Chicken Enchiladas

Usually on Sunday...our family either has tacos or burrito bowls. Today, I was lazy and just decided to make chicken enchiladas. Soooooooo easy, they are practically stupid easy.


They are an even better idea when you have not-so-fresh-anymore tortillas to use up like I did tonight :) I used to buy the sauce in the can, but found this easy (and when I say it's easy, it is) red enchilada sauce recipe that I have tweaked which I make every time now. I think it's cheaper than the can and you can say you made it from scratch.


Excuse the picture...it's of the leftovers instead of a pretty ready-to-serve plate. See above for the reason. Lazy.

For you recipe junkies:

Enchilada Sauce

1 tbl olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced – or a tsp of the jarred minced up kind.
1 tsp minced onion
½ tsp dried oregano
2 ½ tsp chili powder – depending on how spicy you like it. For the kids sake I use 2 tsp.
½ tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried parsley or 2 tsp fresh – or not at all as I NEVER have any of either.
¼ cup salsa
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 ½ cups water

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.
Add the garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato paste.
Mix together and then stir in the water.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20mins
You may need to add more water to your thickness liking depending on how much it reduces. It is a VERY forgiving recipe.

For the enchiladas - Sasch, this one is dedicated to you. I put amounts just for you sista!

10 flour tortillas - or so.
2 Costco cans of chicken (cuz that's how I roll) You would be surprised how well that canned chicken works in this recipe.
2 cups shredded cheese (plus about 1 ½ more for the top) – I use cheddar jack from Costco. See a pattern?
1-2 packages taco seasoning. I have the big container so I just end up shaking some in...till it looks good and tacoy.


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease 9X13 pan with Pam or whatever you use. Put enough of the sauce in the bottom of the pan to coat it. In a bowl, combine chicken, taco seasoning and cheese. Now honestly, how full you fill the enchiladas is up to you. I think I may put about ½ cup into each one and then I fold each side over and then the ends over like a square package (see poorly taken photo). I just adjust the filling amount until it is used up and the pan is filled up. Pour remaining sauce to taste over them and then top with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes until you can hear the sauce bubbling when you check on them.

If there are any holes in this recipe, it is due to the fact that I made it up and don’t use one. I typed it on the fly just now.

You only have to ask

After several requests for the recipes from my cooking adventures (sometimes mis-adventures) I have included my versions of each in their respective post. I will do that from now on. I'm new, so I didn't think anyone would want them. Lesson learned.

Side note - if you would like to see a particular recipe on the blog, just let me know. It would be a fun challenge to try new things. Even I get into cooking ruts and need help out of them.

If you try any of the recipes, please tell me how they worked for you and/or how you changed them to suit your family!

Ok, bye.

Raise your hand if you hate to bake!

My father, even though I never really knew him....was a baker by trade. My brother, Chris, and his daughters (and even a son-in-law) are bakers (by hobby). I don't know what happened with me, but I loathe baking. From what I have gathered, you are either a cook...or a baker. I am a cook. I will bake if forced or if the mood grabs me but baking is a stressful experience. You mix ingredients together and put them in the oven and just hope for the best. With cooking, you can add...taste...adjust and potentially save a dish from being wrecked along the way.

You all know how I hate it when dinner is wrecked. See previous blog on ziti.

Tonight, I felt like making cinnamon rolls. Not for me, silly. How do you think I fit into jeans? Not by eating cinnamon rolls, that's for sure. But Chris likes them and the kids will eat them all up so I don't have to stare at them for too long.

The reason I am blogging about these particular cinnamon rolls is that they are the best batch to date. Beats me how that happened - so don't even ask. It won't happen again I'm sure of that. So here you go.... and yes, they are just as good as they look. It's the recipe, not me.


Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• Frosting
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start. If you don't have a bread machine..(I have one because, again, I hate to bake) you can make dough the way you would if you know what you are doing and let it rise until it is double in size. You know who you are if you understand that :)
2. After the dough cycle is finished. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes
4. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

"...grind the pepper yourself, it's the same thing"

As I have stated previously, I can't stand bad service or bad food..especially if I am paying for the meal! Ooooh, hate it! Not everyone is cut out to be a server, but if you are one..please do the job the best that you can. I guess that can be said for all professions.

I had mentioned in an earlier blog that I would mention what I affectionately refer to as "the pepper grinder incident". Well, today's your lucky day. That, and we ate at the same restaurant last night to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It was yummy.

