Saturday, November 2, 2013

The Butcher's Pasta Sauce~ Long..:)

























My friend Mary posted the recipe for this Butcher's Pasta Sauce..

First I fell in love with the name..and of course her photos..and truthfully I had never made a pasta sauce in the crockpot.
My pasta sauces are varied...
stemming from  my mom's original meat spaguetti sauce..now enhanced yrs later by additions my daughter made..I add capers now..and olives:) Sometimes Jacque's Italian sausage..but always.. beef.. and it is spicy!
A friend had just mentioned to me she would like a sweeter meat sauce..not spicy..
I thought..I will make Mary's..
You can find her recipe here..

I did something a little different and used only sweet Italian sausage nad lean ground veal..as I knew my friend was getting some..
Jacques and I added crushed chili pepers to ours when we ate it..but I was happy w/ the non spicy version too..

I made some grain breads that day..and shaped 2 like small pumpkins.. this is fun to do!
But the pumpkins are much cuter using  NOT grain bread:)
Mind you..I find pasta sauces.. really good with just some Grissinis:)~♥
I loved the Butchers/Grocers.. I met in Italy:)  Every single one of them..From the top of Castelluccio..
to the quaint town of Norcia..Marlena Di Blasi was supposed to have been there when I was..I looked and looked..to no avail..
Have you read any of her books?Tuscany and Venice were my favorites.

One thing just occured to me in doing this post..

While in Italy I took a few photos:) LOL..
And one..I loved..ok..one of the    1000+.. I loved..so when we got home..I tried to paint a simple beautiful scene to put as the cover of the photo album of the few ....photos I actually had printed..
This is the first time..that I see.. that the photo on this book..may very well be the same scene I took~
Uncanny.


This sauce is super easy to make and makes quite a bit.. We had some for dinner..I gave one away..and have 3 pots left ap the size of that Weck jar.
The lady at the new WS store in Laval told me Weck jars were perfect freezer jars..I am trying it..but it won't be frozen long..they are too pretty for a freezer:)
The wrappers for the bread..I posted about before and in case you missed it you can find the link on where to get the download here.You will also find the recipe for the bread:) In the above I used Robin Hood Best For Bread  Multi Grain flour ~.It's very good.

P.S.
I made lasagna with the sauce too..yum.
Thanks Mary:-)





I showed you  Noah's lunch napkins for September..I thought his October ones were just as cute:)
No surprise her Elf On The Shelf was very busy last year and will be this year too..just like them:)
All the alphabet boys had a super Halloween..:)
But yesterday in our area  (s)..not so great..
Fallen trees  due to high winds..:( a trampoline ..even landed in front of our daughter's school..from who knows where!..wicked.. scary weather..

I don't remember such high winds in my youth..~


46 comments:

  1. Lovely post Monique, the sauce, your bread, they look wonderful! I love your little pumpkins in rustic style, they look like they'd be right at home in Italy!

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  2. I will try this sauce because it sounds like it has all that I like. I also liked A Thousand Days in Venice as well as A Thousand Days in Tuscany!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. I had half of a peanut butter sandwich and a banana for dinner Monique. Not very satisfying. It is nearly bedtime and I so want spaghetti and homemade bread. I think I'll be dreaming of it all night.

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    1. If only you knew how much peanut butter we eat.
      Protein..taste:)

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  4. I marked this sauce to try when I saw it on Mary's blog!

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    1. She has a way that Mary:) I want to make Peep Smores now:)

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  5. I love your pumpkin breads. I must have missed the one with the wrapper for the bread. I am going to pin that. I would love to serve my baguettes that way. The sauce sounds wonderful. I love different red sauces, they all have their own appeal. Your painting and the picture is uncanny. I loved everything about Italy and every region! That is always on my list to return to. Noah's napkins are fabulous. I know where he gets his talent from!

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  6. This pasta sauce seems like it will become a favourite in 'chez nous'. I don't have a slow cooker /crockpot so I hope I can make it as an easy/tasty sauce in my French marmit/cooking pot. Loved your Tuscany painting,( please show more ) which is exactly the same as on the cover of a book called 'Under the Tuscan Sun' by France Mayes. which I just happened to have aquired from our local book exchange shop. It's a book about the Tuscan countryside seen through the eyes of the author who has bought an abandoned Tuscan villa to renovate.

