Spaghetti sauce last night...

[Wawannabe]

I used chicken Italian Sausage, a jar of 4 cheese sauce and embellished that with garlic powder, fresh homegrown oregano, rosemary and parsley.

This was extremely good served over regular noodles. BUT. Today. I fried some polenta slices (basil and garlic premade) and served the rest of the sauce over that fried polenta. Effing amazing!

I am making banana bread with walnuts right now and the whole place smells wonderful.

Rainy day in Seattle area makes for good cooking weather.

[Kali]

1. I made a super light fresh sauce last night, for some cheese tortellini I got at Trader Joe's

the tortellini were disappointing and needed more cheese so just added parm on top of everything
but the sauce- just some garlic sauteed in olive oil, a couple cans of petite diced tomatoes and a shit ton* of fresh chopped basil. yum.





*about half a big box from TJ's

[Wawannabe]

4. Oops. See reply 3

Meant to reply to you.
Haha

[SWBTATTReg]

2. Yummy! You got me thinking now about what to put on the dinner table!

[Wawannabe]

3. Right on!

Love basil!

Make my own pesto when I grow it. Don’t have any yet this yr. I like to use toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts in my pesto They are less expensive and I think it is better.

[Kali]

5. I'm on my second try with a pot of basil

actually my third - I think my seeds were just too old. two tries for them and I bought a plant the other day also from TJs, LOL)

I haven't ever made pesto but I just love that basil tomato combination - soup, sauce, pizza, caprese salad...

[Wawannabe]

6. My all time comfort food

Is tomato basil soup (extra basil if avail) with a hunk of good bread. Makes me happy.

[tishaLA]

10. I recently made pesto the old fashioned way

with a mortar and pestle rather than a food processor and it was a revelation. I'd heard that the mortar and pestle really brings out the basil flavor better than my cuisinart could and I disregarded it. I was so, so wrong.

[Auggie]

7. I like to add a touch of red wine vinegar and lemon juice to my red sauce ...

the acidity brightens the flavor. And the lemon adds delicious depth. I'll never used a branded "sauce" -- canned tomatoes only. And cooked long enough just to be hot (overcooking destroys flavors). Like other suggestions here, I'll add a ton of fresh garlic, fresh basil, and a yellow onion.

[Wawannabe]

8. Good idea.

I will try both next time I make homemade sauce. It was weeknight fare so a jar of sauce kicked up a notch.

I like red wine in a homemade batch of sauce too. Adds the depth of flavor you refer to.

[Auggie]

9. Tip: lemon and vinegar are strong flavors - use sparingly

You can always add more, but you can’t subtract. I love adding red wine too. And freshly ground fennel seed.