Here is a recipe I adapted from Tuttorosso’s Garlic Tomato Bruschetta.  I wanted to make an appetizer for everyone to snack on while waiting on the Turkey for Thanksgiving…but you have to do a test run, right?  I mean…what if tomatoes, basil, goat cheese, and balsamic glaze tasted horrible together?  I couldn’t bare the embarrassment! 🙂

This is our first Thanksgiving spent at home with our family.  In all the year prior, Nate has been working in the restaurant on Thanksgiving…causing me to either miss out on the family meal because I felt guilty leaving Nate behind -OR- going to the family meal and having to say over and over “No, he isn’t here, I’m here alone.  He is at work.”  So to say we are feeling thankful for the way our lives are at this moment is an understatement!  And we will never take for granted being able to cook a fabulous meal together on a holiday!

Don’t forget to enter daily for Tuttorosso’s three-week promotion starting November 19, during which they will be giving away 1,000 aprons per week, a daily drawing of one heirloom wooden spoon and the grand prize, a Martha Stewart Cookware set. Just go to http://www.facebook.com/tuttorossotomato to enter.

Tuttorosso was kind enough to send me a variety gift pack of tomatoes, an apron, wooden spoon (which are best for sauces) and recipes to use and post on my blog.  Below is the second recipe I adapted from their website…

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough bread, or Italian bread, sliced 1 inch thick
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomato
1 4 oz log on goat cheese
8 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Salt and black pepper to taste
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

*optional* Balsamic glaze

Directions
Brush bread slices with olive oil and broil on each side until toasted.

In a small bowl combine the tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Use immediately or cover and let chill in the fridge over night.

Spoon tomato mixture onto the toasted bread and crumble goat cheese on top.  Drizzle the balsamic glaze for an extra zing of flavor.

Have you had butter sauce? Yea, you heard me, butter sauce.  Usually when things sound too good to be true they are…in this case the sauce is as good as the name sounds.  However, when I first heard the words “butter sauce” I thought of a class french white sauce…not an italian red sauce.  This sauce is so simple yet the butter, onions, and tomatoes compliment each other in a way that each are highlighted.  The butter adds a rich and creamy taste while the onions give the acidity of the tomatoes a hint of sweet.  It’s just an unique blend that I would never have thought of had it not been for Tuttorosso Tomatoes!

The 85-year-old, family-owned and family-run tomato brand recently launched a new website (www.tuttorossotomatoes.com) with recipes, an inspirational ideas blog and even stories from home cooks. As part of that, they are introducing a line-up of Sunday Sauce recipes to inspire cooks in every kitchen. They’re calling it, “Celebrate the Sauce”.

Tuttorosso also will be hosting a three-week promotion starting November 19, during which they will be giving away 1,000 aprons per week, a daily drawing of one heirloom wooden spoon and the grand prize, a Martha Stewart Cookware set. Just go to http://www.facebook.com/tuttorossotomato to enter.

Tuttorosso was kind enough to send me a variety gift pack of tomatoes, an apron, wooden spoon (which are best for sauces) and recipes to use and post on my blog.  Below is the first recipe I adapted from their website…

Buttery Tomato Sauce with Onion

Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 28 ounce can Tuttorosso® Peeled Plum Italian Style Tomatoes, crushed with hands
1 teaspoon sugar
1 stick butter, cubed
2 medium onions, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper

Directions

In a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté onions and garlic and a tablespoon of olive oil…until that are translucent and some onions have brown edges.

Add the canned tomatoes, sugar, butter, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, & bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally and mashing any large pieces of tomato with the back of a wooden spoon.  Cook about 45 minutes or until flavors blend and sauce is slightly reduced.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper if needed and serve with your choice of pasta.