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    1. Under the Tuscan Sun..I read that:) Is it the same also?
      It must be a familiar sight that everyone loves that villa then:)

      The movie Under the Tuscan Sun was quite charming too Barbara if ever you get a chance..:)

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  7. I had no idea when I dropped by that I would feel as if I were in Tuscany this morning. Sorry to hear about your high winds and weather. Your bread is beautiful by the way and goes so well with the pretty pasta sauce.
    Sam

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  8. I was tempted by Mari's sauce too - haven't gotten around to making it yet, but I know it will be amazing when I do. Oh, and your baguettes look amazing. So very creative. I've been so busy lately that I've had a hard time visiting all my favorite blogs, but I'm glad I got to visit yours today - always a feast for the eyes! Until next time, take care.

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  9. lovely post! I love Italian food, and always Heard Tuscany is absolutely beautiful, love your baguettes too, all look beautiful Monique:))
    Love the napkins, I think Esperanza would love these!!

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  10. Patricia..:( I still can't comment on your blog..I go and see and admire and glean..But the Google Plus stops me..

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  11. The sauce sounds so good especially with capers and olives, that sounds like a good addition. I love the little watercolor you did it's so pretty, amazing that it's the same as the book cover. Glad you all are safe after horrible winds, it must have been scary.

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  12. Such pretty painting:...and those napkins too.
    The sauce looks so yummy....funny how the wind has seemed to wreck havoc all over....we are experiencing gales here too.
    Shel

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  13. I made Mari's ragu. It was wonderful, now I have to make this one since you put the stamp of approval.

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  14. Funny I made this sauce but without the lamb and pork for my lasagna...it's delicious! Di

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  15. Yum to the sauce and your bread. It's what I crave in fall and winter. Our local restaurant uses the capers and olives and I love it.

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  16. Nice post! Great pastel and kind of funny about it. Love Italy! The sauce and bread have to be delicious! I've got "A Thousand Days in Tuscany" on my Kindle to read next.

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  17. Bon jour Monique ~ I'm so glad you liked it, and you know me... I ALWAYS tweak a recipe too. :) I like your additions and changes!
    Darling, adorable napkins (thank you for sharing...) Love your pics of Italy, and oui! it is uncanny about the cover shot lining up with your own ~ beau!
    Scary winds, for sure . . . I hope no one was hurt, and minimal damage. I'm still sad we had to have the ones surrounding our house taken down last week (still cleaning that up), but for safety it had to be done. :(
    I hope you have a lovely week. Enjoy! xoxo

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  18. Just read the recipe and it is wonderful! Must try, especially as we head into The Cold Months. Love your sweetest little painting so very much - I can feel the sun on my shoulders........

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  19. I think you will all enjoy M's recipe..
    I love the way we all share.
    The best:-)

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  20. The pasta sauce sounds delicious, but it's the special lunch napkins that have me smiling, Monique. What a sweet thought, and what a talented mom!
    Sorry to hear about the high winds. Austin had a lot of flooding the night before Halloween. We were safe, but sad to see the damage and loss of life.
    Love the watercolor you painted. You are very talented!

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  21. Love the kis's napkin drawings! What a good idea.

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    1. She's good:-)
      Thanks for introducing me to Cara Black's books-Devouring the Marais one.

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  22. What a lovely saue, my asian licking asked me to add some chilli flakes within the sauce ,
    i'm starving now!

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  23. A scrumptious sauce! This books sounds interesting.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  24. There is so much to love here today Monique. Your beautiful words and photographs. A delicious recipe. Some wonderful bread. A feast for the mind, eyes and soul! I must make that sauce and that bread . . . tres belle! You never disappoint! xxoo

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  25. pS, I forgot the napkins!! So sweet! Grandchildren are such a wonderful reward for a life well spent! xxoo

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  26. pasta is such a comforting dish. cooking it in the crockpot you can even have it for a satisfying dinner on a weeknight.

