Classic Sauce

15/365 Classic Sauce
Originally uploaded by maggie_gem

Today I spent the afternoon making sauce with meatballs and sweet Italian sausage, a big enough batch so Kate can take some back to school with her.

I've just recently started to make my own sauce, for years we used jarred sauce or went out for dinner when in the mood for some Italian dish. I've never made my own because my mother made the best sauce in the world, and I never made it with her so I was afraid I'd never get it right. I remember growing up and how the neighbor's daughters would be at the door whenever Momma cook her spaghetti and meatballs. It was amazing to see how they loved her meatballs... we were all close friends and Momma loved it! How could I ever live up to that?

Momma never had recipes written down, like a musician that plays by ear, she had a natural talent for cooking. The only way to learn from her was to watch her in action, even lend her a hand. Measuring tools were never found in her kitchen either, it was always a "pinch", a "dash" or a "touch" of whatever ingredients were in the dish. She also knew how to feed a crowd on a shoestring... but then again, with seven kids the family was a crowd by ourselves.

I finally decided that I could no longer stand the store bought sauces, and with some help from my brother Ed got the basic sauce down about two months ago. The first batch left much to be desired, it was too thick and bland... but I doctored it up a bit more and it was edible. The second batch, with some advice from a good friend came out just like Momma used to make... I must admit, I was very proud of myself and thrilled to see hubby and daughter cleaning up all the sauce on their plates just like the neighbor's girls did for Momma. So today's batch, a request made by my daughter is batch three and I'm sure Momma would be proud!