Tom's Pasta Sauce

"The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister has not only become one of my favorite books but also contains a couple of my favorite recipes. The recipes are not included in the book, but the author has included a few of the recipes on her website, Here. I will include a couple of the recipes that I use the most on this blog but the others are worth checking out and the book is also worth a read. 

 Tom’s Pasta Sauce Recipe

Note: For best results, use Knorr’s extra-large soft chicken bouillon cubes.

Crush the whole tomatoes in a food processor, or chop them finely by hand.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 extra-large soft chicken bouillon cube (see note)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and crushed (see note)
1 cup tomato sauce (more if you want)
Salt and pepper

1 pound penne pasta
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)
1. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil on medium-low heat until bubbles form. Crush the half bouillon cube into the oil and mix thoroughly.  Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté until translucent.

2. Add ground sausage, increase heat to medium, and cook until meat is no longer pink.  Add milk and simmer until absorbed.  (Don’t worry if it looks strange at first; the milk will mellow the wine and make for a wonderful, lush sauce.)  Add wine, reduce heat to low, and simmer until wine is absorbed.   Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-3 hours, covered if you want a rich, but slightly thinner sauce, uncovered if you want a thicker sauce and the smell to roam through your house.

4. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook penne pasta according to package directions, until al dente.  Drain pasta and place in a large serving bowl.  Ladle sauce over pasta; top with grated parmesan cheese if desired, and serve immediately.
Yield: 6-8 servings

Possibly the last post From the Stewarts

I have loved blogging but I think that I may be coming to the end of my time here. It has been hard to keep up with, and the blogger format really isn't very easy to work with. I know that keeping a personal history is very important, but as I look through my pictures, I actually have a pretty good and thorough history kept through Instagram. It is a lot easier and a lot cheaper to print books. I do need to find a place to keep some of my more extensive thoughts on parenthood and life as a mother to these three crazy children. Its just getting harder and harder to sit down at a computer and put my thoughts down with pictures attached. I think that a lot of people have sort of given up on blogging, and I wanted to stay strong, but I think I finally see the reason so many have left. I am so grateful for my three books (2 printed and one more to print after this post is done) that are full of history for our family. We will cherish that history and be so grateful to have it in print. But for now, I'm done.
So to end this chapter of my life, I think I would like to add a little about each of the kids and what they are doing these days as well as a short update on James and I.
#1 Lucy: Lucy turned 4 this year and she is a 4 year old through and through. She thinks she can do anything. She is very smart. She has started to read some BOB books and is catching on very quickly. She has a wild imagination. She makes up stories all day long. She can put any toys together in imaginative play. She soaks up so much that she learns at preschool and sunbeams and brings it home to incorporate into that play. She likes to teach Molly what she learns too. She is learning all of the primary songs so well this year and can sing any of them with out fault. She is still very loving and caring and often would give whatever she has to please. She is especially gracious with Louis. She loves to get up with him in the mornings and is always willing to help. She is the best big sister I could ask for. Sometimes she has a hard time listening and following through with commands, but what 4 year old doesn't. I sure do love my #1.
#2 Molly: Molly is 2 and half and will turn 3 in September. Where do I begin with Molly. She is very stubborn and wants what she wants when she wants it. She is a master fit thrower. Tears can spring as though she had broken a bone, only she just didn't get the right color plate. It really is amazing and most of the time makes me laugh its so ridiculous. On a more positive note, she is so advanced in her articulation of everything. She spends her days narrating our life. When she is serious about something she will put her little hand out and use her serious face to let you know what her plans are. She loves her short princess hair, mostly because her mom doesn't have to touch it to get her ready in the morning. Don't let her short hair fool you, she is all girl. She loves all things princess, girly and glittery. She prefers dresses and shiny shoes any day of the week. She LOVES babies and she is mostly sweet with Louis. As Louis is getting bigger and pushing his way into the action, Molly is becoming more disenchanted with him. She makes us laugh every day. She may act shy, but give her a minute and she will talk your ear off. I love my #2.
#3 Louis: Louis is growing at unusual rates. He is currently 9 and a half months. He is wearing 18-24 month clothing. He crawls everywhere and gets into everything. He stands up on his own all the time but refuses to walk. He could if he tried, he is very sturdy on his feet. He can open every drawer and cupboard, and if he can't he will keep trying until he does. He loves to push his way into his sisters play. He will literally shove to be a part of what they are doing. He loves to eat. And he eats SO much. Along with all the eating, he sleeps through the entire night and I love it! He still takes two good naps a day. He LOVES balloons. We recently had a couple of helium balloons in our house. He woke up and went straight to them. They were in his hand the entire day. His open mouth smiles make me happy. He loves to wrestle and is all boy. He can brighten my day any day. I really do rely on him sometimes to make me happy and he never disappoints. I love my #3.
James is working hard at Kids on The Move, and at the Nebo School District. He also works as an Executive Secretary in our ward. He is very busy but when he is home, he is so good to give us his full attention. We will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary this May. I feel like we have accomplished a lot during our 5 years of marriage. And every bit of it has made us a stronger happier family.
I am currently the primary chorister, and I love it. I have enjoyed working in the primary and being there with Lucy. I am also working very hard to get healthier and lose some weight so that I feel like we can bring more children in our family. I have never lost any weight between each child, only continued to gain, and I knew that I couldn't keep up that pattern any longer. So far this year I have lost over 18 lbs, to put me at my pre- Louis weight. My next goal is pre-Molly. And it may be a little lofty to get to pre-Lucy, but I am working hard so I am sure I can do it.
We are all very excited for the upcoming wedding of Jacobanana this July. We have been a little bit involved in the evolution of that relationship and we can wait for the celebration of their union.
We have dealt with a lot of sickness lately. Pink eye, colds, coughs and lastly James got the flu. It has been really hard, but I haven't minded the excuse to just stay home.
We had a really fun Easter season as well. Our complex had a big Easter egg hunt earlier in the month. We also visited Traci's family for an Easter picnic and another hunt on Saturday. Sunday the kids got an Easter basket full of quiet church activities. We had a small family devotional to help the kids understand what Easter is really about. The bunnies and baskets sometimes overshadow the real reason for the holiday, but I know and I want my kids to have fun with the holiday but also understand its importance in our family's life.
We enjoyed what we were able to listen to of conference. It is so hard to listen with three little distractions. But I am ever grateful for technology and the opportunity to listen anytime.
Other than that, it is a lot of daily living for us and we are happy about that. I function much better with routine and in my element, so we tend to stay here.

