Spaghetti Sauce, Used Three Ways

This past week I experimented with being creative with meals. I started out by making a homemade spaghetti sauce that we ate with whole wheat spaghetti and a side salad {original recipe was from A Recipe A Day}.

The next day I used the sauce to make sloppy joes.

Finally I used the sauce to make stuffed shells.

We also managed to get a couple of days worth of leftovers for lunches {I made a half recipe of the sauce and it provided us with 10 different servings}. This worked out beautifully as we didn't have to have true repeat meals and we saved money by not making completely new dishes each night.

Spaghetti Sauce, The Homemade Variety

Last night I had the pleasure of dining with some friends {who happen to be mothers}. We had a lovely time, dining outdoors at Chili's {at the Arboretum}. Conversations ranged from recent books we have read {a top pick being The Help}, to favorite movies to the latest episode of Modern Family that had us cracking up. We also talked about the kids {what dinner with mother's would be complete without some discussion about their kiddos}.

At one point, the conversation got sidetracked onto homemade spaghetti sauce and who actually had time to make such things. Too embarrassed to admit that I make my own sauce {since I appeared to be the minority}, I sat and politely smiled and let them chat. Granted, I don't have kids, but even with holding down a full-time job, I like to take the time to make my own sauce. This may stem from always having homemade sauce that my mom would whip up.

If I had my way, my spaghetti sauce would be rich in vegetables: zucchini, squash, mushrooms, {fresh} garlic cloves and onions. Not being a fan of meatless dishes, Daniel begs me to include ground beef, but I will occasionally change it up and use chicken or Italian sausage. For the tomatoes, I am not adverse to using a can of diced or crushed tomatoes and a little bit of {canned} tomato sauce is good for thickening it up. Toss in some salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and simmer. Soon your sauce will take on a more flavorful version of anything you could buy in a jar.

As I get older and experiment more often with my recipes, I am finding that I really detest food that is out of a can {or box or jar}. Not that canned food is bad, it just isn't as good as it could be. Especially when you take the time to use fresh ingredients and stir in a little bit of love.