Strawberry ricotta muffins

WOW! These are seriously so good! You must try them.

The recipe is from here

Ingredients:
2 cups medium strawberries ** see note below
3/4 cup ricotta
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
10 Tbsp. butter melted and cooled, divided
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. lime zest (or lemon)
2 cups flour
2 tsp.baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Sanding sugar (optional)

makes 12 muffins

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently wash, hull, and cut strawberries into quarters. Place berries on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Bake until strawberries are partially dried, about 45 minutes. Let cool. (**note: I used a full 2 lbs of strawberries. My thoughts are..the more the better!)

Increase oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 12-mold muffin tin with 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining butter.

In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub together sugar and lime or lemon zest until sugar is moist. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

Use a spatula to gently but quickly fold ricotta mixture into dry ingredients. Don’t overwork it. The batter will be thick and heavy. Stir in strawberries and spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Top with sanding sugar if desired. Bake until tops of muffins are golden and springy to the touch, about 20-25

What is sanding sugar you ask? Well, its that course type sugar that you see on top of sugar cookies. Its a great touch to the top of muffins. You can find it in any party supply or craft store in the baking/cake decorating section.

{Review}
Holy moly. I {heart} these muffins
I used lemon zest rather than lime. But, I imagine the lime is just as good
Beware: like the recipe says..when you mix the dry & wet ingredients together initially the dough will be really stiff. This worried me a bit but once I added berries it loosened up because of the extra moisture


{Serve with}
Coffee or tea? or nothing. They are that good.

{Time}
45 min to dry out berries and 20 min in oven

Cod with leeks, tomatoes and artichoke hearts served with saffron rice

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Every Day Food Cookbook (Pg 61)




2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced, rinsed well, and patted dry
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts (run under warm water to slightly defrost)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
3 sprigs thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, (about 12 ounces)
4 cod fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together leeks, lemon juice, oil, lemon zest, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover with foil, and bake until leeks just begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove baking dish from oven. Add tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and toss to combine. Season both sides of cod fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables.

Cover dish and bake until fish is opaque throughout, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

{Review}
This is a great spring dish and was really easy. I admit that I don't cook fish as often as I should but, this is one that might entice me to make more
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Saffron rice. I buy the kind in a box (kind if like rice a roni) its easy and tasty.

{Time}
10 min prep, 30 min in oven

Baked penne with white cheddar and leeks

This recipe is from Bon Appétit March 2009




1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 5 large)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pound extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 4 cups packed)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 pound penne pasta

(Note: I also added gouda cheese to add a bit more flavor)

Lightly butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Cover saucepan and cook until leeks are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes (do not brown). Uncover saucepan; add flour. Stir 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to simmer, stirring often. Add cheese, mustard, and pepper sauce. Stir until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Season cheese sauce to taste with salt.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Return to pot.

Stir cheese sauce into pasta in pot. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake pasta until cheese sauce is bubbling around edges and some ends of pasta are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let stand 15 minutes. Serve hot.

{Review}
This was good although a little bland. I think adding more types of cheese would be better. I added gouda but next time might add fontina as well.

The recipe in magazine calls for adding an egg to cheese mixture. I totally removed this step because you don't really need it and the chance of egg curdling from hot cheese sauce is pretty high (read: screwing up the entire dish).

This is husband approved but he said it needed more flavor which I have to agree with him on.

{Serve with}
Steamed veggies on the side

{Time}
25 min prep. 25 min in oven

Steak with parsley sauce, polenta and sauteed mushrooms

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Every Day Food Cookbook (pg 46 & 360)

For steak & sauce:

1-½ pounds flank steak
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup olive oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (about 4 cups)
3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes


Generously season both sides of flank steak with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook steak 5 to 8 minutes per side for medium-rare. (Note: this can be made on the grill too!)Transfer to a cutting board; let rest, covered, 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain.

