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Saturday, September 17, 2011

Marinara Sauce ~ Oktoberfest




Good 42º clear sunny morning.





 
 
Yesterday was perfect... 75º with a little breeze.



 
 
 
 
 

I was just reading about the Reno Air Show tragedy. The pilot saved hundreds of lives by pulling up away from the grandstands... 3 died, 50+ injured. One man lost his leg at the knee. Pilot was a 74 year old former stuntman. So sad.






So.... the marinara sauce is made... Here's what I did... I weighed the tomatoes (40 pounds worth), gathered them in one place to cut up... put them in a big pan with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder and cooked them... then they went into a food strainer that takes off the skin, it goes one way and the tomato pulp goes another way...








 



Then I strained out some of the juice (saved later for tomato juice and canned it), added sauteéd mushrooms - onion - and celery, chopped garlic, spices, and cooked it down. For a few of the pints I added some capers - green stuffed olives - and Greek olives. (This was a special Greek touch) Canning process in the water bath takes about 45 minutes...






 
 
I ended up with 20 pints of sauce, 2 qts without onions (for Brian), and 5 quarts of tomato juice. I will label each with "Sue's Famous Marinara Sauce" and if you are good, you might get one! or two!   :o)



The equation works out to about 1.6 pounds of tomatoes, more or less, makes 1 pint of sauce. That includes onion, celery, etc. Every year I make it, I learn something new or figure out an easier way. The crockpot this year was a brilliant idea.

 
 

For years I took commercial marinara sauce, usually Prego, which I like best, and added fresh chopped tomatoes, sauteéd celery and mushrooms and onions. Heated it all up and it tasted like fresh homemade. Then my children boo hoo'd when I moved here and they couldn't have any of my sauce so I started growing tomatoes, making sauce, canning it, and sending it to them.



Today I get my hair cut and then will be back home to make cucumber relish. Never made it before, but it sounds good. Cukes, onions, red and green bell peppers, mustard and celery seed, salt, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. The cukes from Jeannie and Bill's garden. They also gave me some jalapeños so I may add some of them to the relish. Mmmmm... spicy!



Historically this date...

1814Francis Scott Key finishes his poem "Defence of Fort McHenry", later to be the lyrics of "The Star-Spangled Banner".

1908 – The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes killing Selfridge. He becomes the first airplane fatality.

1928 – The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards of 2,500 people. It is the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.



And births this date include....
shoot... none of these people are alive!
1854David Dunbar Buick, American automobile pioneer (d. 1929)


Hmmm... must be related to me somehow, seeing that my grandmother's maiden name was Dunbar. There is a Dunbar Castle in Scotland... well, sort of, in ruins now.

1904 – Jerry Colonna, American comedian and entertainer (d. 1986)



... OMG, I remember him. I thought him very odd!
 
1923Hank Williams, American musician (d. 1953)


1928Roddy McDowall, English actor (d. 1998)
 
 

1931Anne Bancroft, American actress (d. 2005)

 

1948 – John Ritter, American actor (d. 2003)

 

Today is Alice Reardon's birthday (for real~! I had the wrong date when I listed her on the 12th) HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICE!!!

.....

and my friends Olga and Jimmy are celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY kids!!!!! xoxo



Just a thought... Charlie Sheen has been interviewed and interviewed and interviewed this past week on TV. He has said repeatedly that he "Doesn't know what happened" when they refer to his "meltdown".
 OH COME ON Charlie. You drugged out self-indulged idiot!
He's promoting his new show, Anger Management. Big whoop... Funny, last night I was watching Leno and Jay had on a purple tie while Sheen had on a pink one. I know what Brian would have said, "Don't they come in men's colors?" Thought of you Bri, and you would have been right! Which on the other hand, it really wasn't that bad. At least he, Sheen, had the forethought to wear a suit. I think men are so good looking in suits instead of going on national television in torn jeans, sloppy shirts, shoes without sox, loafers with white sox (UGH Letterman!) or suits with tennis shoes ! Some of the "Hollyweirdos" dress like they are doing yard work!


All I know. Nuff said. Happy Saturday. Ciao.
xo Sue-Mom-Bobo
September 17th
Oktoberfest  
 


Ahhh yes, beer and sauerkraut! The lederhosen, not so much.

:o(