What's For dinner?

All right! I decided to stop torturing you with posts about all the yummy things I make for dinner but then not providing you with the means to duplicate my culinary successes. So here begins my "What's For Dinner" category. Whenever I make something super yummy, I will post the recipe instead of just bragging about it. But I'll still brag:) If you have something delicious you would like to share, just email me at kmsouth82@gmail.com. I'll make it, and if I like it, I'll slap it on up here! All of these recipes are either Gluten-Free, or can easily be made Gluten-Free. I will provide notes on any necessary changes needed to make it GF. The first installment:

Home-Made Spaghetti Sauce

This recipe was given to me just last night by one of my clients. She made it for dinner last week and I just had to have the recipe. It is currently simmering on my stovetop as I type this, getting ready to delight my family's tastebuds this evening.

Warning! I made this and it sucked, so don't try it until I can ask my client what I did wrong, because mine didn't taste anything like her divine creation!

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (heretoafter known as EVOO)
6-8 cloves of garlic (give 'em a chop or two, but don't mince!)
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
2 56-oz cans Italian-Style whole tomatoes (puree in blender or food processor)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 small can of tomato paste
20 leaves of fresh basil (tear 'em up a bit)

Heat EVOO in pan over medium heat, add garlic and sautee for 5 min
Add onion and sautee for another 5 minutes
Add tomatoes and sautee (boil, acutally) for 10 minutes
Turn down to a simmer, add sugar and tomato paste, and let simmer for one hour
After 1 hour, add basil leaves
Let sauce simmer on low all afternoon
Serve over pasta (duh!)

Now, normally I am a sauce minimalist. But with this stuff, I just have to drench the heck out of my pasta. It makes a good-sized batch, so you may have enough to freeze for later!

The perfect companion to pasta - Garlic Bread! My Dad makes the best cheesy garlic bread:

One loaf of french bread, sliced in half.
Spread a nice thick layer of butter or margarine over both halves
Sprinkle a good layer of garlic powder
Cover with slices of provolone cheese (come on, don't be skimpy!)
Bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly an beginning to brown

Obviously, you can use whatever bread, but the soft and squishy french is the best, I think.

Enjoy!

Tomorrow: Carne Asada, Mexican Rice, and my husband's Great-Aunt-Peggy's famous chocolate-chip cookies (it's John's birthday!)