Delicious Marinara

My tomatoes have been coming in and I've been busy 

making marinara.

I found this recipe last summer at Fashionably Foodie and made several batches for the freezer.  It was so tasty, my family asked for more.  I've tweaked the recipe and use whatever tomatoes I have on hand.  Above are some of my Better Boys and below are some plum tomatoes.

I'll admit, I like the big tomatoes better as they are easier to seed (or deseed) but both types are delicious in this recipe. 
Just be sure you use HOME GROWN tomatoes!

Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce

9-10 big garden tomatoes, or 15-20 romas (about 5 lbs.)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Drop half of the tomatoes into boiling water in a big stockpot and boil for about 2 minutes.   Remove to a big bowl of ice water.  Repeat with the other half of the tomatoes.  Empty the water out of the stockpot to use for sauce.   Set aside.

Chop the onion.   Preheat the oil in the stockpot. Drop the onion in the oil and soften for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Peel the skins off of the tomatoes; they should slide right off after you break the skin.  Cut out cores and take out most of the seeds.  (Simply run your thumb around the inside of the tomatoes.   Most of the seeds will loosen and fall out.)  Cut tomatoes into big 2-3 inch chunks.

Drop the tomatoes into the pot with the onions.   Add in all of the tomatoes, the garlic and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil.  Hard simmer for a half hour.

Add basil, oregano, salt, and sugar.  Adjust seasonings to taste. (It depends on your tomatoes.)

Hard simmer another half hour.  Liquid should have boiled down and reduced by about half.  
Stir in balsamic vinegar. 
 

This can be served right away or frozen in plastic bags for later.   

YUM!!!

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Vintage Pink

This table started with a new (to me) vintage tablecloth I found recently at a resale shop.  I love the pretty pink stamped flower design.

 

 

It's one I think my mom would have loved to use.  Her favorite color was pink.  Our kitchen at home was painted pink and we even ate off of pink dishes!

 

 

I gathered several different dishes to put a Pink Tablescape together.

 

 

I have several pieces of Pink Depression Glass and reproduction pieces and thought they would work well in this setting.  They don't photograph well, though.

 

 

This set includes a larger serving platter with handles and five salad plates.  They have a textured border.

 

 

The cream and sugar set is from Anchor Hocking.  The delicate

glasses are from Wonderful Hubby's grandmother.

 

 

I found this teapot and the bowls at a junk shop resale shop last weekend

on an adventure along the

Great River Road in neighboring Illinois. 

 

 

I love mixing and matching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

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Tablescape Thursday

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Table It!

 

 

 

Bright and Festive

I found these little salad plates the other day at World Market and knew they would work well with my Marigold Orange Iridescent Honeycomb pitcher and glasses. 

 

My Dear Mother-in-Law gifted me this set which included the pitcher and 10 glasses.  She also had collected several other iridescent pieces and I included two of them.

I found the orange plates and the orange bottomed glasses at Dollar Tree.

 

 

 

I just love these salad plates! They really make the table pop.

I think they would look great on blue placemats, too, don't you think?

 

 

I wanted to add some of my lovely lilies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

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Bloom Where You're Planted

You've probably heard this quote before. 

Several years ago, I mistakenly planted two Knockout Roses under a small tree in our backyard.  I thought the tree would continue to grow taller and the roses stay relatively small.  Unfortunately neither of these happened and what we ended up with was a mess.  Prior to planting those knockouts, I had also planted a tea rose and a miniature rose in the same bed. 

 

 

After two or three years, the knockouts had completely taken over, crowding my pretty pink tea rose so much, it barely bloomed and you could only see it's "little efforts" from the back of the bed. 
I actually forgot about the miniature rose bush. 

(This photo shows the knockouts (dark pink) crowding the small tree.  The miniature rose is to the right.  Good luck finding the tea rose!)
 