So many exciting things are happening!  Some I am not ready to tell you.  But I can spill the beans on one…I am starting my own Website Management business.  I am about to merge my business site with the blog so you can access both.  This has been an itch and a dream of mine for years, and I finally got the guts to just go for it.  I’ve been planning and getting things ready for 2+ months now.  And, FINALLY ready to start taking clients.   My focus or “target customer” would be a small business that needs a website, that can be found in search engines, would like to increase traffic, and doesn’t want to hire a bunch of different companies to do this for them!  Also, not having to hire a whole staff member to maintain the business website will save each company a TON of money and having the website maintained the right way will actually MAKE them money!  This is something I truly enjoy doing and would love to offer this service to anyone who is interested.  I can handle any size of website so contact me with any questions 🙂 Okay…enough business talk…lets get to the good stuff! “Would you like some meat to go with that sauce?” is a question I hear often.  I can NEVER have enough sauce on my food.  So I mixed up some ingredients I already had on hand and got lucky haha!   Nate said they were blog-worthy so here you go 🙂   Ingredients -2 packages of chicken wings/legs (about 18) -2 table spoons vegetable oil -2 table spoons ketchup -3/4 cup of honey -1/4 cup of brown sugar -1/2 cup of soy sauce -3 cloves garlic, minced -pinch of cayenne pepper -a pinch of black pepper   Directions -Preheat oven to 400 degrees -In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients minus the meat to create the sauce. -Place chicken in a 9×13 baking dish. -Pour Sauce over the chicken -Bake uncovered for 30 minutes -Flip each piece of chicken to the other side and bake another 30 minutes -Flip each piece of chicken again and bake for 30 minutes. -Remove from oven, spoon sauce over the chicken, and enjoy! **Can use other chicken cuts as well…legs would be delicious!   Ingredients

Welp.  Long story short, this is a good one.  Don’t deny your tummy the yummy-ness of this casserole.  Double the recipe, make two, eat one, and freeze one for later.  When I looked up ‘comfort food’ on urban dictionary, I saw this picture:   Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 1/2 an onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced or sliced 1 16 ounce bag of frozen tater tots 1 10 ounce can of condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 bunch of green onions, sliced 4 strips of bacon (at least 4 :), crumbled Sour cream salt and pepper to taste   Directions -Preheat oven to 375 degrees -Brown the beef in a medium skillet and season with salt and pepper.  About halfway, drain the fat and add the onions and garlic.  Cook until meat is brown and the onions start to soften. -Remove the meat mixture from heat and stir in the mushroom soup. -Add the meat mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish and make an even layer. -Add the bag of tater tots on top of the meat mixture. -Sprinkle the shredded cheese, green onions, and bacon over the top. -Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.  Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the cheese is a melted goodness that you just can’t stand to leave in their a minute longer. -Top with sour cream, hot sauce, ketchup, or any other fixin’s you’d normally eat on your baked potato and enjoy!

Fall has to be my favorite season.  Something about the crisp cool air and the smell of leaves just gets me going.  To some, a pumpkin spice latte is their favorite indulgence of fall.  Mine, a warm, hearty, beef, stew-type concoction.  Really, hearty meals just taste better in cool weather, it’s a fact. This recipe is adapted from Paula Deen.  I had to make some adjustments while making this dish for the first time, but it turned out amazing!  The 2 major adjustments were adding a roux and seasoning at the end.  The original recipe calls to season the meat only.  The sauce needed a thickener…next time, I will flour the meat before browning.  And please please please, always give your food a taste before serving so you can adjust the seasoning.  As Nate was chowing down I casually said “So, tomorrow, we are starting our new diet.  We can only eat eggs and salad.” Nate exclaimed “WHAT?!?!?!”  I replied “April Fools :)” Nate “It’s not April…”  Me “Uhh, October Fools, I mean trick or treat!” It has been my mission in life to find THE perfect red and white wine to cook with.  Something that tasted great, added yummy flavor to dishes, and didn’t break the bank.  The search has ended and here it is: There is also an Apothic White which I think is equally as successful in all 3 accounts.  Try it!Give this recipe a shot and if anything…you’ll have some leftover wine to enjoy.  Not a bad deal 🙂   [yumprint-recipe id=’4′]