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  27. I think anyone could make this sauce to their own liking..It is versatile..and handy to have on hand and to give..~

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  28. Mon Monique, your photos always draw me in, making me wish I were in Italy, or your garden, or, well, you get my meaning.
    Btw, I have a slow-cooker that's been gathering dust in a corner, and this sauce beckons,
    The napkins made me smile.

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    1. How I miss your regular posting..
      Every time I see your name..I click..thinking I have missed something..it is always a pleasure to go back..but I miss you-

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  29. Wow, the picture in the book and the photo you took look almost identical! How funny is that? Could it be that the book author was in exactly same spot you were? Oh, and the slow-cooked tomato sauce sounds so delicious - I'd love to cook it this way some day.

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    1. Julia..I am certain it is the same scene..certain:-)
      It is fun trying different cooking methods.
      And new recipes..looking forward to trying your chili soon.

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  30. I'm so excited to try this sauce, the perfect meal for this weekend. Your bread looks delicious too!! And Noah is such a good artist,very detailed drawings. Love the idea of using a napkin!! I'm always inspired by your photos!!
    Hugs,
    Jody

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  31. :) It's his mom that draws his napkins every night and puts them in his lunchbox:)
    Thank you Jody..you are so good too..you have been holding out!

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  32. My slow cooker is long gone now that the family is grown and away...gave it to my DIL! But...fabulous sauces like this can be cooked on top of the stove (the way we USED to do everything!) and this look delicious. Love the jars, but agree, not for freezing. So pretty for the blog though.
    Your daughter's drawings are so cute and how sweet to save them like this.
    BTW: I like your chubby little whole grain pumpkin-shaped loaves!

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  33. What a lovely way to start the day...thanks, Monique, for sharing your wonderful travel photos. I have a crockpot and just don't think to use it as often as I should. I have had a few Weck jars for years and use them in the refrigerator but not the freezer. I would be afraid they would break. I love Noah's October napkins. What a treasure.

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  34. Good Morning dear Monique! Thank you for tomato sauce recipe, addition of sausage is wonderful. Your watercolor picture is amazing, very lovely colors.Very positive vibe from you post! Have a delightful day dear-)

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  35. Beautiful! I have never seen sauce look so beautiful in a jar! I adore those Weck Jars...I have a few myself!
    The napkins are so wonderful! Your DD is a fabulous Mommy! A tribute to you!
    Bisous xo

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  36. My crockpot is kept in the cold room.. I use it rarely.. mostly for the French Dips and Pulled Pork..I did caramelize onions this summer in it outside..

    I like the fact that nothing can stick and burn it it I guess..I can go out and garden..and pretty much know things are safe and sound..
    :)

    I agree that everything can be slow cooked many methods:)

    I just like trying new things...associating for ever more a new recipe to a friend~

    As I look back at my yrs of being interested in the net..I guess when we moved in 2000..I began surfing for garden landscaping ideas..saw recipes..got to know a few of you..:)

    And now so many yrs later..plants blooming were suggestions..or even gifts received..the person's name comes first to mind..like all the great recipes I have gleaned from all of you~

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  37. I hope all is well with the weather & trees today.That sauce is gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Was it you who drew the napkin pictures? Lucky Noah. I love that little painting! That scene left an impression, didn't it? I love uncanny happenings like that.

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  38. It's Noah's mom who draws the napkins for his lunch every day:-)
    Yes some scenes leave truly indelible impressions:-)
    I know you know that:-)

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  39. J'ai ce livre ... Pas encore lu ... Mais c'est amusant que ta photo soit la même que celle de la couverture ... je fais souvent mes sauces tomate avec de la saucisse italienne. je prends celle aux graines de fenouil, en général ... Trop bon, comme disent mes jeunes ! ;o))) Tes petits pains sont adorables et que dire de ces petits dessins ? Quelle joie pour les enfants de trouver chaque jour une si jolie attention dans leur lunch box ? Vraiment, encore une fois, merci pour ce joli moment ...
    Re-bises
    hélène

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