When rose pruning season arrived this February, Wonderful Hubby and I decided to take out those knockouts.  I planned to add some colorful annuals under the little tree.  After I trimmed and he dug, we removed the overgrown bushes and were happily surprised to find both of the original rose bushes still hanging on! 

 

 

I fertilized and watered and encouraged those little bushes until recently, IN FULL GLORY, my little tea rose bloomed again.  This time, those lovely blooms could be see from our kitchen window, not from an odd angle.  It was almost like that little rose was saying, "Ah, now that's more like it!"

 

 

Don't get me wrong, Knockout Roses are wonderful - in the right place.  And they really need to be managed yearly to stay the appropriate size.  It was my mistake to place them where I did.  Live and learn.  I'm just glad my little roses stayed the coarse and continued to survive. 

 

Sometimes, we have to do the same.  The circumstances we're experiencing may be unexpected or unpleasant.  But if we just continue to 'bloom' our best, God leads us through it, helps us learn from it and lets us shine in our way. 

 

I just love lessons from the garden!

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A Summer Setting

I wanted to set an easy and versatile table using a new tablecloth.  

I love the colors! 

 

 

I found this cloth and the aqua plates at Target several months ago. 

 

 

 

The glasses are from Dollar Tree, the napkins from Kirklands (on sale!) and the spoon napkin rings from a local resale shop.

 

 

 

 

Ready for breakfast, light lunch or dessert!

 

 

 

 

It's not actually 'beachy' but it does have that feel with the colors.

 

 

I love seeing how you're setting your tables this summer! 

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Independence Day on the Back Porch

 

We're going to spend a little time outside this weekend, just Wonderful Hubby and me.  After some HOT and HUMID days, our forecast for this weekend sounds much milder.  Precious Daughter and Favorite Son are spending the holiday out of town with their friends.

 

 

 

 This table was put together from a little bit of here and there.  Resale shops, Home Goods and Wal-Mart. 

 

 The red, white and blue striped glasses were my mother's and the deep blue vase was from my mother-in-law.

 

 

I'm hoping Wonderful Hubby will grill some pork steaks this weekend!  Of all the things he grills, they are my favorite!!   

 

 

 

Happy 4th of July!

 

 

What will you be doing this weekend?

 

 

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Stars and Stripes and Checks, Too

I've set a July 4th Celebration table in the kitchen today. 

 

 

I had a lot of fun collecting these dishes.  The melamine plates were on sale at Kroger, the bowls were from Target.  I found the glasses and napkins at Dollar General this spring.  The Corelle dishes and flatware were from Wal-Mart.   

 





The galvanized candle holders were from a local mercantile store and I've used them several different ways this summer.  I also plan to switch out the blue ribbon and use them this next Christmas.



 

The runner was from Kohls' (after the holiday last year) and I've had the plastic 'lace' tablecloth for years.

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you can get a lot of BANG for just a little Buck!!   :)

 

 

We are planning a quiet 4th of July celebration this year.  Both kids will be out of town celebrating with their friends. 

 

Hope you have a fun and safe weekend!! 

 

 

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Pollinator Bird Bath

I came across this idea during "Pollinator Week," June 16-22.  I have a bird bath in my new butterfly garden but didn't realize my little bees, butterflies and other tiny buzzers needed a special place to take a sip and dip.

 

 

This is quite simple to make.  Just get a clean shallow dish, fill it with pebbles or marbles and add clean fresh water.

 

 

I had two flower pot trays I wasn't using.  We also had decorative marbles left over from our 25th wedding anniversary last year. 

 

 

 You could use pebbles instead.

 

Source

 

After finding a flat, shady spot, the dishes are filled to just below the marble level with clean water.

 

 

I placed one in my new butterfly garden and the other one near a part of our yard we have left in wildflowers. 

 

 

 

 

Happy pollinators!!   This would be a great idea for an easy summer family project.  Just remember to clean the stones and dish periodically so our little friends always have fresh clean water.

 

Source

 

Hope you're enjoying your summer!

 

 

 

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  Submarine Sunday