Getting Saucy.

What better way to celebrate National Spaghetti Day than to introduce to you all a recipe for some homemade pasta sauce? I am getting tired of the same old watered down, store-bought, flavorless pasta sauces. Making your own homemade sauce is the most simple thing to do and it’s not very time-consuming at all. I have to admit, when I did pull this recipe, I didn’t realize that the sauce DOES need to simmer for about 2 hours, but it turned out fine – my husband and I weren’t quite hungry at the time I was making the sauce, and the kids wanted something else besides spaghetti, so we fed them and patiently waited for our sauce to simmer. And it was WELL. WORTH. THE. WAIT!

The following recipe was taken from AllRecipes.com and I have adapted it just a bit. I used Italian sausage instead of using ground beef. I figure, go big or go home. Spice up your life a little bit! And I’d like to introduce to you Oro Di Parma Tomato Paste. I used this tomato paste with the recipe below.

This tomato paste comes four different ways: triple concentrated, seasoned with vegetables, seaonsed with basil and spicy hot. I also used Oro Di Parma Chopped Tomatoes for my chopped tomatoes required for the recipe. So without further delay, I will provide the following recipe with my changes!

Easy Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 1/2 cups Oro Di Parma Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 1/3 cans (6 ounces) Oro Di Parma Tomato Paste (these tubes are 7.02 ounces, it’s triple concentrated, so I used about 4 ounces, just over half a tube)
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms (I actually used a full 8 ounce can!)

Directions:

1. Brown Italian sausage over medium heat. Drain off fat.
2. In a large pot, combine Italian sausage, salt, sugar, oregano, pepper, garlic powder, onion flakes, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and mushrooms. Simmer at a low heat setting for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Cook pasta accordingly to package directions. Drain. Serve sauce over spaghetti.
4. Enjoy and Happy National spaghetti Day!

 

As with all sauces, at least when it comes to pasta dishes, the longer it sits, the better it tastes. I made this the other night and I had leftovers and the sauce was even better the next day! Use this sauce for making lasagna as well! And as with all sauces, it will take time to tweak it and make it your own. While this tomato sauce came out excellent, there are a few things I’d maybe change-up for next time. I might add some fresh chopped garlic, more fresh items and what not, but delicious!

 

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Buttery Bliss.

The holiday season is here! With it comes time with family, loved ones, friends and maybe even the opportunity to meet new acquaintances. Sometimes these events and gatherings take place in the morning, maybe later in the day or evening. But one thing I can say that can be enjoyed any time of day or night is this: shortbread. Great as a dunking partner with your morning cup of Joe or with your afternoon tea, or perhaps as a side dessert item with a cordial after dinner, shortbread goes well with just about anything.

We’ve talked about a lot of different cookies, butter cookies and shortbread, and again, we have another variety to bring to you attention! Walkers Shortbread has got some awesome shortbread cookies and other baked delights. As do many of the products featured here at Gourmet Nibbles, Walkers reminds me of days growing up and visiting my grandparents house and seeing these baked treasures out on the table. They weren’t always out, they only made an appearance for special occasions.

What I love best about Walkers Shortbread is the packed butter flavor, with a dense, yet flaky finish that leaves you wanting more bites of cookie bliss even before you’ve finished your first cookie. They come in all different shapes and sizes. For instance, the package size you are seeing with Santa, the two pack, is perfect for grabbing on the go when you can’t sit down at home and enjoy a quick nibble or perfect for stocking stuffers this Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas and the holidays, giving the gift of shortbread, I think, is better than giving candy or other sugary sweets and treats. Shortbread is just a classic item to have in your house, it goes with just about anything. Shortbread is perfect for before or after any meal. Set it out with snacks or appetizers, or serve it with dessert and post-dinner beverages.

Exporting shortbread from Scotland since the 1970s to over 60 countries, Walkers used the original recipe of Joseph Walker who set out on his ambitious baking adventure to bake “The World’s Finest Shortbread”. As times have changed and new factories built, the company produces a new range of shortbread and biscuits on the following conditions: They would have to continue to use the finest ingredients of plump fruits, aromatic spices, chunks of real chocolate and wholesome nuts. (Source: Walkers Website “Our History”)

For any time of the day, for any occasion, Walkers shortbread will be perfect for just about any event. Go out and grab some and discover the rich, buttery bliss that this product has. You will not be disappointed! They also have a variety of cute holiday shapes, packaging and more! If you ever find the Scottie shaped shortbread from Walkers, that shape is one of my favorites!

By the time this post is even published, you bet those shortbread in front of my coffee mug this morning are LONG GONE! Nibble, nibble!

Side Dish Delish!

Do you find yourself trying to find something to add to your main dish – it doesn’t matter if it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner? Well, today we’ve got just the perfect side dish delish that you need to add with your next meal! Why not try adding Kartoffelland Fried Potatoes with Onion to your next meal? It is SO easy to prepare – just fry them up in a pan and heat them to your desire and BOOM! You’ve got yourself one of the easiest side dishes to go with your main course.

Think about it… you could add this with your morning eggs and toast. A nice different twist to your regular hash browns. Or… maybe you have some left over ham or other meat that you need to cook up and eat – whip these potatoes up with the meat and you’ve got yourself a lunch meal! Let’s not forget about dinner – why not cook up some bratwurst, sauerkraut and Kartoffelland potatoes?! TA DA! Meal is done! So simple and easy to make!

If these fried potatoes are not your thing, what about dumplings? Kartoffelland also has German Potato Dumplings that have easy prep: mix with water, form dumplings and boil! Speaking of these dumplings, I have had these before. They are a great side dish to any meal as well, perhaps our next go ’round with Kartoffelland, we’ll whip up some of the dumplings for us to share and view with you!

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I prepared the Kartoffelland Fried Potatoes with Onion for brunch yesterday. It was such a hectic morning – I was up early to get out and about with errands to run after making sure the oldest got on the bus. By the time I got home from hockey manager duties and dropping off a birthday snack to school, it was time to put some food in the tummy. I still had English muffins and I thought potatoes and eggs sound good, so why not? So I opened up a package of Kartoffelland potatoes and added them to the frying pan! I really didn’t add much more besides a little pad of butter to the frying pan. The potatoes are already in vegetable oil from the packaging, so I just decided a little bit of butter would be sufficient and let them fry up in the pan for about 15-20 minutes over a medium/low heat. After the potatoes were fried up, I had my toaster work on my English muffins and then I got a pan ready to make some scrambled eggs. I will admit, while getting the pan ready for the scrambled eggs, I let my butter get a little too hot as I was putting some of that Maintal Rosehip Fruit Spread on my English muffins. I took a little too long spreading the fruit and probably had a little too much butter in the pan for the eggs. The eggs didn’t look that pretty, so I spared you all from their odd appearance (but they tasted just fine). These potatoes are a great side dish for any meal!