Spaghetti Mania!

Ok so if you don't know me or my husband's family that well you probably will think we're crazy after this post. If you do know us, you already know we're crazy. Every Sunday after church, the Deloneys have spaghetti. Ms. Ann (my wonderful mother in law!) makes it in big batches and freezes it so that all we have to do on Sundays is boil pasta and heat up sauce. This is a very big ritual, and its definitely my favorite Deloney tradition. We have a salad, and then spaghetti. The table is always full of everyone's favorite little toppings and sides. I mean there is everything from Wickles Pickles to garlic bread to crushed red pepper flakes. I know what you're thinking..You eat it EVERY Sunday?? Yes. Yes we do. And sometimes me and Lee eat it again during the week. We're just spaghetti people I guess. One of my crowning achievments in the kitchen was the first time I attempted replicating this spaghetti sauce..It was a success! I was so unbelievably proud of myself it was ridiculous haha!
I can show you pictures of the process (I make multiple batches at once) but unfortunately I cannot share the recipe..unless you're a Deloney of course! Its top secret!







On a different note, I do make a homemade sauce of my own that was created sometime around my freshman year of college. People always seem shocked that I make it instead of using the jar stuff but its so easy and ten million times better! It started out as a Racheal Ray baked pasta dish suace, but I tweeked it until it made perfect spaghetti sauce..totally different from Ms. Ann's, but delicious as well! Everytime I make it, it tastes a little different..I've changed it tons of times, and a lot is substitutable..just depends on your taste!

Ingredients
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 half of a medium or large onion
.75- 1 lb of ground turkey (or beef)
28 oz can crushed tomatos
14 oz of other liquid (I've used water to rinse out the can of tomatoes, I've used more crushed tomatos, tomato sauce, splash of wine, a little chicken stock, etc just whatever you have that makes it enough sauce)
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tbsp dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start with some oil in a big sauce pot, heat over medium. Once the oil is hot, add your diced onion, and cook until they're clear and a little mushy. Turn down to med-low heat, and add the diced garlic. The amount of garlic cloves depends on how big they are. Six large cloves is good, but you may have to use a lot more if they are small. Add the diced garlic to the onions and cook for about 5 more minutes.



Ok if you've read previous posts you know that I cook my ground turkey (or beef) ahead of time and freeze it, so at this point all I have to do is heat it in the skillet with the onions and garlic. If you haven't tried this tip of mine yet, DO IT! It makes cooking so much faster! If you only have raw meat, just brown it and add to the onions and garlic.

Next, add the crushed tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. The measurements on the herbs are not exact, start with one tbsp and add as little or as much as you like depending on your preference. Some people like the throw in a little sugar, or parsley. Sometimes I put a dash or two of crushed red pepper in. Let the sauce simmer for at least 20 minutes, but if you have extra time, it'll just be even better. Taste it about 15 minutes after you put the herbs and salt and pepper in, and see what you want to add..If you want it sweeter, add more basil..if you want less sweet, go for the oregano. Need a little more kick? Try pepper or crushed red pepper. Easy on the salt the first time, the canned tomatos are already going to be pretty salty.

Once you figure out how you like your seasonings, you'll be hooked! Who knew homemade spaghetti sauce was so easy?!
Happy Cooking!



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