Freezing Fresh Tomato Sauce

Among a few other freezer food adventures this fall (slow roasted tomatoes and pesto and the jars of peach jam), I decided to try making fresh tomato sauce and freezing it for pastas or pizza during the winter months.  This way I can savor the flavors of my garden tomatoes all winter long.

I combined a couple of recipes to make one that sounded perfect to me.  I started with the Italian Classics version of fresh tomato sauce and altered the ingredients a bit based on a freezer tomato sauce recipe I found online.  The cookbook's recipe had lots of great tips on how to make the most flavorful sauce.  So, we laboriously peeled and seeded two huge bowls of tomatoes from my garden in hopes of making perfect, rich Italian sauce.

Read more for step by step instructions with photos on making the perfect Tomato Sauce.

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Rustic Peach Jam

There is simply nothing more comforting than a warm slice of multigrain toast with a generous spread of fresh homemade jam on top.  This was my first jam making experience and let me just tell you that I might be addicted.  I have already made two batches of this peach jam. They were so fun to give as gifts, especially with these cute labels, that we had to make a second batch for ourselves.

Making jam is way easier than I thought it would be.  It takes time to peel and chop the fruit but besides that it is pretty simple.  I chose not to use a preservative so I am freezing my jars although I did follow a sterilization process for the jars.

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Bacon and Cashew Caramel Corn by Bon Appetit

Josh and I recently celebrated our 5th year anniversary and what a better way to celebrate than with the foods we love the most, bacon (for Josh) and caramel (for me)?  I imagine this Bacon Caramel Popcorn would also be the perfect treat to have around Halloween or a fall party. I found this genius recipe on Bon Appetit and tweeked it just a bit by using popcorn bags instead of just kernels.

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Breakfast in the Fall

There is nothing better than waking up to a cool house in the fall, wrapping up in a thick robe and making something warm for breakfast while the coffee is brewing.

Lately, my friend Ashley and I have been making breakfast together once a week.  This usually involves lots of coffee and carbs and our puppies at our feet.  Here is a picture of the two boys first meeting.

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Storing Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto for the Winter

Two great things to store up for the winter season:  pesto and slow roasted tomatoes.

I imagine a cold winter night, coming home from work hungry, warming up in some sweats in our very cold old bungalo, not wanting to cook but to just snuggle up by the tv and watch several episodes of our favorite shows on Netflix.  Soon this dream turns to reality.  I hope to make cooking easy this winter and one way to do that is to make things I can store and quickly defrost.

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Sopecitos at Frida Bistro and lunch on the patio

Using Random.org comment number 17 was selected to win!  Congratulations Corna, we all hope you enjoy a fun dinner at Frida Bistro!

 On a recent lunch rendezvous at Frida Bistro I discovered a new dish that I'm excited to share with you. Have you heard of a Sopecito? No? Allow me to enlighten you.

Sopecito, pronounced soap-eh-cito, are small blue corn rounds, like-toastadas, with a black bean puree and topped with a variety of flavors. I realize I am probably botching the description of this sophisticated Mexican dish but I hope you get the idea. At Frida Bistro for lunch you can select from several options to top your sopecita: carne asada, pork basted in citrus glaze, portabello chorizo, achiote marinated grilled wild salmon, honey–chipotle marinated gulf shrimp, or organic chicken breast marinated in lime. My friend and I both ordered sopecitos, so we tried the portabello chorizo, and the honey chipotle shrimp. After tasting both we agreed that the honey chipotle shrimp was the better of the two with a bit more kick to your taste buds.

Read more and comment for a chance to win $50 to Frida Bistro.

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Vintage Cocktail Party

A few gals and I got together for vintage cocktails and lunch, something that we'd been talking about doing for a while but finally made happen.  It was a fabulous party that I intend to replicate again and again. There's not much better than a good cocktail and chatting it up with new and old friends.  I imagine this is something that has been happening since 'vintage' was current.  I imagine a similar setting of women in the kitchen still wearing their aprons, talking about the men in their life or family gossip over a dish made with gelatin or a dessert made with shortening.  We do the same thing now, maybe the food has changed, hopefully for the better, and the clothes are now more comfortable.

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Will Travel for Food

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

I travel for lots of reasons.  For one, my husband's music gives him opportunity to travel around the U.S. for concerts, retreats, and fundraisers.  And simply put, I just enjoy being with him, so I come along.  I have an adventurous spirit, just ask Josh (he can't keep up with me most of the time) so exploring a new city gets me almost giddy.  Another reason I especially like to travel, I enjoy learning about new cities, the local culture, and meeting new people.  Hearing people's stories and learning from them, gaining inspiration from some and being the person to encourage another.  For all of these reasons, I travel.

On another note, I get a strange thrill to try new foods, new restaurants, new flavors.  An additional reason to travel.

Fresh Cinnamon Roll from Nuvrei Bakery, served at Stumptown in the Ace Hotel Portland

On this little seemingly unimportant blog, I record some of our travels.  The people we meet, friends we visit, and new foods we try.

Here are some cities that I've updated recently that I would love to share with you.  Also, you can check out my full travel list here.

Portland
Austin
Seattle
Gig Harbor

Full list of cities I've posted about

What cities do you enjoy traveling to?

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White Bean Chicken Chili and a Story of Babysitting

photos by amylashelle

Josh and I had the pleasure of taking care of our dear friends' two daughters last week.  We don't babysit often, or ever really, except I did have a nannying job right after college but that was a newborn baby.  So, we were excited to be the quirky aunt and uncle for a few days.

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Best Granola Recipe.

On my quest for the best recipes for several classic foods (best bran muffins, best chocolate chip cookies, etc) I found my favorite granola recipe.  I have made granola several ways and this is my absolute favorite.

This is a great time of year for granola. With peaches in season, a bowl of granola is perfect with sliced peaches over creamy Greek yogurt. Also, it is a hearty breakfast or snack that will kick up your energy levels if you go for a hike in the fall foliage.

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Visiting Seattle Washington with a Local

During our brief time in the Seattle area we made our way to one of my favorite places, Pike Place Market. I picked up some dried fruits and a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers for our hosts as we enjoyed the bustling city on a Saturday morning.  We sampled fresh honey crisp washington apples and chocolate covered hazelnuts as we walked around the market, enjoying the company of good friends in the excitement of a new city.

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Gig Harbor on a Yacht

The friendly people of Gig Harbor, Washington charmed us.  Josh and I traveled here last week, when he played a few concerts and a fundraiser for Young Life.  We had the extreme pleasure of being a guest of this enchanting town.

Overlooking the Puget Sound, fishing boats at the docks and lush green all around, the town enveloped us.  Our senses were overloaded by the smells of sea water and homemade scones in the oven. Even the most beautiful cities can remain plain without a community of good-hearted people.  And that is exactly who we met here, folks who really live life to the extent that we are created to. We were treated like family by our caring hosts and were cared for by everyone we met.  We met people here whose stories and fun-loving personalities we'll remember for a lifetime.  One I'll share with you today.

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Buy one Get one Free at TCBY

A new TCBY opened at Fashion Place Mall in Murray and they are offering a buy one get one free to my blog readers! Thanks TCBY. Hope you all enjoy some frozen yogurt soon.

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