Thanksgiving

Ahhh, I have been slacking in the blogging department. 

Life has been full (and wonderful).  Today was a beautiful day to remember all the blessings in my life.  Here is a short list:

1) Health. 
So many loved ones have had a rough year with their health and it has made me be grateful for each day.  Praying especially for our friend, Tom W.....that 2012 brings miraculous healing to his body and that God would be glorified throughout the W family's journey.

2) My husband and boys.
Never could I ask for a husband more well suited for me.  He is patient, kind, gentle and a rock in deep, rushing waters.  The boys bring excitement and joy to this little home.  And I am beginning to see how God uses my children to shape and transform me.

3) My Bible.
The best time of the day is when I climb into bed, switch on my lamp and open my familiar Bible.  God's word is powerful, Truthful and rich. 

Yep, it's a short list for now.
I am turkeyed out and ready to climb into bed and read. 
My mom and I joined WW a couple weeks ago and are really enjoying the program.  She lost 5.8 pounds her first week!  I lost about 3, but am now within the range for my height.  It's been a great discipline in portion control and has been helping add more fruits & veggies into our diet.

Tomorrow my sister & brother-in-law will be flying to China to bring their new daughter home.  This is exciting stuff and we are so excited to meet ChunLe for the first time.

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours!

Cheater's Sauce

Sometimes it is daunting to prep and use a huge batch of fresh, very ripe tomatoes.  Since our freezer is packed with salsa, I decided to make my 2nd batch of roasted tomato sauce.  Last month, I used about 10 pounds of tomatoes to make this easy Martha Stewart-inspired sauce.  We used that sauce on Wednesday on pasta and it was delicious (especially with the addition of Italian sausage and a little cream to thicken).
Here's simple ingredients & instructions:
Fresh, ripe tomatoes
Whole cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Onion, peeled and quartered
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt

Heat oven to about 375 degrees.  Drizzle some oil into bottom of large glass pan (I use a 9 x 13).  Toss in all ingredients and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

Roast in oven about 45 minutes or until skins split.  Remove and let cool.  It will look like this:

Pour off some of the liquid in the pan and squeeze garlic from skins, discarding skin.  Using a stick blender, gently pulse the tomato mixture until desired consistency.  Taste & adjust seasoning.  I sometimes use a fine sieve to remove more liquid. 

Place in freezer bags & freeze flat or put in fridge until ready to use.  Here is the yield from my batch in a 1 litre vintage French jar:

Easy and fresh!