little more salt and pepper, plus a pinch of sugar
Rip apart a bunch of fresh basil leaves and stir everything.
Bring everything up to a bubble, them simmer on low heat about 30-45 minutes.

Serve with over your favorite pasta and sprinkle with cheese and a little extra basil!

IMPORTANT TIPS:

Always use fresh garlic and fresh basil. The jarred garlic and dried basil do not give it the same flavor!

I use this as the base sauce to all of our pasta dishes. You can add vegetables, ground meat, sausage, or make your own meatballs.....I guess that is a good idea for the next recipe that I share with you all...homemade meatballs!

And lastly, I have to eat it with Pecorino Romano Cheese sprinkled on top...you can find it fresh in your deli...it is a little more expensive, but so worth it....fresh is always better!


We were having so much fun in the kitchen....we decided to make dessert too! If we were having an Italian meal, we need an Italian dessert....





Ricotta Cookies

1/4 lb butter
1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup of Sugar
1 Egg
2 Cups of Sifted Flour
1/2 tsp of Salt
1/2 tsp of Baking Powder

Mix Butter and Ricotta, Add Vanilla
Gradually add Sugar
Mix in Egg
Sift Flour, Salt, and Baking Powder and gradually add to the mixture.
Makes 36 Cookies
Bake in a 350 Degree Oven for 10 minutes

You can add holiday sprinkles, or your favorite icing! We chose to make a lemon glaze and used food coloring to make it orange for Halloween!

Lemon Glaze:
1/3 cup of butter
2 cups of confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract
a little lemon zest
1 TBSP of Lemon Juice
2 TBSP of Hot Water

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the sugar and the rest of the ingredients, if it is too thick add a little more water. Keep stirring and drizzle over the cookies when they come out of the oven.


After a day with Sarah in the kitchen.....this was my idea of dinner!!

Okay, only kidding, I needed a big plate of that pasta with lots of cheese, but I did enjoy a big glass of wine with it!

So there you have it....two recipes for the price of one!! Hope you enjoy!

A special thanks to Jodee for my new apron!! We certainly put it to good use this weekend.....it was a perfect gift for someone who loves to cook...thank you for thinking of me!