Spaghetti and Poor-Man's Garlic Bread

Ok, so this may not be the most opportune time to post it because this is warm, hearty comfort food right when summer is on its way and BBQ and outdoor grilling are at their peak. But, there's not much I can do because I let Lizzy borrow our camera for her band trip to Disneyland over Memorial Day weekend and have thus been camera-less for nearly 2 weeks. It is killing me!! I've had to go through my picture files for post ideas. But the reward will be sweet... My parents are getting Sean and I a new camera as a combined birthday gift and we get it this weekend!!

First off, the spaghetti sauce recipe. Up until last year, I had never, ever, ever made my own sauce. I thought I had to slave in the kitchen over a simmering pot for hours and hours. Not with this recipe. It is quick, easy and TASTY!! I got the original recipe here but have changed it up a little to fit our family. Oh, and if you have a food processor - use it!! We only have a small one that works as a attachment with the motor from our immersion blender and it works great for this. Saves me time and hassle.

For the sauce:
* 1 medium onion (white or yellow) diced (or chopped in the food processor)
* 2-4 cloves garlic (depending on how much you love fresh garlic) minced (or pulverized in the food processor)
* 1 tsp. Kosher salt
* black pepper to taste
* 1 Tbl. or so Italian seasoning
* 1 bell pepper (preferably green for color) diced (or chopped in food processor)
* 2 medium carrots finely chopped (or pulverized in the food processor - you want small, small pieces)
* 1 can tomato paste
* 1 can diced Italian-flavored tomatoes
* 1 can tomato sauce
* 1 lb. ground beef
Plus
* 1 lb. spaghetti (we've found we prefer the thin spaghetti noodles)

Saute onion in olive oil and add garlic. Add ground beef and cook through. {Meanwhile, get the water going for the pasta and be sure to add plenty of salt.} Once meat is browned, add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Mix well and then add bell pepper and carrots. Cook for a minute or so and add all three cans of tomatoes. Let it all simmer together while the pasta cooks - at least 10 minutes. {Doesn't that look good?! And it's not even the best picture!} Just before the pasta is finished, pull out a cup or so of the nice, starchy (flavorful!) pasta water and then drain the pasta. Return to pan and pour sauce over the top {if desired, but I really do prefer this all mixed up}. Mix/toss well and add pasta water if needed - I usually end up adding at least a couple tablespoons to 1/2 cup.

We LOVE this spaghetti!! Nice, hearty, soulful, comfort food - fit for company or just the fam. The original recipe calls for adding sugar, but I've found it difficult to judge how much and it was sweeter than we like. Instead, I add the carrots - they add a nice sweetness plus it's one more veggie thrown in the mix. I love that Ethan "doesn't like tomatoes" and eats this up! He has no idea how many veggies he is getting in his dinner. :)

As for the "poor-man's garlic bread" - this comes from a trick my dad taught me. He often made "garlic bread" with leftover buns or bread that we had on hand and I have affectionately dubbed it "poor-man's garlic bread" in recent years for a couple of reasons... 1. We have a small family and when I buy hamburger buns we rarely eat them all before they start to go stale. 2. I make this with whatever bread buns and cheese we have on hand - I've never gone to the store and bought the ingredients with "poor-man's garlic bread" in mind.

Anyway... Split the burger buns, sandwich rolls or whatever in half and butter the inside of each half, which will now be the top side - make sense? {Oh, I also just use our tub margarine for this - not real butter. That is saved strictly for baked goods!}Sprinkle with garlic salt and (if desired) shredded cheese. Again, we usually have a bag of pre-shredded stuff on hand and I just use that. The cheap-o powdered parmesan cheese in a can works well too, but I rarely remember to buy it because we don't use it.Put under broiler until cheese melts and edges brown. Note: depending on the thickness of the bread, you may have to bake it a little first so there is a nice toastiness throughout the bread and then put it under the broiler to brown.

Seriously, I have taken this to last-minute dinner invites and it is always a hit!! :)

Finally, a question to you all. It was recently suggested to me that I start my own cooking blog {Jenn's Best Bites was even thrown out as the title} and while I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon, I am curious to known if there really is an interest in seeing more recipes/cooking segments on our blog. Just curious... I won't be offended if you would rather I keep it mainly about my adorable family! :)