Spaghetti Dinner

One of our families favorite meals is spaghetti.  Of course this can be a very simple open a jar and throw on some noodles type of dinner, but that's not how we do it here.  I make my sauce from scratch for the most part.  I do use some canned tomatoes, but I have had some fresh canned tomatoes that Dan's mom, Kathy, has given me that made this sauce so much better. However, I am realistic in my time right now and a good can of tomatoes from the store will work. During the summer months I may have some fresh basil or other herbs from my small potted garden that also make this dish great. Not only do we eat my homemade sauce, but we also make some fresh Italian whole wheat bread in the bread maker.  You can definitely be carb overloaded, but its a meal no one will refuse. We also have some dipping sauce for our bread that is made of extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings. You will not go wrong with this meal.

Spaghetti Sauce
1 small to medium onion
2 celery stocks
2 carrots or 2 handfuls of baby carrots
6 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper(more or less depending on how spicy you want)
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
2 Tbsp red cooking wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28oz can diced or petite diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste

Directions:
Blend onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to desired thickness. Puree if you want smoother sauce and hidden veggies.  In a large pot at medium low heat, add 2-3 Tbsp olive oil and then add blended veggies to cook for about 5 minutes just to soften. Add basil, parsley,oregano, thyme, sage, and crushed red pepper. Stir to mix with veggies. Then push to the side of pot and add ground turkey or beef.  Cook til meat is fully cooked, browned.  Then add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low at a simmer for about and hour. Uncover and keep low and cook for another 1/2 hour to hour to cook off liquid and get to a desired thickness for a sauce. Serve over pasta of your choice. We like whole wheat angel hair, penne, or really anything that is noodle form left in the cabinet. I stick with whole wheat, rice, or oat bran noodles. Serves about 10.
*If you are looking for a more adult version of spaghetti or just looking to add more veggies to your diet, I will sometimes saute some green and red peppers and onions with some spicy seasoning and add that to my plate.  Not usually a kid favorite, but I am always looking for ways to add veggies.

Whole Wheat Bread- In the bread machine
I use Bob's Red Mill flour, found in the organic section of the grocery store.  I do use his recipe very close except for a few changes
1 cup warm water
2 cups Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 tsp salt
1 package dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp light or extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 Tbsp milk
1 1/4 Tbsp local honey

Directions:
Put all your dry ingredients in first, yeast on top.  Then I add honey, milk, and olive oil to my warm water and stir.  Then immediately pour on top of dry ingredients and turn bread maker on.  This will make plain whole wheat bread, but to make it my Italian way....when your bread maker has you add other ingredients about half way through its mixing cycle, then add 1 Tbsp dry Italian seasonings and 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese.

ENJOY!