Hope's Spagetti Sauce

4- 28 oz Cans of Tomatoes (crushed, diced, whole-but not sauce)

2- 6 oz Cans of Tomato Paste

1 Onion diced

1 package of Italian Sausage

2-3 Cloves of Garlic

3 Tablespoons Basil

3 Tablespoons Oregano

1 Tablespoon Thyme

dash of Nutmeg (I know it's weird)

1/4 Cup of Sugar

Veggies of your choice: Sliced Mushrooms, Zuccini, etc.

In a large pot, brown sausage. Half way through browning sausage, add onions. Brown sausage and onion until done. Add Tomatos, spices, garlic, sugar, stir until bubbly. Add Tomato Paste, stir until paste is dissolved. Add veggies of choice. Simmer for 30 minutes or so. The longer it simmers, the better. If you put in a Crock Pot all day-that's best. Serve over your favorite Pasta, or use in Lasagna. Serve also with salad and hot french bread, Yummy!

Makes: Alot

Hope's Recipe Notes:

Tomatoes: I use Trader Joes Whole Tomatoes and then crush them by hand. I have used Trader Joes Tomatoes for 7-8 years now, and they are organic. I made some sauce from a different brand of Tomatoes, and the sauce was alot lighter in color. It was a weird discovery. You can use whatever tomatoes you want. Trader Joes also has a good price on them.

Garlic: There is such thing as too much garlic. I have done this a few times, and the sauce turned out bad. If you add to much garlic, it won' t be as kid friendly.

Spices: I have always used dry from a jar. You can add as much as you like.

Veggies: I always put in Mushrooms. You can sneak carrots and other veggies if you have a picky eater who won't eat veggies.

Italian Sausage: You can use hamburger, ground turkey, or turkey sausage. I like Italian because when you cook it, it leaves behind some of the seasoning. Be careful NOT to get the HOT Italian Sausage. Unless you want it hot.

Hope's Notes: This is a recipe that I started making a couple of years after Lee and I got married. I started making it from a recipe from a cookbook, and then I added stuff. I have made this Sauce for years, without a recipe or measuring things out. So, it was a big deal to make it, and then keep track of what I was doing. I started doubling the recipe right away, because I worked full-time with a weird schedule, so it was nice to take some out of the freezer, thaw it out and have pasta that night. When I make Lasagna, and IF I make it from a Jar Sauce, Lee knows the difference. He has a defined palate now. And it kinda sucks.