Let’s Eat-Spaghetti

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Credit ChurchArt.com

Spaghetti is a true Italian dish…I think.  I know that pizza is not, although we associate it with Italian foods. And while, when we think of “spaghetti” we think of the whole dish – noodles, sauce, meatballs (perhaps), and cheese – spaghetti is actually just the noodles.  There are so many varieties of sauces that go over the noodles, that we have just come to call it all “spaghetti” and think we know what we mean.

I actually do not remember my Mother making spaghetti.  Perhaps she did, but I don’t remember it.  Consequently, after Fred and I married and moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Fort Worth, Texas, I found a spaghetti recipe on the label of the Crisco can.  With some adjustments, I’ve been using that same recipe ever since.  And I/we like it better than another spaghetti we’ve eaten.  I’m afraid that’s pride talking….

Photo by Judy Wills

I started out making it exactly as the recipe calls for – with one exception.  It says to brown the hamburger meat in Crisco.  Well THAT doesn’t make any sense!  I mean, I’m browning the meat to get the fat OUT…why would I brown it in fat to begin with?  So I just browned the meat without the Crisco.  I add chopped onions as the meat is browning.  The recipe called for canned mushrooms – stems and pieces.  I finally realized that I like sliced button mushrooms better, so that’s what I use now.  

Photo credit Judy Wills

It calls for one 8-oz can of tomato sauce.  I found that to be too “juicy” or runny, so I’ve changed that to one 8-oz can of tomato paste.  Okay…that’s MUCH better.

Photo credit Judy Wills

In recent years I have added diced tomatoes, rather than whole tomatoes that I had to cut up. 

Photo credit Judy WIlls

Lazy, I know, but it’s easier. I learned that just a little bit of sugar cuts the “acid” in the tomatoes, so I’ve been adding about one tablespoon of sugar to my sauce.  

But the final “adjustment” I’ve made to that recipe is…wine.  I started out using cooking wine.  I then discovered that it has a lot of salt in it, so I started using regular wine instead.  As Fred likes to say – if it’s not good enough drink…it’s not good enough to cook with.  And that’s funny coming from him…since neither of us drink wine!  I have never developed the taste for it…just don’t like the taste at all on my tongue.  However, in foods, the alcohol is cooked out and just the taste of the wine to enhance the flavor is left – and it’s GREAT!

I get a lot of teasing from my daughters about that wine.  I started by measuring it very carefully into the spaghetti sauce – six (6) tablespoons per batch.  Now I just pour it into the bowl of my wooden stirring spoon, flip the spoon to empty it into the sauce, then flip it back – all the while pouring, never stopping!  The girls really kid me about that!  But it really makes the sauce delightful.

So that’s my spaghetti sauce – and it’s really our favorite.  I now make a double batch each time I make it, spoon it into Corning Ware dishes into serving sizes for Fred and me, and freeze it.  It usually makes about six servings for the two of us.  I can just whip it out of the freezer and microwave it to heat while I’m cooking the noodles – and we have our meal..And that reminds me – I have gotten to where we like Angel Hair pasta rather than  regular spaghetti noodles.  At one point in time I used Vermicelli noodles, but find we like the Angle Hair even better.

Photo by Judy Wills

How about my readers?  Anyone have a favorite spaghetti recipe?

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Tags: #amblogging, Christian bloggers, Cooking, Crisco, Favorite foods, Homemade spaghetti sauce, Spaghetti sauce recipe