Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

After visiting the farmer's market last Saturday, I had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with--so I made my own tomato spaghetti sauce. I started with a recipe from my grandmother's Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish (a family favorite), but ended up with my own creation.

I used:

One large red tomato, diced

5-10 yellow Roma tomatoes, cut in half

1 slice onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 large links Italian sausage

3 tablespoons butter

2 table spoons flour 

I started by taking the sausages out of their casings, tearing them into 1 inch pieces, and throwing them into a large frying pan. Once they were brown and juicy, I added the red and yellow tomatoes, onion slices, sugar, salt and pepper, and let the mixture simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Next, I added the butter and flour and stirred the mixture, continuing to cook over low heat, until it thickened into a sauce.

That's it! Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil and serve with shredded parmesan cheese. Yum.

P.S. This is really a great book for cooking basics. The recipes are simple and really bare-boned, which allows you to experiment with extra seasonings and flavors. For example, the tomato sauce recipe I used originally called for canned tomatoes, but I easily substituted the fresh tomatoes I got at the farmer's market, and added in the Italian sausage.

It's also a fun cookbook because it was published 1969, but Marjorie Standish started writing her recipes for the Maine Sunday Telegram in 1948! It definitely has that "like grandma made it" quality, and my copy even has my nana's comments in the margins. She noted in neat cursive when she did something different from the recipe, or when my grandfather really liked a specific dish. It is remarkable to have the physical evidence of so many shared homemade meals, I am happy to be the third generation to use this book.

Mount Agamenticus

Also while in Maine, we "hiked" Mount Agamenticus. After being in the flat midwest, we were so excited to go on a real hike, and Andrew read about Mount Agamenticus which was right in York, Maine where we were staying. When we told my mom our plans, and asked how long we would need to do the hike, she just laughed at us. 

"Um, you drive up it?" she explained.

Yup. Apparently there are some nice actual hikes, but since it was rainy, we just walked around and enjoyed the misty views.

The Way Life Should Be

  Maine.

The way life should be.

New Hampshire

I just recently got back from my trip to New Hampshire and Maine. Nothing like those White Mountains. 

Blue Period

A few years ago, Joanna Goddard wrote a fascinating article for New York Magazine about New Yorkers who dress in all one color--that isn't black. I love these quirky New Yorkers' discipline and vision. It's like Picasso's Blue Period but through clothing.

I'm joking that I am having a "Blue Period" right now. It's like a silly way not to take my frustration/disappointment from this job search too seriously. It's just an artistic phase. Maybe I will wear only blue this week?

Some blue inspiration:

Top photo from The Sartorialist

Middle photo from What I Wore

Bottom photo also from The Sartorialist 

Out of Print

Last year for Christmas, I was thinking of getting my friend Greg this awesome T-shirt made by the company Out of Print, a company that designs T-shirts featuring classic book designs:

I loved the shirt, but then I remembered Greg doesn't wear T-shirts so that was out. (He also didn't even finish reading the Great Gatsby until this year when I threatened him. Just saying.)

After I nixed it as a Christmas gift idea, I forgot about this cool company. Then yesterday I saw Out of Print advertised as I was flipping through the Southwest Airline magazine (only after I read Sky Mall. Duh). It turns out, they are going to be bringing their vintage book cover designs to iPad and kindle cases soon thanks to kickstarter. Not only do they look great, but they are designed to feel like a real book, making reading from a digital screen slightly more authentic and cozy. I definitely want one when they come out.

Some other rad shirt designs, in case you need gift ideas for your friends who wear T-shirts:

P.S. Greg, I guess you will get another book or CD this year :)

What Happens When You Don't Go Grocery Shopping

The "side dish" for your take-out gyro dinner is cereal in a measuring cup consumed with a serving spoon.

P.S. Mom and Dad, I swear this is a rare occasion and we really do go grocery shopping (see post about Whole Foods and how it has a bar), and we don't just eat burgers and pulled pork and greasy fries from the Athenian Room all the time.