Homemade Tomato Sauce

The time has finally arrived to put up Tomatoes. They seemed to be much later this year but it has been a good crop despite the slow start. Besides making salsa, pico de gallo, buschetta,  BLT's, etc. with our tomatoes we also like to make Homemade Tomato Sauce. This is our second batch of sauce which we made last Saturday afternoon after returning from vacation. Needless to say, we had a lot of ripe tomatoes in our garden that needed to be picked. 

Besides drying pears the hubs also likes to make tomato sauce so he went right out and started picking. He filled my two gallon pickle buckets to the top with all the ripe tomatoes and then set up the kitchen to begin preparing the sauce. The first step is to gently drop a handful of tomatoes in boiling water. Once the skin splits they are removed and placed in an ice bath.

Unfortunately I was not in the kitchen when he started so there is not a picture however I did arrive in time to help with the last half of the boiling and ice bath. 

Once the tomatoes are cooled down in the ice bath they are skinned, cut into quarters and seeded.

The quartered tomatoes are then pureed and garlic and spices are added. The sauce is simmered for several hours.

After it thickens up a bit it is removed from the heat and sits until it reaches room temperature. 

At this point we measure the sauce and pour it into freezer bags. This batch made about 5.5 quarts so our total for this year is approximately 11 quarts or 2.75 gallons.  

Now that the rain is here and the days are cooler it is the perfect time to get out all of those fall recipes that call for tomato sauce. Comfort food at its best!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Pasta & Angel Food Cake: Round 2 ~ Day 19 THYCA LID

This is the week of appointments for Miss E's 2nd round of RAI scans and we are now on day three although she has actually been on the Low Iodine Diet 19 days. Preparing for the scans requires a trip to the hospital each morning this week so oatmeal, fruit smoothies, and egg white omelets {if there is time} with some coffee and/or tea made with distilled water are the best options for breakfast except for the day{s} that require fasting.

For our 3rd dinner since she has been home we decided on pasta. Some chunky Tomato sauce over some veggie spaghetti sounded good and we happened to have plenty of fresh vegetables to use. 

Once the veggies were chopped and ready this tomato sauce went together fairly fast however it needed to simmer about an hour to enhance the flavor and thicken a bit. 

While the sauce was cooking I made Angel Food mini bundt cakes. 

It does not take as long as you might think to make Angel Food Cake from scratch. And it tastes great! So light and fluffy and meets the LID requirements.

 I did have leftover batter which I put into a loaf pan and baked since that was easier than washing the bundtlette pan for another batch. 

The strawberries in the store are getting better as the season gets closer so I bought some for the cake. I just sliced them up in a bowl and sprinkled a little sugar on top. Then I let them sit at room temperature while I finished preparing dinner. 

Once we were finished with dinner and the kitchen was cleaned up I served the Angel Food Mini Bundt Cakes on top of sugared strawberries and drizzled the strawberry juice over the top. YUM!

print recipe
LID Angel Food Mini Bundt Cakes

http://thegrandsurprise.blogspot.com 

by Jennifer Stull

Ingredients

• 1  1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups egg whites at room temperature *
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon **NON IODIZED SALT**
• 1 teaspoon vanilla  
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat standard oven to 350 degrees or convection bake oven to 325 degrees. Spray mini bundt pan with oil.
2. Separate large eggs and place whites in the bowl of a standing mixer or large mixing bowl. Let sit   30 minutes or until room temperature. 
3. In a separate bowl whisk together flour and powdered sugar. Set aside.
4. Add cream of tartar, plain salt, and vanilla to egg whites. With whisk attachment beat egg white mixture on high for 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar and combine.
5. Switch to paddle attachment and with mixer on low add flour mixture to egg white mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Fill mini bun wells to the rim. Bake 15 - 20 minutes until light golden brown.

Optional: Sift powdered sugar over top of cool mini bundt cakes. Top with fresh berries.
* It will take approximately 10 - 12 egg whites.

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Low Iodine Diet PASTA PRIMAVERA

http://thegrandsurprise.blogspot.com

by Jennifer Stull

Ingredients

• 8 fresh Roma Tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
•  1 red pepper, chopped 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 basil chopped or minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon **NON IODIZED** salt
•  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 package of **LID approved** pasta
•  **DISTILLED** water
•  Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Wash and prepare vegetables.
2. In a large skillet add approximately 1 tablespoon olive oil, onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until translucent. 
3. Add tomatoes, red pepper, basil, thyme, salt, red pepper flakes and 1-2 cups distilled water. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Add more distilled water if needed. 
4. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with distilled water and bring to a boil. Add Pasta and cook according to package directions. 
5. Cover Pasta with Primavera Sauce and serve. 

Makes 4 servings

Happy Friday!

Food Week :: "oven roasted" Tomato Basil Soup

Fresh oven~roasted Tomato Basil Soup is one of our favorite ways to use our abundance of tomatoes.

It is very similar to the Tomato Sauce that we also make in

large batches, freeze and use over the winter

in recipes that call for canned tomato sauce,

but fresh is so much better.

Roasting the tomatoes enhances the flavor.

Onions and garlic are always added. 

And of course some garden fresh basil. 

It doesn't get better than that!

This is comfort food at its finest!!

You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:11

Blessings!

Italian Beef Braciole

Another Sunday Supper first and it was a winner!

Since I had never made Beef Braciole it took a little extra time to prepare however I know now that some steps could be done ahead which would free up a bit of time in the kitchen. Either way it was well worth the time and effort to prepare. 

