As many of you know, the bloggers were on a break for a little while. They came back right about the time I left for vacation so if you’ll allow me, I am playing catch up. You can still enjoy pasta in April–I promise!
Use Your Noodle to Test Your Noodle Knowledge
Did you know that March is National Pasta Month? Indeed, pasta lovers everywhere are celebrating the joys of pasta and its various dishes. In honor of the National Pasta Month, I will share some of our favorite pasta dishes but I thought I would kick off the festivities with a noodle quiz. I can offer you no prize other than the satisfaction of knowing you have the most useless knowledge regarding the popular food. If you want the answers you’ll have to check back tomorrow!
1. Pasta has been around since early 3,000 B.C. What people are credited with being the first to make pasta?
2. “Noodle” comes from the word ‘nudel’ which has its roots in what language?
3. How many quarts of water should be used to boil one pound of noodles?
4. What ingredient do noodles contain that make them different from most other pastas?
5. What dessert is made of noodles?
Homemade Marinara Sauce
Marinara sauce on its most basic level is made with tomatoes, onion, garlic and seasonings. It is the base of many Italian dishes: lasagne, spaghetti and meatballs. . .just to name a few. You may be surprised to find that it is not hard to make your own marinara sauce from scratch. Why would you do so? Because it is healthier and tastier. If you use canning jars you can actually can your marinara sauce but we use so much of it that I freeze mine.
You can make this in a crock pot as well as on the stove. (I use my crock pot)! In either case the trick is to cook it for a long time on low. I prefer to use fresh herbs simply because I like them better but you can use dry or fresh. I also encourage you to add as many fresh vegetables as you’d like. Since spaghetti is often a kid-friendly favorite, it is easy to sneak in extra nutrients. If your kids won’t eat it chunky, puree the sauce with a hand blender before serving over pasta or canning.
This is about as easy as it gets! Add together 5 chopped tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of tomato paste, 1 finely chopped onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 small green bell pepper, 12 mushrooms, 2 small zucchini or eggplant, and one small can of sliced olives. Cook in your crock pot on low or simmer on top of the stove for about 4-5 hours.
We also add fresh basil, oregano, and bay leaves to our sauce. If you want an authentic spicy sauce, consider adding hot Italian sauce to the mix. As the sauce simmers, the spices in the sausage will flavor the sauce.
Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the answers to the quiz and another delicious recipe using noodles!
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