Ciao Bella

I make the best spaghetti sauce you've ever eaten. No, really, I do. It's the kind of sauce that you will not be served in a fancy resturant, nor is it the sauce that comes in a can. It's the kind of sauce that you could, literally, eat everyday: noodles, toast, rice, by itself. It's that good. I cannot take all the credit for the sauce because my Mom made the prototype of it as I grew up. It took me many years to do so, and many, many times my Mother served me spaghetti. I, being me, critiqued it. In my college years I perfected it and now I give it to you. Enjoy.

1 lb. hamburger meat, cooked and drained
2. lg. cans diced tomatoes
1 sm. can tomato sauce
1 sm. onion, chopped
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 handful basil (dried)
1/4 handful oregano (dried)
1 cube beef bullion
2 bay leaves
Splash (good) olive oil
pepper to taste
splash of wine, if you like

Place all in large pot, bring to boil. Place lid on top, turn down to low, and remove yourself from the kitchen. Do not go back in there until you smell the sauce. Once you do so, remove lid and stir rigourously. Adjust seasoning; do you need more garlic? Another splash of wine? Pepper? Begin to prepare noodles at this point while allowing sauce to continue simmering. Once the noodles are done the sauce is done too. Enjoy with cheeses.

The Culinary Dictates of Oklahoma

I have it on good authority that to be Oklahoman, one must consume small game. Maybe California wasn't so bad after all...

Opossum
If possible, trap 'possum and feed it on milk and cereals for 10 days before killing. Clean, but do not skin. Treat as for pig by immersing the unskinned animal in water just below the boiling point. Test frequently by plucking at the hair. When it slips out readily, remove the possum from the water and scrape. While scrapping repeatedly, pour cool water over the surface of the animal. Remove small red glands in the back and under each foreleg between the shoulder and rib. Parboil, page 132, 1 hour. Roast as for pork, page 407.
Serve with:
Turnip greens
The Joy of Cooking, 1971

Peanut Butter and Bacon Sandwich

Virtue, however admirable, is frequently dull. Peanut butter needs enlivening. Try this mixture on the unconverted.
Combine:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pickle relish or chili sauce
1/4 cup cooked minced bacon
Toast on one side:
4 slices bread
Spread the untoasted side with the mixture. Broil the sandwiches until the tops are brown. Slice them diagonally.
The Joy of Cooking, 1971

Cooties

I am as bad as a man when I am unwell. The Princess and the Pea has nothing on me. Let me elaborate on my condition, gather round. My head is at once achy and floaty and unwilling to think. My body is like that Britney song, " Cause I'm cold as fire baby, hot as ice", which until this moment never made sense to me. I want to vomit. I am crabby, petulant, and without merit. Boo hoo, I'm fucking sick. It's times like these that I'm glad I'm a nobody. Did you hear that Elizabeth Taylor had it worked into her Cleopatra contract that she recieved a week off every month so that she could menstrate in peace? I know, I know, Cleopatra was a disaster, this was just another nail in that coffin, but come on. I am laid low by a nasty, potentially debilitating for several days bacterial something, and she gets a week off for her period? Nobodies have got the Somebodies beat in this race. At least my hissy fits are not published ............................................oh wait.
By the by, ginger and carrot juice are very good for common ailments. Add 1/4 cup of grated ginger to a hot bath, as well as epsom salt, and soak until you're wrinkled. Drink carrot juice several times throughout the day, as well as kombucha tea. Rest. Now go away.

Pho Bo

I am in love with this soup. I literally want to carry a cup of it around with me all day long and sip, sip, sip. After one minute of research, however, I was disheartened to find that the secret ingredient is "labor". The good people of Howstuffworks.com have an easy version of this recipe that I'll try tonight.

Vietnamese Beef Soup

by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine

Vietnamese Beef Soup

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 pound boneless beef top sirloin or top round steak

3 cups water

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth

1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed consommé, undiluted

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long)

4 ounces rice noodles (rice sticks), about 1/8 inch wide

1/2 cup thinly sliced or julienned carrots

2 cups fresh bean sprouts

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

2 jalapeño peppers,* minced or 1 to 3 teaspoons Chinese chili sauce or paste

Preparation:

1.

Place beef in freezer 45 minutes or until firm. Meanwhile, combine water, beef broth, consommé, soy sauce, ginger and cinnamon stick in large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick; discard. Meanwhile, place rice noodles in large bowl and cover with warm water; let stand until softened, about 20 minutes.

2.

Slice beef lengthwise in half, then crosswise into very thin strips. Drain noodles. Place noodles and carrots in simmering broth; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until noodles are tender. Add beef and bean sprouts; cook 1 minute or until beef is no longer pink.

3.

Remove from heat; stir in red onion, cilantro, basil and jalapeño peppers. To serve, lift noodles from soup with fork and place in bowls. Ladle remaining ingredients and broth over noodles.
Note: After trying this recipe I would try the following the next time I make it: less noodles, a better stock and consumme