Pasta Trapanese

School has begun and fall is around the corner...and we are ready to give away another great Gooseberry Patch cookbook!  From Maryland Crabcakes to Too-Much-Zucchini Stovetop Dinner to Chocolate-Hazelnut Skillet Bars, 101 Stovetop Suppers has all the recipes you need to make a delicious meal (or dessert!) without ever having to heat up the oven.  To top it off, each recipe includes a mouth-watering, full-color photo.

This Pasta Trapanese recipe from the "Slowly Simmered" chapter was absolutely amazing.  We have been giving "Meatless Mondays" a try, and this fit the bill perfectly.  While I did have to stir the sauce every now and then as it was simmering, I felt as though it was a very simple dish to make with a big payoff - the fresh taste was awesome and my family loved it.  With a large variety of recipes in chapters called "Quick & Easy", "Slowly Simmered", and "Serves a Crowd,"  I am sure that your family will find a lot to love in this book, as well.

We are sorry; This giveaway is over.

 INGREDIENTS:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed (I finely diced)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 28 oz can whole Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
• 5 to 6 T fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 12 oz package penne pasta, cooked
• grated Parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in oil.
2. Add tomatoes with juice, basil, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Stir in almonds.  Serve over cooked pasta, garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 35-40 minutes
Source: 101 Stovetop Suppers by Gooseberry Patch

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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

There was a point in time, not long ago, when I would have said, "Who in the world would make his or her own sauce when there is perfectly good stuff you can buy off the shelf for $2?! Seriously, spaghetti night is supposed to be the quickest and easiest meal of the week!"  I am not saying that I will never again buy sauce, but I definitely became a sauce convert about six months ago.  My friends who have long made their own sauces are wondering what took me so long.  I am, too.  This sauce is SO much better than jarred and it honestly doesn't take that much work or time.  This batch makes enough for at least three meals; I freeze two portions.  I add the meat from the start, so when I use it, I don't even have to brown meat.  Taking a bag of sauce out of the freezer the night before spaghetti night actually saves me time.  Plus, I love the feeling that I get when making it with my own fresh herbs and that I can control the amount of sugar and salt that goes in.  (The amount of sugar in jarred sauce is astounding!)  If you have never made sauce yourself, please give this a try one afternoon.  You won't regret it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2.5-3 lb meat (I use a combination of ground beef and sausage)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 (29 oz) cans of tomato sauce
• 1 (29 oz) can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (use less if using dried)
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped (use less if using dried)
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown ground meat with onion in a large pot or dutch oven until no longer pink.
2. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Difficulty: Surprisingly easy

Time: about 1.5 hours, 20 minutes or so of which are hands-on

Source:  After researching online for a while, I just decided to make my own recipe; I have made this many times now and my family devours it!

Big Batch Bolognese (Giveaway Part 1)

Back in February, one of our favorite authors, Sarah Bowen Shea (of Run Like a Mother and now Train Like a Mother fame) tweeted about a Cauliflower and Macaroni and Cheese dish she had made.  It sounded so amazing that I had to ask about it, and was directed to The Good Neighbor Cookbook, by Sara Quessenberry and Suzanne Schlosberg.  Lucky for us, the authors had posted the Cauliflower Mac recipe on their website, but I wanted more.  Since then, a great deal has happened leading to this post (all of it good!), and we are thrilled to announce that we have teamed up with Sara and Suzanne for our first book review and giveaway.  (Information on how to enter the giveaway is at the end of this post.  And trust me, you want this book.)

The Good Neighbor Cookbook is unique in many ways and I found myself pouring over it the first time I held it in my hands, wishing I had had it years ago when my friends had their first children, when my neighbor was mourning the loss of his mother, and as I struggled trying to figure out what to make for a Memorial Day party.  The cover of this cookbook, which is organized by occasion rather than food category, entices readers with "125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Surprise and Satisfy the New Moms, New Neighbors, Recuperating Friends, Community-Meeting Members, Book Club Cohorts, and Block Party Pals in Your Life!"  But a closer look reveals that the book is more than just recipes, as it is also filled with brief tips and hints on everything from when it is okay to substitute ingredients to how to reheat a particular dish as well as page-long advice on topics such as how to organize a meal train for a new mother.  "Homemade food is a labor of love but it need not be laborious," the authors state.  I was inspired by the premise of the book, and was anxious to dive in.

It didn't take long for me to figure out what recipe I wanted to try.  Believe it or not, I have never made my own sauce, but I have been wanting to for years. I don't know what has prevented me from doing so except for never having come across the "right" recipe, and not having the confidence to wing it.  The Good Neighbor Cookbook's Big Batch Bolognese gave me both the confidence and the right recipe.  Yes, making sauce from scratch did take longer than opening a jar, but the results were sooooo worth it.  I asked my kids their thoughts and with mouths full (sorry about the manners), they enthusiastically replied, "YUMMY!!"  Their clean plates confirmed their sentiment.  I am definitely looking forward to trying many more of the recipes in this book, and of course, sharing them with my neighbors.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 lb ground beef chuck
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over med-high heat.  Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and 1/2 tsp of the salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes (decrease the heat as necessary, to prevent scorching).
2. With heat still on med-high, add the beef and pork to the pot and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes.  (It took me closer to 10 minutes.) Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes more. 
3. Add the wine, milk, 2 cups of water, crushed red pepper, black pepper, bay leaf, nutmeg, and the remaining 1 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil.
4. Decrease the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have developed, about 30 minutes.

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 25 min prep, a little less than 1 hour cooking, (under an hour and a half total, at least 30 minutes of which is just the sauce simmering while you stir occasionally)

Source: The Good Neighbor Cookbook by Sara Quessenberry and Suzanne Schlosberg

ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF THE GOOD NEIGHBOR COOKBOOK, WHICH INCLUDES THIS FANTASTIC RECIPE AND MANY MORE! (Click here for their recipe for Cranberry Granola Bars.)


How to enter:

Answer the following question in the comments on this post: "Have you ever given or received a meal to/from a friend or neighbor?  If so, what has been your favorite? If not, what might you make for a neighbor in the future?"

For additional chances to win, you may do any (or all!) of the following*:

1. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment here saying you have done so (or tell us here that you already like us on Facebook).
2. Like "The Good Neighbor Cookbook" on Facebook and leave a comment here saying you have done so (or tell us here that you already like The Good Neighbor Cookbook on Facebook).
3. Have a friend like us on Facebook and have that friend tell us that you sent her/him.
4. Follow us on Twitter @MomsRecipeBox and leave a comment here saying that you have done so (or tell us here that you already follow us on Twitter).
5. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment here telling us you have done so.  Please include the link to your Tweet in your comment.

*Each of the numbered options listed will earn you an additional chance to win a copy of The Good Neighbor Cookbook.  Please leave an individual comment for each that you complete so that we can keep track of entries easier. 

Find out if you won:
This contest ends at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, May 9, 2012.  One lucky winner will be chosen at random using Random.com.  Winner will be announced on Thursday, May 10, 2012 via Facebook and Twitter.  Look for it!  If you do not use Facebook or Twitter, please make sure you leave us an e-mail address at which we may contact you.  If the winner does not claim the prize within one week, we will pick a new winner.