Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I snagged this spaghetti sauce recipe from See Mommy Sew

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 lb. ground beef

3 small cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)

1 can tomato paste

enough water to make it as thin or thick as you like

4 tsp dried basil (of course, use fresh if you have it)

4 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

salt to taste

3 bay leaves

1 tsp garlic powder (I use freash garlic, instead)

1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. rosemary (I don’t like the pine needly feel of rosemary so I usually grind it up in my coffee grinder)

Brown ground beef and onion. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for an hour or so. You can cook it longer or shorter or use you slow cooker. Like most spaghetti sauces, it’s pretty forgiving. Serve on top of spaghetti noodles with lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and hot, buttery garlic bread on the side.

Crescents

From A Baker Dozen...........

Dissolve 1 package (1 Tablespoon) dry yeast in in 1/2 cup warm water. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm milk, 1 cup cornmeal, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 butter (softened or melted), 2 eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 2 cups of flour.

Beat until smooth. Stir in (approximately) 4 cups flour. Knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Place in greased bowl; cover and let rise until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Spray two baking sheets, sprinkle w/ cornmeal. Punch down dough and divide in two. Roll each half into 12" circle and spread with softened butter; cut each circle into 14 to 20 wedges, depending on the size of roll you want. Roll up each wedge, starting at wide end and ending at point.

Place rolls with points down on baking sheets. Cover and let rise until double (about 40 minutes). Preheat oven to 400. Brush crescents with melted butter and sprinkle with cornmeal. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes (more for larger rolls).

Breakfast Cookie

From A Bakers Dozen.....

I came up with this recipe as a way to help with hectic mornings. I had a vision of a "breakfast cookie" that my children would love. Something that had enough wholesome ingredients that I could feel good about giving it to them. These freeze well. Just fill a ziplock bag with cooled cookies and pop them in the freezer. Pull out the night before and serve with a glass of milk.

Feel free to adjust the ingredients. Fresh ground wheat works well. You can add more nuts and seeds and use less sugar. Think of this as the foundation of the cookie and make any adjustments you see fit.

I make these cookies large and serve with a glass of milk.

Breakfast Cookies:

Cream 1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup peanut butter (I like Adam's- no sugar)
2 cups sugar (white or brown)

add 4 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk

combine seperately
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups oats
3/4 cup sunflower seeds

combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix very well. Spoon onto cookie sheet. These have more of a cake texture and will not spread out much during baking. I like to make them big, since they are breakfast cookies.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until done.

Stand back and enjoy your children's astonished looks as you serve milk cookies for breakfast!