September 15th dinner

Tonight for dinner I made Spaghetti with meat sauce, Garlic kissed bread and salad!

This is something that I make very well it is thick and hearty like sauce cooked all day and I use short cuts to make this whole meal in 30min.

Here is how I do it:

I start with ground turkey 85/15 blend cause you need some fat to cook the meat(this can also be done with ground beef), in a sauce pan I heat 2 garlic gloves crushed and minced super fine, then I add the meat, I cook the turkey till it is cooked thru, then season with salt, pepper to taste and use and Italian seasoning mix.
Next I take 1 jar store bought sauce (use your favorite) if this was a weekend meal I would use homemade. Add 1/4 the jar of sauce to the meat mix let that simmer for 6-8 mins, stirring occasionally (***your heat should be on between high and medium high, you need the heat to reduce the sauce quickly***), then I add about 1/2 the remaining jar of sauce and I simmer that for another 6-8mins after that time I add 2 tablespoons of ketchup and simmer for another 6-8mins.
 While my sauce is cooking I make my pasta, I like a blend of angel hair and thin spaghetti, I take a large pan full of water, bring it to a rapid boil, once the water boils I add a healthy amount of salt to season the pasta, then i add the pasta as little or as much as you like, I let it come to a boil again then I turn off the heat, I let the pasta sit COVERED for 7 mins or until done to your liking, stir occasionally.
Next I make my garlic bread while my sauce is cooking down and my pasta is steeping away,I take 1 french bread loaf buttered or olive oiled,stick under the broiler till the desired brownness then I take a glove or 2 of garlic and rub my warm bread with it!
So now that I have everything going at once I go back to the sauce I stir the sauce as needed till my desired thickness, by taking the time to do the extra steps for the sauce like adding the ketcup you get the "Sunday sauce"look,feel,and taste on a week day. Right at the end I add a spoonful of pasta cooking water to make the sauce stick to the pasta.
I strain my pasta and take a tablespoon of butter put it on the end of a fork and brush thru the pasta(this helps the pasta not stick to itself when it cools)
I then plate the whole thing up, top it with yummy Parmesan cheese and throw together a salad and there you have a weekday Sunday sauce! 

September 7th Dinner

Today was rain, cool, and just down right ugly, but days like today make me want to go home and cook all day.It make me want food that is heavy and fills you up and warms you up while eating it.

Dinner tonight was my sons 2nd favorite meal with a twist
Chicken fried turkey
Smashed potatoes loaded with sour cream and butter
Creamy smooth rich gravy
slow cooked beans

The twist was in the gravy, I made a gravy that taste just like the broth in beef strognoff but it was made for the chicken fried turkey;it was rich, creamy, silky and SOOOO tasty.

This meal filled us up and made us all thankful to be home with each other away from the rain!

The Smell of Fall

The start of fall is such a wonderful time for me and my family, it means time for fall decoration,pumpkin patches, apple orchards, hot cider and cozy couch time, it also means the start of some of my favorite foods.

Fall means soups, stews, chili's and mashed potatoes. All those meals that take hours to cook, make your house smell like the picture is a cook book and makes your soul feel full.

So lets put on our sweatshirts and pull up a soup and lets get started with Fall foods.

Happy Fall to you all :)