Since I live in Marysville, Wa...the fine dining choices are quite limited within a 40 mile radius. Granted, there are several good restaurants in town which are good but if you are craving the fine dining experience or a fresh piece of halibut...you are on a road trip to either Seattle or Bellevue (40+miles one way). One exception to this is Anthony's Home Port in Everett. Chris and I will go there for a special evening or if we are just craving fresh seafood. I grew up with Anthony's and Arnies in Edmonds being so close and frankly, took them for granted. Not anymore.

What I like about Anthony's is that it's close to us and both the food and service are consistent. Well, up until our visit that fateful evening a little over a year and a half ago....

To preface, I just would like to say that I completely understand that everyone has a bad day. You can't be cheerful all the time, even if you are in customer service. I can tell the difference between an off night, a new server and then what we had...

The dinner started out with just small things..the server took longer than she should have to greet us and take our drink order, no cocktail napkin for under my drink (I am a freak about condensation on my drink glass). While we were waiting for our appetizer to come (steamed clams) she was arguing with the couple behind me about a question they had regarding a mystery vegetable on their plate. Then it moved into things like, we didn't get small forks for the clams and there was no bowl to put the shells in. I got a "put out" attitude when I nicely asked for a bowl. She responded - "for what?" Uh, the clam shells - hello? (I said that last part in my head). And then the moment happened. You know, that moment when things go from tolerable to not so much. Our salads arrive and now picture this: she puts them down and just starts walking off - doesn't say a word. I am staring down at my salad and then I look up at Chris to notice him staring at my salad and then at me. He looks up and calls out to the server "excuse me?" she comes 1/2 way back to the table. 1/2 way! Not back to the table. That is part of what makes this moment so memorable (the manager seemed to be equally speechless as I retold him later...but I don't want to get ahead of myself here) Chris said, and keep in mind, we both are still being friendly with her at this point... "could my wife get some fresh ground pepper for her salad?". I am one of those who likes a little food with my pepper.... So the server, whose name was Kacy H. (as printed on our receipt) says half turning to walk away.."there is a pepper grinder on your table, you can grind it yourself...it's the same thing".

Insert looooooong dramatic pause here.

We both just look at each other. I'm sorry, did I really just hear what I think I heard? Ok, at this point..I am mad, but not pissed. Not yet.

Just then, I turn around to notice the table diagonal from me grinding the pepper for each other on their salads. What just happened? I am so confused. So now with our server out of sight, there wasn't much else to do but grind the pepper myself on the salad from the one on the table. We ate our salads in silence. We did that because of the arguing from the table next to us and up a couple of steps (if you have eaten there, you know what I am talking about) was having with each other over fresh ground pepper. It was a "good old boy" taking a couple out for dinner and you could tell that he was treating them. At one point, he said to the same server as she was, again, walking away from his table..well, more like raised his voice to say to the server along the lines of "I want some fresh ground pepper on my salad before I am done eating it!" That fresh ground pepper never did come for him either. There were other misc. discussions/arguments taking place at the other three tables with and without the server that we could hear bits and pieces of.

Our entrees come. Our server was not the one to bring them. I had ordered lobster, and on the plate sat a baked potato. "Um, excuse me...did I get a choice of starch with this entree?" was my question. I asked because I didn't remember getting a choice and I NEVER order a baked potato as a side. They are too filling for me. The way that this particular gal fell all over herself to right the wrong of the starch was a stark contrast to the "I don't care what you need" attitude of our server. And it reminded me in a flash of the kind of service I should expect at Anthony's and I was instantly over it. All of it.
I think I did ask for a different side dish, and she was very kind..but the damage was soooo done. Our server was crazy enough to come and ask us how dinner was. My response was to put my fork down and deliberately turn to look out the window. I think Chris said something quickly to her to make her go away before I flipped out. He read my mind and all he could say was " please, for me wait until we are home before you talk to the manager" because, oh yes...the manager was going to chit chat with me about this one and Chris didn't want a scene.

I couldn't get home fast enough. I dialed the number and asked for the manager. I could tell that he picked the line up from the hostess desk because of how noisy it was in the background. I began with letting him know that I had a few concerns with the service we had received that evening at dinner. When he went into his manager mode, I began with...ahem, and I quote "well, I guess it all started going down hill when our server told us to use the pepper grinder on our table and grind it ourselves, it's the same thing." I heard nothing but the murmur of the busy restaurant coming out of the phone for about 10 seconds. His next words were "would you mind if I put you on hold? I would like to go into my office so I can take notes".

We like Scott the manager.

Long story concluded: Scott did what I would expect a manager should. He took notes and there were several more gasps and pauses on his end as I had narrowed down the evening to the few moments that prompted my phone call. He was kind enough to invite us back for the same meal again...on Anthony's. Which was delicious and every bit of the special evening that the time before should have been. I had him come to the table so I could personally thank him for his attention. We still go back to Anthony's and it is because of how Scott the manager dealt with the situation.

