Spaghetti

It's fall here and when fall starts rolling around I get in the mood to start cooking again.  Well I get in the mood to cook some I don't really believe in cooking every day.  Maybe I would cook more if I had a dishwasher.  I say that because sometimes I've done three loads of dishes by the time dinner rolls around and it seems like an absolute horrible waste of water and energy to dirty more dishes...

What was I talking about again?  Oh yes autumn and cooking.  Well I have this really beautiful basil plant that I am quite proud of so I decided to make spaghetti.  I love my spaghetti, that sounds rude doesn't it? But, this blog is all about being truthful.  I used to hate spaghetti for the same reason my grandpa and my husbands grandpa both hated it; it's depression food.  I did not live through THE depression but I have lived through some leaner times and I swear that once when I was a kid we ate spaghetti three nights in a row (my mom disputes this but I'm pretty sure I'm right as I have two sisters to back me up one of whom is actually old enough to remember).  Any way when I grew up and started cooking I began honing my pasta making skills (I do not mean I make my noodles that is something I want to do when I get a bigger kitchen, there just isn't enough counter space for that sort of tom foolery here) I began working on my signature spaghetti and it's quite yummy.  My good friend Megan said to me a while ago "you make the best spaghetti" and let me tell you that compliment got me through the week.  As the laundry piled up and my children became naughty I would smile to myself and say "yes, but I make the best spaghetti."

You see the thing about spaghetti is you can do so much with it.  Got italian sausage? Brown it up and throw it in.  Zuccinni and squash that need to be used up?  Throw them in.  Half a pound of hamburger in the freezer? Perfect. So I am going to give you my base recipe it can be altered a million ways though there are two key secret ingredients that I'll share with you by putting a little star next to. I do believe that I may have posted this before but that was before I learned about tagging so I'm not sure.

who doesn't love a spaghetti faced baby?

1 onion chopped
1/2- 1 lbs hamburger or italian sausage (I really like the sweet italian chicken sausage by the company Al Fresco)
2 cloves of garlic (or if you buy the minced stuff in the jar in the produce isle about a tsp not the dried stuff do NOT use that)
1 Jar of Prego (you can use something else but it really is the best unless something else is on sale for one dollar in which case I can't pass it up)
Basil (fresh if you can get it dry if you can't)
Oregano (fresh if you can get it dry if you can't)
1 palm full of parmesan cheese*
2-4 squirts of hot sauce *
salt
Pepper

Heat a couple tbs of olive oil in a fry pan with high sides and add the onion and garlic.  Saute for a minute or two and add the beef or sausage salt and pepper.  When cooked through add the jar of spaghetti sauce and basil and oregano (I use a lot of basil and oregano probably at least 1.5 tsp of each if not a little more) after it's simmered for a couple of minutes add the cheese and hot sauce and simmer for a good five minutes or while you make garlic bread or until ready.  It's those two ingredients that really give my sauce an extra depth of flavor, the hot sauce adds a little heat but not too much (though, just to be safe I take the kids sauce out of the pot before I add it).  Add your cooked pasta and viola you have a really easy and yummy dinner.  My favorite way to make this is to use the chicken sausage and during the sauteing part add half a chopped red pepper and an entire cubanelle pepper; oh my goodness that will make your kitchen smell AMAZING!!

"Aaah don't touch me with your scary spaghetti hands!"