Goodbye winter...

It's been a long, hard winter, and I am ready for it to be over! I love to look outside and see the sun shining, even if the temperature is still a bit cold. I can't wait for Bennett to be able to play outside, for us to be able to take trips to the park, the zoo, and the pool. I've never loved cold weather or snow, but I especially hate it now that I have a little one- being stuck inside for several months takes on a whole new meaning. I am feeling a lot better in the past week or so- hardly any sickness or throwing up. The second trimester has begun, and I think I've finally turned that corner. I'm so grateful!

I have so many things I want to post about, but I'll just pick a couple for today. First of all, I'm really looking forward to enjoying food again. I have been craving so many things, but especially cherry tomatoes. I cannot wait for all the fresh produce to start rolling in and to start making trips to the farmers market as well as growing a few things in my little garden. I have really gotten behind on trying new recipes, and I have a few ideas on how to catch up on that (for a later post). For now I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes and something that I made a LOT of this winter- it often tasted good to me even when I was feeling sick. It's my grandmother's spaghetti sauce- really hearty and has a great flavor. It also freezes well, so you can make a huge batch at one time and save some for later. It's a great end-of-winter meal and so easy to make!

Nan's Spaghetti Sauce

Brown 4 lbs. hamburger (I always use sirloin) with one medium chopped onion (or more, if you prefer). Drain.

Add:

46 oz. tomato juice

15 oz. tomato sauce (sometimes I use a little more)

28 oz. tomato puree

1 bottle of chili sauce (I like the Heinz brand)

Then add seasonings:

2 bay leaves

1.5 - 2 tsp. oregano

1.5 - 2 tsp.Italian seasoning

2 pinches of red & green pepper spice (can be kind of hard to find, but worth looking for!)

1.5 - 2 tsp. chili powder

Stir it all together and simmer for 3 hours until thick. I usually simmer it uncovered so it will get thicker. 

I also wanted to report that I finished the first book on my Kindle--Deception Point by Dan Brown. It was a little (OK, a LOT) far-fetched, but I liked it for the most part. I was just in the mood for a fast-paced book like that, and it was a fun read. Like many people had told me, it's not as good as Angels and Demons or The Da Vinci Code, but it's entertaining nonetheless. You'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about meteorites, that's for sure.

I'm a little behind on my reading for the year (if my goal is to read one book a month), but I'm into a new book now that I'm loving, so hopefully I'll catch up soon. Looking forward to spring and catching up on just about everything! Happy Tuesday!