I don't want much, just fresh ground pepper on my salad.

Soup is good food

Still reeling from "the great ziti debacle of 2009", I decided to just pull back and keep it simple. Julia Child calls this soup "simplicity itself" and she could not be more spot on.

Potage Parmentier (the name of the soup, duh!) translated is Leek or Onion and Potato Soup. I read Julie Powell's blog, bought both her book and Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, saw the movie and decided I wanted to make this soup and see what all the fuss was about. I am a believer. I have never cooked something with so few ingredients which yielded such incredible flavor. The Cliff Notes version goes like this - take chopped leeks, russet potatoes and salt..simmer them in water (not broth, just plain old water) until they are mushy and puree them. Add a bit of cream - ha, HA! Sorry, I was having a ziti flashback..... DONE.

Wait, that's it? Seriously? While I am chopping (and watching Pride and Prejudice, love that movie) all I can think of is, "should I add more....something?" "where, exactly is the flavor going to come from?" A quick side note to this is that when I first started really getting into cooking, there were very few shows on TV. Forget an entire channel dedicated to the art. So I learned from watching shows like:

The Galloping Gourmet

Julia Child

...and my personal favorite - Great Chefs. Man, I miss that show.

The main thing that fascinated me was how master chefs could build layers upon layers of flavor in a sauce. That has stuck with me and I try to do it as much as I can. The more complex the recipe, the more I enjoy cooking it. So when I was making this soup...I so badly wanted to saute the leeks first in butter and then deglaze the pot with chicken stock etc...etc. But I restrained myself and just followed the recipe. When the soup was done, I could NOT believe the amount of flavor that it had! Julia was not kidding when she said it was simplicity itself. I stand corrected. A dish doesn't have to be difficult to taste complex. I loved it, and I will keep this one as a "go to" comfort soup dish for whenever. A light soup with nice depth of flavor which is good as a starter to a meal or just to make you feel loved. Thank you Julia.

Potage Parmentier - Courtesy of Julia Child

3-4 Cups or 1lb peeled potatoes, sliced or diced. I used Russet baking potatoes. I like their consistancy.
3 Cups or 1lb thinkly sliced leeks including the light green parts.
2 quarts of water
1 Tablespoon salt (I used kosher salt)
4 Tablespoons whipping cream
2-3 Tablespoons minced chives. Used as a garnish and to bring out more of the leek flavor

1. Simmer the vegetables and salt in the water partially covered for 40-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
2. Put the soup either through a food mill (don't own one) or in a blender and pulse for just long enough to slightly puree the soup. The soup should still have some texture in it.
3. Correct seasoning if needed...I didn't need to.
4. Off heat and just before serving, stir in the cream by spoonfuls.
5. Top with chives and enjoy.

Taco Sunday

When I was a teenager, I would go to Taco Bell for "Taco Sunday" which entailed getting disgusting beef tacos practically for free or something. So anyway....a while ago I was looking for something fairly easy for Sunday dinner. Having PD (perfection disorder...duh!) like I do, I use Sunday nights to get things ready for A. Work on Monday and B. School, lunches etc.

Taco Sunday was reborn! Only, homemade and not from Taco Bell - ewwww. No offense to those of you who like Taco Bell....here's my disclaimer "the thoughts and opinions of this blog are meant to be those of the author only and may or may not reflect the actual opinions of the readers"

Lately, taco Sunday has morphed into "Burrito Bowl Sunday" as well.

I love the burrito bowls that you get from Chipotle, or Qdoba. If you have never had them, they are tasty. I even do my rendition of cilantro-lime rice to have with them.

No tantrums, no drama. Just food. Sorry to bore you.

Quick side note...I was at Costco today doing my weekly thing. I just loooooorve that store - swoon... when I spotted the sample lady sampling Yoplait Parfait Bites. I am not someone who goes to Costco for the sample smorgusboard that seems to be everywhere. I only sample the things I am interested in buying. I tried these and they are quite tasty. It took me back to buying good humor bars from Joe, the ice cream man. Not the ice cream van thingies that drive around now...can you say creepy? They come in bags of about 5 bites and are 150 calories a bag. Low sodium and sugar. It's yoplait covered in granola with strawberry jam inside. It was my dessert tonight and quite yummy for 150 calories. That's my product placement for today, Yoplait can send me my royalties later.....are you listening, Yoplait?

Ok, bye.

