I don’t like jarred spaghetti sauce. It’s always so sweet and boring. So here is an easy, but not quick, way to make your own.
First, buy 3 or 4 large fresh tomatoes from a farmer’s stand or farmer’s market. It’s important to support local farmers and grocery store tomatoes taste like crap. Buy and use them within a day or two since you need to keep these on the counter, not in the fridge. Also pick up one small purple onion and a head of garlic. You can use fresh herbs if you like, but I always have freshly dried on hand. (Check your local health food or vegetarian store for cheap, bulk, freshly dried herbs.) I like parsley, Italian seasoning (a blend of parsley, basil, oregano and thyme), Spike (a spice, herb, vegetable mix), and kosher salt. You might need a pinch of sugar or Splenda if your tomatoes are not sweet enough. Finally, you’ll need some olive oil. I like extra light, but you can use light, too.
First cut your tomatoes in half and remove the stem part. Use your knife to scoop the seeds into the sink or trash can. Then cut your halves again and finish scraping out the seeds. Chop into one inch pieces. Dice your onion into 1/4 inch pieces. Mince three cloves of garlic. Heat up a non-stick pot over medium heat. Don’t use stainless steel as it can impart a bitter taste to your sauce. Add three teaspoons of olive oil. Saute your onions until they are translucent. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two. Then add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for half an hour, stirring occasionally. You can carefully skim off some of the watery juice with a spoon at this point. This will cause your sauce to reduce faster. Continue cooking your sauce for approximately one hour, or until the sauce is reduced by half. Skim off any remaining watery juice. Add your herbs and salt. I like a couple pinches of the ones I mentioned above. Add sugar if needed.
This should be enough for two servings. You can increase the recipe and cooking time to make more. This freezes very well. I make double or quadruple recipe and portion it into freezer safe container (I like glass jars.) Very easy to thaw and reheat.
This sauce is great on spaghetti noodles. Also great on that refrigerated ravioli and tortellini you can buy at the grocery store. This makes a great soup base. Just add beef or chicken broth (low sodium canned), some veggies, pasta or rice and leftover cook meat or chicken, if desired, and simmer.

I found a great pair of earrings at Salvation Army last week. They are cloisonne swans and were only $0.49. Also a Mickey Mouse/Nike shirt for $1.99. Always check the boys and girls shirts. Lots of junior sized baby t’s wind up over there.

I’m going to a wedding reception on Saturday and had the hardest time finding an outfit. I started with shoes. All shoe stores have right now are the spike-toed, spike-heeled Manolo ripoffs. I cannot wear those. I went to five stores before I found a nice pair of black ankle strap dance shoes with just a slight platform heel and a round toe with nice white top-stitch detailing. And they were only $9.99. I started making my own blouse, but I underestimated my fabric yardage and I didn’t have enough to finish. So I spent a whole day looking for one, as well as a plain black skirt. I found a button down , 3/4 length sleeve top in a fushia cotton shantung for $9.99. Then, after two trips, I found a plain black knee-length skirt at Walmart for $13.96. Add pantyhose for $3.96. Also a new bra; clearance price $7.00. My outfit total price $45.39 (I’m wearing the thrifted earrings.) Wow, to me that seems like a lot of money. On the show “What Not to Wear” I see women spending hundreds on a single outfit. Give me a $5000 credit card and I will buy enough clothes to last me the rest of my life. I guess it’s all about perspective.
I’m nervous about going to this wedding. I don’t know the couple well. I don’t know the guests well. I’m worried we’ll be late for the reception and will miss dinner. I don’t want my $45 outfit going to waste!