I Said I Got Sauce

If you watched my Mingle on Monday you saw that I had a billow of steam behind me. Some quite literally thought I might torch my kitchen, behold.....the power of the Fish! Okay, so I am kidding, but the steam was much, probably from the fact I had the hood on trying to suck all of that steam away.

So I promised my winning recipe from these lovely items that I share in my Friday post about how I Heart my CSA. If you did not read, go back, gaze upon the fruits of the Earth! Because I ate almost everything in that photo. Not alone! Dear GAWD NO! I had help. Again, the fruits:

Okay quite a bit in this photo, but feast your eyes on those BEAUTIFUL organic tomatoes! YUM! And just to the left of those juicy, perfectly delectable tomatoes is a bushel (not a true metric measurement bushel) of Licorice basil. Just absolutely beautiful as well, the smell is intoxicating, and the taste, OH SO SWEET!

My recipe for some Grrrrrreat sauce:

1/2 c. Vodka (any Vodka will do, set aside a little extra for you with a lime and ice)
4 c. diced tomatoes (if you don't have enough fresh tomatoes......canned works AWESOME!)
1 can tomato paste (I bought organic since it was as cheap as the regular stuff, but again, any type will do!)
1 T. onion power
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/4 Purple bell pepper for a bit of zing
2 basil stalks (my stalks are huge and I love Basil, but use it to your liking an taste)
1/2 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Parsley
Salt/pepper to taste
(For a bit more of a biting sauce, add 1 t. crushed red pepper, I pulverized mine so it mixes well, you can do the same with the back of a spoon and a Ziploc bag)

In a large skillet or deep pot, add tomatoes and dry ingredients (onion powder, oregano, parsley, salt/pepper, basil, bell pepper) bring to a low boil. Slowly add vodka and return to a boil. Add in can of tomato paste and stir, reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for as long as your desired taste and thickness (I simmered mine for most of the day), the vodka brings out a very rich taste in the tomatoes. Be sure to add garlic 20 minutes before serving. This allows the sauce to maintain the garlic flavor and taste, otherwise if you are not a garlic fan, add at the beginning with all dry ingredients.

I also like to add sausage to my sauce, Italian sausage, Jimmy Dean Breakfast sausage, or ground beef all works WONDERFULLY!  I also LOVE a sweet Italian ground turkey meat as well. YUM!

Remove from heat and serve over spaghetti, angel hair, or any desired pasta. VOILA!

BTW - I think you will find there is LESS sugar and LESS calories in this homemade recipe than a standard jar of sauce. Plus, I think it tastes better. But I am a food snob too!

I Heart My CSA

I just have to tell you all again how much I love my CSA.

What is a CSA you ask? Community Supported Agriculture

Agriculture? As in farm? You got it!

I had never heard of a CSA until one of my twin mommies told me about it and I have to tell you I am hooked! I don't think I can go back to the standard way of buying my produce and eggs from the store. I did a HUGE post about it some time ago, so you can go read all about the deets there and why CSA's are important to our community, the environment, and of course....YOUR HEALTH!!

But enough of my soap box....just take a gander at these beauties!

Look at all of that!! And that my friends and readers....is just a ONE WEEK basket from a CSA. Let me detail all the wonderful items in that picture for you if you can't already decipher:

One Dozen Eggs

2 Armenian Cucumbers (which are THE BEST, super crunchy and tasty!)

One watermelon (last of the season and still sweet as sugar!)

Butternut squash, perfect for fall

Licorice Basil (OMG the aroma...my whole fridge smells like it, and just YUMMY), I can't wait to make my famous Pan Chicken with this and some FABULOUS Organic Marinara Sauce

Now here we have Okra, which I fried up last night in a tablespoon of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, peppered and added some Parmesan and OMG was it to DIE FOR!

Organic Tomatoes, which are JUST again TO DIE FOR!

Organic Pomegranate which I am DYING to dive into today

Acorn Squash, again PERFECT for fall

Finally, a Purple Bell Pepper which smells divine and cannot wait to use in a recipe I have

So let me ask you.....Do you know where your produce and food comes from?

If not? You should!

Mine is made with lots of love from my fabulous farmer Mike.

This is his farm:

Learn all about CSA's and or Food Coop's by going HERE and enjoy all the benefits of Organic farming, supporting your local farmers, businesses, and heck the kids will LOVE going to the farm like mine do.