The filling was a wonderful combination of onions, garlic, rosemary, parsley, parmesan, bread crumbs and pine nuts to name a few. 

All of the filling was wrapped up in the flank steak and tied to hold it all in. 

Next it was braised on both sides

and then topped with homemade tomato sauce. 

Once it was done I sliced it, placed the rounds on a pile of pasta and topped it with the tomato sauce.

A tossed green salad and homemade focaccia bread completed our main course.
YUM!

Happy Friday!

fresh from the garden: Oven Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Our tomatoes took a little longer to ripen this summer for some reason but they are finally ready and there are a lot of them.

Mr. Wonderful likes to make big batches of fresh tomato sauce each summer and then freeze it for later use. We are still doing that however he decided last week to try making some fresh Oven Roasted Tomato Basil Soup as well since we had so many ripe tomatoes all at once. 

We also have plenty of fresh basil too so he picked a handful to put in the soup.

Most of our tomatoes this year are Roma which are great for cooking and perfect for sauce and soup. He sliced a bunch in half and spread them out, skin side down, on a large baking pan along with some cloves of garlic. The first time he tried lining the pan with parchment paper but decided not to use it on the second batch and did not notice a difference in taste, texture or clean up. 

The tomatoes were baked at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the tomatoes and cloves were beginning to brown. 

In the meantime, he sliced up a couple onions.

Then he cooked them in a little olive oil until they began to brown.

Once the onions were ready he added the roasted tomatoes, garlic and all the juice from the baking pan and then blended it all together. It was absolutely wonderful. In fact, he made another batch the following day but this time he removed all the tomato skins after baking which we both liked a little better. 

Either way it turned out great and I am sure he will be making it again and freezing some just in time for fall. My hope is that he will write it down so that I can make a batch now and then however it is really nice when he does the cooking.

Happy Wednesday!

Too Busy to Cook

That's how I've been feeling this week. The Christmas season is always extra busy around our house and when dinner time rolls around I don't always have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. On nights when I'm in a pinch, like last night, I pull out this recipe. It only takes me about 15 minutes to prepare from start to finish and afterwards the clean up is really quick which is a big bonus in my book. It is very hearty, full of flavor and a meal in itself. Add a salad and some bread and dinner is served! I clipped this recipe out of the Oregonian Foodday a while back and keep it filed with my other favorite quick and easy recipes. 

Sauce of Sun~Dried Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans

Makes enough for 1 pound of pasta

This sauce takes just 7 minutes to prepare. 

1 pound tubular pasta

3 Tablespoons extra~virgin olive oil (divided)

2 Tablespoons olive oil from sun~dried tomato container

4 fat cloves garlic, sliced (about 2 Tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste

1 cup sun~dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained and sliced in 1/4~inch strips

hot water from the pasta~cooking pot

1 1/2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian (flat~leaf) parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano~Reggiano or Grana Padano

Start cooking the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes before you start the sauce. 

Pour 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil and the tomato~packing oil (1/4 cup total) into a big skillet, scatter the garlic slices in the oil and set over medium~high heat. Cook for 1 minute or so, until the slices are sizzling. 

Drop the pepper flakes in a hot spot, toast for 1/2 minute and stir in with the garlic. 

Drop the strips of sun~dried tomato into a clear part of the skillet, stir and spread them out. Let them sizzle and toast for a minute or so.

Ladle 1 cup of boiling pasta water into the skillet and stir up everything well. Keep the liquid simmering actively so the tomatoes soften and release their flavor. Cook for 2 minutes or so, until the liquid has reduced by half. 

Stir in the cannellini beans, the 1/4 teaspoon salt and about 1 1/2 more cups of pasta water. Bring the sauce rapidly to a boil, stirring, and cook at an active simmer for 4 minutes, thickening slightly. Keep hot until the pasta is ready. 

When the pasta is almost done, al dente, scoop it up and into the skillet to finish cooking, adding a little more pasta water or allowing the pasta water to reduce as necessary. Add the parsley during the initial tossing; turn off the heat, toss in the cheese and the final Tablespoon of olive oil just before serving. 

~From "Lidia's Family Table"

by Lidia MatticchioBastianich

ENJOY!!

Pumpkin Harvest and more

Mini Pumpkins Gone Wild! 

We started these pumpkins from seed last winter, along with some assorted vegetables, and then transplanted them this spring. We tried growing them in the same spot last year and they did not do well at all so it was fun to have so many this time. 

We are loving all these little pumpkins which we picked over the weekend. Even the pumpkins hanging in the Mimosa tree and growing in the Rhododendron were gathered up so that the vines could be removed before the fall rain gets here.

However, Mr. Wonderful did miss one little pumpkin which wasn't bad considering how many there were and all the wild vines everywhere. 

This one had grown in the Rhodie between the branches in the back near the middle and was really wedged in there. It also blended in quite well which made it hard to see. 

Pumpkins were not the only things needing to be picked. The Roma Tomatoes had also multiplied and ripened so those needed to be gathered up and made into tomato sauce.

Our Zucchinis were ginormous { one was 14” around at the base! } and our Pears were beginning to ripen and fall. Luckily not too many on the ground yet. We will pick most of them now so that they will not fall and bruise. Once they are ripe enough we will dry some and can the rest. 

It is hard to believe we still have Strawberries coming on in September however it is fun to have a few every now and then. 

This week the pumpkins will get washed and ready for use. 

Fall is definitely in the air!

Happy Monday!