Tasty Tomatoes

Yesterday was Veggie Day. It is starting to get cold, so I decided to go out to the garden, pick as many veggies as I could, and do something with them! To start, I froze several cups of zucchini. I've given away tons of zucchini, yellow squash, Big Boy tomatoes, onions, and cherry tomatoes, but then I talked to a friend (Karee B.) who makes her own spaghetti sauce and freezes it for easy meals down the road. She emailed me her recipe and I modified it slightly with the ingredients I had on hand. Of course I had some great helpers!

Our Spaghetti Sauce 2008
20-30 tomatoes
2 very small onions
3-4 cloves garlic
basil, parsley, oregano to taste
1/2 C. chopped mushrooms
2 cans tomato paste
1 packet spaghetti seasoning
2 lb. ground beef, browned

1. Blanch tomatoes, remove skins
2. Remove stems, cut in half and squeeze out seeds/juice
3. Place onions and garlic in food processor (Thunder does not like texture of onions), then place these in a pot with the tomatoes and spices
4. Let simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally
5. Add mushrooms, tomato paste and seasoning packet; simmer for a 1/2 hour
6. Add ground beef, allow to cool slightly
7. Freeze in quart freezer bags, filled with 2 to 2 1/2 C sauce