Burrito Bowls - No recipe...just memory

Basmati rice
Meat of choice. I use ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning.
Corn
Black beans
Chopped cilantro
Fresh Lime juice
Chopped tomatoes or pico de gallo
Chopped green onions
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Salsa
Avacado
Cilantro
Lime
Salt to taste

1. Make meat with mexican/taco seasoning.
2. Make rice and with the water add chopped cilantro to taste and the juice of 1 lime.
3. Prepare all the other ingredients.
4. When rice and meat are done, spoon rice in bottom of bowl and top with other ingredients..or, whatever you would put on a taco. The key is to taste the rice and adjust the lime juice and salt to your taste.

That's really all.
Yum

Dinner and a tantrum

Ah yes...entertaining. What to make for dinner that everyone will like but won't be so complicated that I can't enjoy their company because I am cooking the whole time? Baked Ziti -that's the answer! Such a good recipe and easy enough to prepare..bravo.

Before I go any further, let me just say that I am one of "those" people who gets their night absolutely ruined by a bad meal or poor service while dining out (remind me to tell you about the pepper grinding incident at Anthony's Home Port). At home, a bad meal will just push me right over the edge - guests or no guests. I have even been known to toss a meal out rather than attach my name to such a failure. Maybe someday when I am at a loss for blog ideas I will reminisce with you about such evenings and the dishes that only perpetuate my perfection disorder.

Back to last night.

Ok, picture this.... I am happily chatting with everyone about whatever, cleaning the dishes that I dirtied making the ziti. Putting away extra items in the refrigerator (mind you, the ziti is now assembled and in the oven baking) when to my horror I notice the unopened carton of whipping cream in the refrigerator. GASP! The cream! I missed a step in the preparation for the ziti!^#^$&#*!! It's one of those steps that you can't go back and do once you have missed it. I felt just like I had typed a personal email and then hit "reply all". One of those things you can't undo. ...Uh, not that I have ever done that. Ahem, anyway.... so I am gasping, frantically looking from the open refrigerator to the oven and then back again. The closest people to me are all "what's wrong?" Well, by now I am stamping my feet in frustration like a 3 year old muttering how I forgot a step etc..etc. "Oh, I am sure it will be just fine" were the responses. They were right to a degree...it would be fine. That was the problem, it would be just fine - not really yummy as it should be.

For those of you with perfection disorder, you will understand. For those of you without such a disorder...indulge me and it will be over soon. The step I forgot goes like this: you take whipping cream and corn starch and cook it until it starts to thicken. You add that to the pasta mixture and then you top it with sauce. Even though the ziti is still good without it, the cream smooths out the acidity of the marinara sauce and the corn starch helps to set the ziti so you don't have a runny mess on your plate. So instead of this refined tasting pasta dish, it was essentially baked pasta in marinara with cheese and a tomato bite. I could taste the difference.

If you are one of the lucky ones who have seen first hand my tantrums over dinner preparation issues (can you say Thanksgiving?) you would be surprised. I had my little fit, and just moved on. Well, the fit lasted until we actually sat down at the table but whatever...the point is that I moved on. On the surface that is. Everyone said the dinner was good, and it did taste good. But I guess I knew how it was supposed to taste, hence the frustration. The bigger picture is that we enjoyed good laughs with family and everyone was too full for dessert. A success for most. For me, I am haunted by that stupid carton of whipping cream just sitting there smugly in the refrigerator.

Baked Ziti (The right way)

1 lb cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups grated parm cheese
1 lb ziti or short tubular pasta
2 tbl olive oil
5 garlic cloves minced or pressed thru a garlic press
1 28oz can tomato sauce
1 15oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
½ cup plus 2 tbl fresh chopped basil (or 2 tsp dried ..or to taste)
1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp corn starch
1 cup heavy cream – Don’t forget this
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring water to boil for pasta ..boil pasta until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes. You want the pasta just getting soft and still crunchyish in the middle. Drain. Don’t wash the pasta pot.

2. Heat oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 mins. Off heat, stir in basil and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl, transfer mixture to empty pasta pot set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup of the tomato mixture and ¾ cup mozzarella. Mix together. Add pasta and combine.

4. Pour into a 13X9 baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce mixture evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over top.

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook about 30 minutes longer until cheese is bubbly. Cool for 20 minutes so it can set.

Eat!

Whole Wheat Pasta

Yes, we had spaghetti tonight. No, I didn't make the sauce from scratch. Why? Because the kids would rather have Prego (no offense to the Prego people). Seriously? The cold hard truth is ..yes. I have tried in vain to make my sauce from scratch but each and every time I get "we like the other sauce". To make myself feel better, I add fresh garlic and this spicy Italian seasoning that I buy online to doctor it up a bit. Then I simmer it for at least 30 minutes to cook out the jar taste.