Meanwhile, make sauce: In a food processor, pulse garlic until finely chopped. Add parsley, oregano, vinegar, pepper flakes, 1/4 cup oil, 2 tablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pulse until herbs are finely chopped. Serve with steak.

For sauteed mushrooms:

8 oz mushrooms (cremini)
2 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
S & P

Cut off mushroom stems and discard. Thinly slice the caps.

Heat olive oil over med heat. Add the shallot and mushrooms. Cook until light brown and soft. Season with S & P

For polenta:

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (not the quick cooking kind)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tbs butter

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper to biol over high heat. Whisking constantly, gradually add the cornmeal, whisk until smooth before adding more

Reduce heat to low, simmer, whisking often until thick. About 10 min. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and butter. Serve immediately.



{Review}
This was a pretty good recipe. Although, try not to kiss someone after because that sauce has some garlic to it :)
Husband approved

{Serve with}
Polenta and sauteed mushrooms as noted above}

{Time}
25 - 30 min

Sarah's mini meatballs with penne

This recipe makes 30 mini meatballs. You can freeze them then take a few out to cook as needed. I love having something easy lurking in the freezer for those days I really don't feel like cooking.

Tip: I roll out the meatballs and place in a mini muffin pan. That way they are all the same size. I freeze them in the pan then transfer them to a ziploc bag for long term storage.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (90/10)

1 lb ground pork

1/2 onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 tsp each salt and pepper

- Over med heat saute onion and garlic in 1 tbs olive oil until soft.

- To large mixing bowl add ground beef, pork, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, S&P and cooled onion/garlic mixture. Mix together gently.

- Roll out mini meat balls and place in mini muffin pan. Put some aside for dinner and place the rest in freezer. Freeze overnight then transfer to ziploc bag for storage. (see tip above)

To cook meatballs:

- Add 2 tbs olive oil to saute pan. Brown mini meatballs on all sides then simmer in marinara sauce until cooked all the way through. About 10 min.

- Serve over pasta of choice with marinara sauce. Top with ricotta if desired.

** If using frozen meatballs be sure to defrost prior to browning step.
**These will keep in freezer for a few months.

{Review}
Love these. They are so easy and this one recipe makes about 4 meals.
Husband approved


{Serve with}
Penne and marinara sauce
Ricotta optional
Garlic bread


{Time}
25 - 30 min

Sarah's chicken picatta with artichoke hearts and angel hair pasta

Sorry for the lack of posts last week. Hamish was out of town so I didn't have anyone to cook for...boooooo. Now im back and have some good stuff planned.

First up is chicken picatta with artichoke hearts and angel hair pasta



4 thin sliced chicken breast
1 cup flour
3 tbs butter
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen artichoke hearts (I like the Trader Joes brand)
2 tbs capers, drained and rinsed
S & P

Serves 2-3

- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Shake off excess. ** Note: I like to use the foster farms thin sliced breasts because they cook faster.
- Add 1 tbs olive oil to saute pan and cook chicken until golden brown on both sides over med-high heat. Set aside chicken and cover with foil.
**No need to worry about cooking chicken completely through at this point. They will be added back to pan later.
- Add 1 tbs butter to same pan and saute shallots until soft. Add in white wine and let boil for 1 min. Add in capers, frozen artichoke hearts, broth and juice from 1/2 lemon. Bring back to a boil.
- Add chicken back to pan along with 2 tbs butter and the squeezed out lemon rind. Cover and turn down heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 min (if using thicker chicken breasts you may need to add more time)
- While chicken is cooking, make pasta and set aside.
- Taste sauce - it may need more lemon or salt. Season if needed. At the very end I like to remove chicken and boil sauce for a few minutes until it becomes thicker. This step is optional.
- Serve chicken, artichoke hearts and sauce over angel hair pasta.


{Review}
I've been making this for years and its one of my easy weeknight standbys
Husband approved


{Serve with}
Garlic bread


{Time}
25 min


Tomorrow i'll have my homemade mini meatballs with pasta. Its a great recipe because you can make some now then freeze the rest for a rainy day. Stay tuned!

