Friday, September 20, 2013

Welcome Back!



We have moved!!! I think it said it all about why I wasn't here lately. I tried. But with packing, moving, two graduations, driving cross-country, unpacking, and everything in between... there wasn't much time left for blogging. 
One evening, somewhere in Arizona, while struggling to connect to a hotel's wi-fi, my son said to me: "Why are you getting so anxious about posting? Take a break, everyone needs some vacation time, even a blogger". I looked at him with admiration: smart kid! "I think I might just do that!" was all I said. 
I am so glad I did take a break. I was worn out both mentally and physically. Let me tell you, moving is no fun! Even if it sounds pretty exiting at first, when you get to the reality of actual process it's a lot of work. Well, you know that, right? 
With all that said, I did miss all of you this Summer, no question there! I am so glad to be back indeed.



Unpacking is not the only thing I did upon our arrival. Because we spent a good half of the Summer traveling my other goal was to catch the season by it's tail and preserve something for upcoming winter. 
For that I go to our Farmer's Market every Saturday, and, oh boy, what a bounty there is! I buy berries, fruits and vegetables in bulk. We eat it fresh as much as we can and the rest goes into jams, jellies, relishes, gets pickled and fermented. I experiment with the recipes, and I make things old fashioned way, a.k.a. my grandmother's and my mother's way. 


Yesterday I made this absolutely delicious tomato sauce, after which it would be really-really hard to use a store bought one. The recipe is from my mother (I am sure many home cooks have something similar in their recipe box), she always makes it in large quantities. We are talking about 50-70 liters per year here. I made a small batch to try. Tonight, teenager and his friend had last of the sauce with pork ribs.  I guess I have to do more bulk shopping for tomatoes. 



The recipe for this basic tomato sauce is very simple, the secret is in simmering this sauce for 1,5-2 hours, steering 20-25 minutes to prevent it from scorching.  

2 kg (5 Lb) tomatoes
500 g (1,5 Lb) onions
Basil leaves

Run the sauce through a food mill or tomato strainer, and it's ready to become a delicious pasta sauce (just add salt), or more intense meat sauce, or tomato soup base, or whatever you chose it to be. It tastes fantastic. Try to make it, you'll be glad you did. 

See you,
Marina



14 comments:

  1. Kudos for al the courage it takes to do all that..
    Hope your new nest is perfect!

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    1. We are in process of making our nest. Today unpacked last two boxes... :)

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  2. Welcome back Marina - we've missed you, but I hope you've had a good summer and can settle down a bit now!

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    1. Hi Charles, yes indeed, the summer was great. I had a vacation time with my husband, first in eight years! I missed you too, although I was reading your posts each time I received an e-mail notification. :)

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  3. Welcome back! I've missed your posts. Hope the move went well and you're liking everything in your new place, and that life is good. Oh, and homemade tomato sauce is so good, isn't it? ;-)

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    1. Hi John, oh we are still in the process, you know it takes time to settle down. And I need to tell you that with all beauty, city life, and everything Seattle has to offer, I do miss The South a lot. I have learned so much from the people there!

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  4. Marinochka, I am so glad that you start blogging again! Welcome back, we've missed you so much!

    Hugs and kisses,

    Yelena

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  5. Welcome back and all the very best to you and your family in your new home.
    I just made a batch of tomato sauce today too.

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    1. Hi Norma, Thank you for your kind wishes. I missed you and thought of you quite often this summer. Hope your garden was bountiful. I will be on your blog soon! :)

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  6. The tomato sauce looks wonderful!! I'll have to try this while we still have our own tomatoes! Good seeing you again Marina!

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    1. Hi Ginger! I am so glad to see you here! Thank you for "stopping by". I think of you often, and miss Fort Smith and all my friends. And goats too! :) My bathroom smell like roses this days from that soap I got from you. Thanks to the girls! and to you. and Bob. All the best to you all my friends!

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    2. We miss you too Marina! We hope you are settling in and enjoying your new home. Give our best to your family!!

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    3. Thank you Ginger! I am not sure yet, it doesn't feel like home to me. I miss the sun, the people, the goats....

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Your warm comments put a smile on my heart.