Great Grandma’s Italian Pasta Sauce

    

Yield: Almost two 16 oz. jars | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours or more

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

6 oz. water

1 24 oz. jar tomato puree

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of onion powder

Pinch of garlic powder

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large stockpot, saute garlic until soft and fragrant in 2 tbsp. of olive oil, about 2 minutes.
2. Throw your meat in with the garlic and brown until meat has been thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour in the tomato paste, tomato puree, and seasoning, including the fresh basil. Stir to mix well. With the 6 oz. can from the tomato paste, fill that with water and pour it in the stockpot as well.
4. Let mixture simmer, uncovered, for 2 or more hours (the longer the better, but minimum 2 hours), stirring occasionally.
5. Serve hot over fresh pasta.

Table for Two original

Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic & Guindilla Pepper

By José Andrés

Ingredient List

For the Sautéed Shrimp:

• 1 pound Shrimp White 31/35 peeled and deveined, or your preferred size
• 1/4 cup Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 5 Arbol chiles
• 5 tablespoons of brandy
• 5 tablespoons lemon Juice
• ½ cup Brava sauce (Recipe Below)
• Kosher salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons parsley to serve

For the Brava Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ounce whole garlic peeled and sliced
• 2 arbol chile
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 pounds whole canned tomatoes (pureed)
• 1 tablespoon Spanish sweet pimenton
• Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Servings: 5

Sauteed Shrimp:

Thinly slice the garlic cloves with a knife, mandoline or slicer and set aside. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to fry. Add the Arbol chile and cook for 1 minute.

Turn the heat up to high and add the shrimp. When the shrimp starts to change color, add the brandy, lemon juice and brava sauce (recipe below) and stir to combine. Remove from the heat, season with salt.

Brava Sauce:

In a medium size pot over medium heat add the oil, garlic and Arbol chile and sauté slowly until they start to brown. Add the sugar and stir until it melts. Add the vinegar and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Pour in the tomato puree and simmer until almost dry. Add the pimenton and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary. Strain through a sieve and reserve for later use.

Stack the shrimp into 5 shallow bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve.

Manic Monday?

   I had to just steal this and post on my blog. I took it from MTV's "The Buried Life's" Facebook page. I just started following them, but I already feel like they are my kindred spirits. They are living their lives exactly how I want to live mine. Plus they are fun.

“I know that today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but according to statistics, there will be over 5,000 weddings, 10,000 childbirths, and 42 million hugs occurring today throughout the United States. Also today, there will be at least 4 people that will win the multimillion dollar lotteries, 600 people will get promotions at work, and 3,000 people will lose their virginity. There will also be 600 dogs adopted, 35,000 balloons sold, and 800,000 skittles eaten. Plus, the words “I love you” will be said over 9 million times. So again, I know today is Monday and you assume it’s going to suck, but just smile, because according to statistics, it should actually be a really nice day.” 

  So... Dear Readers, don't waste away your life, wishing that today was not Monday, that it is "next Friday already". You get 1 day at a time. One chance to live each and every day. If we live in the past, we are only harming ourselves. If we live for the future, we aren't taking the time to enjoy the Present that we have today. Without realizing it, we are just wasting away a perfectly precious day. Live a little more, Laugh a lot louder, and most of all: Love. 

Have a precious day!

Free Redbox Rentals

   WHAT? WHO? WHEN? HOW? I bet that's just a few little things you screamed in your head as you read that title. Here's a tip: just search for Redbox rental codes online, as well as send a text to Redbox (send a "signup" text to 727272), and you will get free rental codes. I have yet to pay for a Redbox movie! It's basically free entertainment for date night, movie night, or family night. Do some research and you'll never  have to pay for a movie again!

Savings: $1.38/movie


   What is your favorite date night movie?

Let there be Light

   I just got 8 light-bulbs for super-close to free. How, you ask? I had 2 manufacturers' coupons for $2 off any pack of Reveal lightbulbs, along with 2 Target store coupons for $2 off as well. If you didn't know this, here is a great little secret I am going to let you in on: You can STACK manufacturer and store coupons together for added savings. I bought 2 packs of Reveal lightbulbs, literally for .66 cents.

Savings: $8.00

   I also was at work the other day and lo-and-behold, there were vanity light bulbs sitting in the break room with a note that said "free, these work just fine". What do you think I did? Yeah, you guessed it...I snagged them right up!

Savings: at least $8

   Smile. And say "hello". You never know who's life you might light up by just one simple word with a smile. 

Free, Free, and oh-yeah, Free

You read that correctly, everything that you see in the above picture...yep, got it for free!!!

• The Softsoap was on sale for .99cents/bottle. I now have a handy-dandy coupon book (yep, I am now that big of a geek). I had 2 coupons for $1.00 off each, so at checkout, they were free, as a 2cent money-maker.
• I was also perusing the cough drop aisle, actually looking to see if Ricola was on sale because I had coupons and I find them simply yummy. Sadly, they weren't on sale, but I saw that these Dual action Ricola's were on sale for $1.49. I had a coupon for .75cents off, which then doubled at the checkout, so they were free with a penny profit. 
• Not to sound even more geeky than I already do, I clip Meijer "Mperks". To add to my already-growing geekiness resume, I made my brother sign up, so that I could clip coupons on his account too. These particular coupons were for "FREE" 6 double-roll Meijer TP. With two coupons, I got 12-double rolls, yes, absolutely free.

In total, with coupons, I was able to get everything for Free, with Savings of: $12

Craftstore Savings Madness

  The JoAnn's Facebook page just became my new BFF. They had a 60% off savings coupon, which you could print off and use all day (yep, ALL) day long. I should have waited to buy my paint and ribbon until today! Oh well. I have some cool art hanging up now.
   On this trip, I bought:

• a soft-brush angled paintbrush for projects 
• a box of 14 hooks/eyes to fix the eyelet on the zipper of my tried and true "little black dress"
• 2 gorgeous Swarovski crystal bracelets
• a pack of 4 bra-converting clips that I've been wanting/needing for forever

   The picture of the bracelets does not do them justice. They are absolutely gorgeous and I've gotten compliments on them so many times already. In one day, I got 6 compliments at work! Had I bought similar bracelets in stores, such as the Limited, Express, or Ann Taylor, which I used to do, I would have been shelling out a whopping $30/bracelet at least! With my 60% off each item, I paid approx. $2.25/bracelet!!!

In total, for this entire order, I spent $12.70. Savings: $32