Mediterranean salad with chickpea patties

This recipe is from Real Simple magazine (April 09 issue pg 178)

I thought this was pretty good...it can be pulled together quickly plus its vegetarian.



1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed (aka garbanzo beans)
1/2 c fresh flat leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbs flour
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 c low fat plain yogurt
Feta cheese, crumbled
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
mixed greens
grape tomatoes
red onion
Pita chips

*The feta was my addition - I love cheese.


In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin and 1/4 tsp each of S & P just until coarsely chopped and mixture comes together when gently squeezed. Form into 1/2 in thick patties (recipe says it makes 8, I only got 4). Coat patties with flower, tap off excess.


Heat oil in non stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook the patties, turning carefully until golden brown, 2-3 min per side.


In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice and S & P. Divide greens, tomatoes, onion and chickpea patties among plates. Drizzle with yogurt sauce. Top with feta crumbles.

{Review}
This was good although I dont think it would be husband approved. Its one of those things I would make for myself when the hubbs is out of town.
Very easy and fast!
Tip: Next time I might add a little panko bread crumbs to the mixture to firm up the patties. They were pretty soft and crumbly.


{Serve with}
Pita chips or Naan


{Time}
20 min

Its corned beef and cabbage day!!!!

Oh, I mean....Happy St Pattys Day!

I love corned beef and cabbage. What makes it even better is covering it in traditional mustard sauce. This recipe is from my husbands Mom (hope I don't get in trouble for posting it). Its just so good...I wanted to share the deliciousness.

Sauce for corned beef

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons sugar

1 egg

½ cup vinegar

½ cup of liquid in which corn beef was boiled (cooled)

Mix mustard and sugar together in small saucepan. Break egg into this mixture and stir well together. Then add vinegar and corned beef liquid. Simmer for a few minutes stirring well (do not boil or egg might curdle). Serve with hot corned beef.

For thicker sauce add a bit of cornstarch to the mustard powder and sugar mixture.

Blueberry cream pie

I love this pie! The recipe was given to me by a friend many years ago. Its so easy and people just love it.



Pillsbury premade pie dough
1 pint fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup flour
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
9in pie dish


Unroll pie dough and place in pie dish. Crimp edges. Prick holes in bottom with fork and follow package baking directions. (its usually 350 degrees for 10min). You want the shell to be light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400.


When pie shell is cool, fill with blueberries.


Combine rest of ingredients in a bowl and pour over berries. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 min or until center is set. Allow to cool and enjoy!


{Review}
Love this pie (obviously)
Husband approved


{Serve with}
Ice cream


{Time}
20 min prep time (including baking shell)
40min bake time

Marys margaritas

This recipe is awesome!

2 cups tequila

2 cups Jose Cuervo margarita mix

1/2 cup Grand Marnier

1/2 cup OJ

1/2 cup frozen limeade (use the concentrate straight from can)

Mix in a pitcher and enjoy!

{Review}

Who doesn't love a good margarita

{Serve with}

Chicken with poblano cream sauce

Black beans

Cilantro rice

{Time}

5 min

Chicken with poblano cream sauce and cilantro rice

This recipe is from Martha Stewarts "Everyday Food" cookbook. Page 205


No...that is not green slime. Its poblano cream sauce and boy, it was good! Try it!

Serves 4

1 poblano chile
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup heavy cream
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions
Roast chile over a gas burner or under the broiler, until charred all over. Wrap in foil; let steam 5 minutes. Rub off skin; remove seeds and ribs. Chop coarsely.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat; add onion and garlic; cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chile and cream.

Puree in blender; add water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden and juices run clear, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Slice and serve with sauce.

{Review}

I cooked this meal for a few friends and everyone loved it. It got 6 thumbs up and a husband approved. Pretty good!

This was very easy to make

{Serve with}

Cilantro rice (simply add chopped cilantro and scallions to cooked white or brown rice)

Black beans (from a can)

Margaritas!!!

