First, I wish I liked donuts. Sheila’s look oh-so-pretty. And I would feel cooler if I jumped on the donut pan bandwagon.

Second, I PASSED MY LIFE ALTERING TEST. I’ve still been reeling from the anxiety of it / trying to catch up on all the work I neglected while studying for it. Hence my absence. Sorry, imaginary friends.

Third, Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks! Where has the time gone? I’m so excited to go home for a few days. I’ll probably be doing homework on my couch in Camillus instead of my couch in Baltimore, but whatever.

Because of my excitement, I decided to make my favorite sauce which reminds me of home. The smell of it almost made Kelly start crying when she walked in from work yesterday- mission accomplished. Usually when my mom makes sauce, she gets meatball mix from this little Italian market. Unfortunately, Solvay is a bit of a hike from here and Ascioti’s isn’t a chain, so I had to make my own.

I want to a fellow non-Italian, Ted Allen, for a meatball recipe. I saw this on The Best Thing I Ever Made, and I was convinced. I followed his instructions exactly, except that I finished cooking them in my own sauce. Here are some photos of raw meat, for your viewing pleasure.

Now- onto sauce. My faaaavorite. I hope this isn’t a secret family recipe.

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large cans of tomato sauce (splurge for name brand here- Hunt’s please)

1 8 oz can of tomato paste

1 8 oz can-full of water

3 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1 tsp sugar

3 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

This is pretty easy. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and salt. Let the onions sweat a little bit, then add the tomato sauce and paste, as well as the can-full of water. Stir everything together, then add Italian seasoning and sugar. Stir again.

It does have to simmer for at least 3-4 hours, and you have to baby it a little- stir it every 7-10 minutes or so to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn. But when it’s all ready, it’s so worth it. I inhale spaghetti in record time, with a side salad to make me feel more civilized.

I literally woke up the next morning and my first thought was “I can’t wait to eat leftovers for dinner.”

Actually, if I’m being truthful, my first thought was “I still smell like garlic.” But that’s nothing new.