Back in the kitchen ...

I've been on somewhat of a hiatus from blogging this past summer. A crazy summer of traveling for work, a 50th anniversary celebration for my parents, and our oldest daughter's wedding pushed cooking and blogging to the bottom of the list!

But the summer is now behind us, cooler weather has arrived and canning tomatoes appeared at the market this week. So back to the kitchen I headed today to stir up my homemade spaghetti sauce to can for the winter.

After years of experimenting, I've decided that a combination of Roma tomatoes and canning tomatoes (likely a Big Boy or Beefsteak tomato) makes the best sauce. Two bushel of tomatoes (one of each) will produce somewhere between 35-38 quarts of sauce. Using chopped, fresh basil and garlic cloves really gives a fresh taste to enjoy over the winter.


Tools make all the difference when you're spending a long day on your feet processing tomatoes. Some of my favorites include my Pampered Chef garlic press, an awesome stock pot that cooks evenly and is easy to clean, my trusty pressure canner, and my least expensive but much appreciated long-handled spoons. No kitchen should be without some!


By the end of the day my feet were tired and I had handled enough tomatoes to last a lifetime, but oh did my kitchen smell delicious. And the rows of shining jars of spaghetti sauce on the counter are a promise of wonderful dishes to come this winter!

What smells yummy in your kitchen this weekend?

Blessings ...
~Judy