{Time}

30 min

Chili rubbed skirt steak with sweet potato fries

This recipe is from Martha Stewart "Everyday Food" cookbook. Page 294



4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 1/2 to 3 pound beef skirt steak, cut into 8 even pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat (can also be cooked on BBQ). In a small bowl, combine chili powder, coriander, sugar, oregano, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Coat steaks evenly on both sides with oil, then spice mixture, patting to adhere.

Place half the steaks on a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil, without turning, until medium-rare, 5 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer to a large platter, and cover with aluminum foil; let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

If BBQing, cook about 6 min on each side (depending on thickness)

{Review}
Very, very easy
Definitely husband approved
Leftovers would make great tacos

{Serve with}
Romaine-Heart Salad (The dressing is great and makes a nice dipping sauce for fries)
Sweet potato fries (These can be purchased in the freezer section at Trader Joe's. If you don't have a TJ's near you try Whole Foods)

{Time}
30 min

Sarah's ultimate

I {heart} comfort food. For me this is heaven on a plate.



{Sarah's sticky ribs}
{Sarah's awesome mac n' cheese}

Sarah's awesome mac n' cheese

My other favorite food is homemade mac n' cheese. I have gone through so many recipes and think I finally mastered it. This one is easy and so creamy. It also has a crisp panko topping which is like the icing on the cake ...ummm, macaroni.




Ingredients
Topping:
1/2 cup panko
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar


Macaroni:
1 lb bag of large macaroni noodles
3 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs flour
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
2 cup milk (I use 2%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp dijon mustard
8 oz white cheddar
Small block of fontina (remove red wax from outside)
4 oz Gruyere
2 cup Sharp cheddar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking dish with cooking spray.


Shred all cheese in food processor. Set aside.


Bring stock pot of water to a boil for pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package directions (about 5-6 min) Drain in colander and return to stock pot.


Melt 3tbs butter over medium heat in large sauce pan. Once melted add diced onion and saute until soft. Stir in red pepper flakes. Add 3 tbs flour and stir for 1 min until combined. Whisk in milk. Bring to a slight boil whisking constantly.


Add cream, dijon, salt, pepper and all cheeses. Remove pan from heat. Stir together until all cheese is melted.


Combine about 3/4 cheese sauce to cooked macaroni in stock pot. Mix well. I usually end up having some cheese sauce left over. Feel free to add all of sauce but I find it ends up being more sauce then noodles.


Pour into large baking dish. Sprinkle 1 c sharp cheddar on top.


Combine panko with 2 tbs melted butter and sprinkle on top of macaroni. Bake in 350 oven for 25 min or until bubbly.


{Review}
Husband approved
Pretty easy
Great comfort food


{Serve with}
Sarah's Sticky ribs
Salad


{Time}
20 min prep time
25 min cook time

Sarah's sticky ribs

I LOVE ribs so I taught myself how to make them just the way I like to eat them...nice crust on outside, moist on inside and a little sweet with some spice. These are fall off the bone tasty (and messy..have napkins ready)

Ingredients:

For rub:

1 c brown sugar

1 tbs kosher salt

1 tbs black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

For ribs:

1 slab of pork baby back ribs

BBQ sauce of choice (I love the Trader Joes Kansas City style)

Preheat oven to 400. Line baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray (don't forget this part...if you don't line the pan you will be cursing at yourself later when its time to clean up)

Prior to putting rub on ribs you must remove thin membrane from bone side of ribs. This is the key to the best ribs ever. I learned it from some BBQ cook off on TV...hahaha. Starting at one end of ribs (bone side up) slide a butter knife just under the membrane. Its really thin, like tissue paper. Grasp it with a piece of paper towel and pull it off length of ribs.

If you need help here is a video. Warning: Its pretty cheezy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fqJcc4n_I

Combine rub ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Rub all over both sides of ribs.

Place ribs on lined baking sheet and place in 400 degree oven. Cook for 1 hour. Turn over ribs after 30min.