"Groufies" Definition: Group selfie

 I heard the term "groufie" on Jimmy Fallon. It's funny because the term never actually caught on. Shots like these most people term "selfie." But this is my group. We wake up together, eat together, play together, cry together, laugh together, and everything else, we do it together. Its normal now of course, but thinking about my life as a single person compared to the life I live now, it is very different. Even my life with just one child or two. Three children is a very unselfish life. They consume my every waking hour. It's even a little bit ironic, that the two youngest are sleeping and Lucy is off to preschool, and I actually have a minute to myself, but I am writing about them. I love them. They are crazy and always keep me on my toes but I am very satisfied with the time I get to spend with them.

Louis up close

Lucy's 4th Birthday

A few things that everyone should know about Lucy. 

1. She has a heart of gold. She loves to share anything she has with new kids she meets. She is a little less willing to share with her sister, but even then, she gives up what she has more often than not. There really is not a mean bone in her body. She is not perfect, but she is also NOT mean. 

2. She LOVES her baby brother Louis. Lucy loves to make Louis laugh. She loves to feed him. She loves when he wakes up from his naps. She is always willing to entertain him when I need her to. 

3. Lucy loves the color purple. If you ask her, "What is your favorite color?" She confidently answers every time, "purple!" 

4. Lucy loves to play pretend. She pretends all day long. Any object has multiple uses in her eyes. 

5. Lucy is very smart. She is starting to read sight words now, and doing well. She would probably be doing even better if I had more time to spend with her working on it. 

6. Lucy loves her Aunt Anna, and future Uncle Jacob. Actually both Molly and Lucy love them. They talk about them all the time. It is always a treat to have them around. 

7. Lucy has so many friends, because everyone is her friend. She never excludes anyone from her play. She is sweet and loving and I could probably list a lot more about her that everyone should know. 

8. Lucy loves Jimmy Johns sandwiches. It is amazing and disgusting to watch her eat one. She can eat it so fast, and if I let her could finish of an entire sub herself. 

9. Lucy loves to be silly. This is probably the thing that gets her in trouble the most. She has a hard time knowing when to turn on and off the silliness. But when it is appropriate she sure knows how to make us all laugh.

 Yesterday was her birthday and we partied very hard. We are all worn out today because of it. Lucy asked for an umbrella for birthday. It is what she wanted more than anything, and bugged us about relentlessly until her birthday when she opened it up. I kind of thought that eventually the enthusiasm for the present might die down once she opened it and received other toys, but the umbrella continues to be her favorite gift. She has to show everyone. She even took it to the dr today and opened it for him so he could see it. I love her for that. 

We opened family gifts in the morning and then had a birthday party for her in the afternoon. I knew who I invited but my brain didn't make the connection of how many kids would be there until the day of. Fifteen kids showed up for the party! There were two more I had invited that didn't show up. I couldn't believe it. My mom taught me really well, as a young one to always include everyone. I did it this time with out even thinking. It was a lot of fun. We decorated take home bags. Played duck, duck goose and pin the tail on the donkey, played with playdo that they got to take home with them, and ate cake and icecream and opened up presents. And by the time 5 o'clock hit, I was very ready for parents to come and pick up their children. 

I love birthday parties more than anything, but I think from now on, I'm going to keep them small. The party itself was simple and inexpensive, but the amount of kids, was not. I'm not complaining, I was happy to do it, I'm just saying, it was a learning experience for me and I am recording it for my future self to read and be reminded of the amount of work it took. 

After the party, my mom, Traci and her kids, and Jacobanana came over to our place for dinner. Lucy requested Jimmy Johns. We ate and enjoyed the peace and quiet of far fewer kids. 

I was so grateful for all the help I received to put on this party. My Sister has to be commended for the amount of work she did being 8 1/2 months or more pregnant. She was amazing. She just kept going and I don't know where her energy comes from. Jacobanana were on baby duty and sandwich pick up. Becca helped with the party favors and anything else that was needed. My mom made the trip from St. George to be here. That requires a whole other post. I appreciate her so much. She is the one that taught me to love parties so much. She always kept them simple, but I always felt special on my birthday. That is where my motivation comes from to make my kids feel extra special on theirs. She brought her nice camera and documented this entire event. Thanks mom. I love you!

And James.... I don't have enough words to write about the love and support that he gives to me. Especially in stressful times and events, most often brought on myself because of my love to entertain. His very presence is calming to my soul. If he is around, I am less tense, less likely to loose control, and always more happy. I love him. He took over games, and everything else that I needed him for. I really couldn't do anything I do with out him. I don't know why I'm so fortunate to have him in my life. 

This post became less about Lucy and more about the party, but I do love my first born. She is the best big sister I could ever ask for. She bring so much light into our life and home. I love to watch her in primary. I can see her enthusiasm for the gospel increase each week and through out the week as she learns and grows. I am so thankful for all she is and does for me.