Whatever.

Now, I'm pretty picky about my pasta. I have tried several whole wheat varieties but the texture is either grainy or it leaves a strange taste in your mouth. Not this pasta! It takes a couple of minutes longer to cook but the texture is just like white pasta. Plus, for those of you who are trying to incorporate as much organic food in your diet as you can...it's organic!
Thank you Costco.

Gnocci, it's what's for dinner.

While chatting with a co-worker today the subject of gnocci came up. I was in the mood to cook something new and "adult friendly" but I have not really been a gnocci fan up until now. This recipe, however was not based in potatoes but in ricotta cheese -hummmm. This may just be ok.

I didn't realize how easy (but time consuming) gnocci was to make, mostly because all I have ever had was the store bought variety. All you do is let the ricotta drain in a collander with paper towels in the fridge for about an hour. Mix the drained ricotta with an egg, homemade bread crumbs and fresh herbs. Now roll the mixture into a series of little snakes (just like in elementary school when we got to work with clay). Simmer them for about 2-3 minutes in batches and put them into your sauce (I used my favorite go-to basic marinara which is an adaptation of a Ted Allen recipe) and voila! As my co-worker puts it "they are like little pillows of cheese". And they are. The consistancy is like biting into a really soft dumpling. The gnocci is unlike pasta, it gives you a nice resistance to the bite.

My husband liked it even though he could probably eat pasta every night of the week and not be sick of it. I, however, can not eat pasta every night. I mean geez, I can't even eat it once with out feeling like I have to immediately go run 2 miles just to work it off. So it was a real treat for me because this was one of the rare occasions where I actually ate the dinner I was serving him instead of fish and salad for me....yummy dinner for everyone else.

I couldn't make the pictures go where I wanted them to, so you just get the finished product.

They were tasty.

Ok, bye.

Recipe

Gnocchi
1 container whole milk ricotta (15- or 16-ounce)
2 large slices white sandwich bread , crusts removed and bread torn into quarters
1 large egg
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons flour , plus additional for work surface
1 ounce Parmesan cheese , grated (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions
1. Line fine-mesh strainer set over deep container or bowl with 3 paper coffee filters or triple layer of paper towels. Place ricotta in lined strainer, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, process bread in food processor until finely ground, about 10 seconds. Spread crumbs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and just beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes, stirring once during baking time. Let cool to room temperature. (You should have about 1/2 cup crumbs.)

3. Transfer drained ricotta to food processor and pulse until curds break down into fine, grainy consistency, about eight 1-second pulses. Using rubber spatula, combine ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl. Add flour, Parmesan, and bread crumbs; stir until well combined. Refrigerate dough for 15 minutes. Check texture of dough (see photos below) and add more flour if needed.

4. Lightly dust work surface with flour. With floured hands, roll lemon-sized piece of dough into 3/4-inch-thick rope, rolling from center of dough outward. Cut rope into 3/4-inch-long pieces and transfer to parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, dusting work surface with flour as needed.

5. TO COOK GNOCCHI: Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Reduce heat so water is simmering, then gently drop half of gnocchi into water and cook until all pieces float to surface. Continue to simmer until gnocchi are cooked through, about 2 minutes longer, adjusting heat to maintain gentle simmer. Using slotted spoon, scoop gnocchi from water, allowing excess water to drain from spoon; transfer gnocchi to skillet with sauce and cover to keep warm. Repeat cooking process with remaining gnocchi. Using rubber spatula, gently toss gnocchi with sauce until uniformly coated. Divide among warmed bowls or serving platter and serve immediately.

Basic Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium garlic cloves, chopped or sliced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste later

1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (you can grind it yourself, it's the same thing)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, basil and salt and cook, covered until the onion is soft and breaking down - 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes (crush them in your hands or break them up with the side of a spoon in the pot) along with the juices and the sugar. Turn the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is thickened 15-20 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the pepper. Correct seasoning.

Variation (and what I usually do) add 1/2 cup heavy cream about halfway through cooking for a tomato cream sauce. .....another use for that smug whipping cream!

What have I gotten myself into?

Seriously? A blog? Me? I guess the answer to that is yes.....everyone who knows me knows more than these few things, but they do know that:
1. I love to cook, talk about cooking, watching cooking shows, research recipes for hours on end and basically anything to do with cooking.
2. I am OCD.
3. I am not the best writer.

So there - all good reasons to start my own blog.

I have been following blogs for the last few years and honestly, I have just run out of people who will listen to my cooking ramblings so now I have turned to the masses of the Internet to be my latest sounding board. You're welcome.

Once I figure out how this blog works there will be more! I hope somebody out there gives a crap.