After 1st hour, turn heat down to 250 degrees and cook for 2 more hours. Flip over every hour.

Baste with BBQ sauce last 30 min on both sides.

Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min. Cut ribs between bones with sharp knife to separate.

{Review}

Awsome and husband approved

Very easy

{Serve with}

Sarah's mac n' cheese

Salad

{Time}

10 min prep time

3 hours cook time

Creamy One-Pot Pasta

The other day while hanging out with my friend Sara we had some leftovers of this yummy pasta she made. Its seriously awesome and so easy.

* This can be made vegetarian by substituting veg broth for chicken broth.

4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 jar (7 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (5¼ cups)
1 lb uncooked penne pasta
1 head broccoli (2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)

Thinly slice garlic. Place garlic and 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes into
(8-qt.) Stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner; increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets; place into bowl. Cut carrots in half lengthwise; thinly
slice crosswise on a bias. Drain sun-dried tomatoes; pat dry with a paper towel.

Slice sun dried tomatoes into thin strips. Add carrots and tomatoes to batter bowl. Mix well.

Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add vegetables, cream cheese, salt and black pepper to Stockpot. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve immediately. If desired, top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil.
Makes: 6 servings

{Review}

This was a great dish and incredibly easy.

Note: After penne was done but prior to adding veggies & cream cheese I removed about 3/4 cup of the broth from pot. I was worried it would water down the sauce to much. Once cheese melted in pot it was a good consistency. If you want to thin it out just add some of the broth back in. Once the pasta cooled down it became pretty thick. I added the reserve broth back in prior to putting it in the fridge as leftovers. It stayed nice and creamy for the next day.

{Serve with}

Garlic bread

{Time}

30min or less

Easy butternut squash soup

I found this recipe on Epicurious and adapted it a little. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself.

{before}

{after}

Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1- pound butternut squash (I used 2 8oz packages of diced butternut squash from Trader Joes) 2 cans low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 onion (layers separated)
Nonfat sour cream (optional)
Chopped fresh chives (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place diced squash and onions in prepared dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with S&P. Toss well to combine. Bake until tender, about 35 minutes.
Scrape squash and onions into large bowl. Add broth and puree until smooth (use blender or immersion blender). Transfer puree to heavy large saucepan. Mix in cream and enough broth to thin to desired consistency. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with dollop of sour cream and chives, if desired.

{review}

Very good and easy

Cant say its husband approved yet because hes not home tonight to eat it.

{Serve with}

garlic bread

{Time}

35 to 45 min

Spaghetti with meat sauce

I've made spaghetti and meat sauce before but this time it was much better than in the past. I think it was the high quality organic ground beef I used. It didn't taste "beefy" at all. It was more melt in your mouth. Yummy!


{image}

The ingredients are just a guess because I don't usually measure when I cook.

Ingredients:

1 lb organic ground beef (85/15)

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup finely diced green pepper

1 tbs tomato paste

28oz can crushed tomato

garlic salt

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

Italian herb seasoning

splash of red wine

1/2 tbs crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan.

pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper over ground beef. Set aside.

Finely chop onions and bell pepper in food processor (I used my mini chopper). You want them to melt into the sauce rather than be in chunky pieces. Saute over medium-high heat until softened with 1 tbs olive oil. Turn down heat and add crushed garlic cloves. Be careful not to let them scorch.

Add 1 tbs tomato paste and stir over med heat to combine. (tip: buy the kind that comes in a tube. Its easier to use and you don't waste a whole can when you only need a little bit. ). Add splash of red wine (about 1/4 cup).

Add ground beef to onion/pepper mixture and stir until browned. Once brown add can of crushed tomato, Italian herb seasoning and red pepper flakes. Let simmer for 20min.

Right before serving add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese to sauce and stir. Add more garlic salt as needed for flavor.

Voila! Yummy sauce!

Serve over pasta with more parm.

{Review}

This was a really good sauce. Much better then jarred and easy to make.

Husband approved

{Serve with}

Garlic bread

{Time}

30 min