I'm "COOKED"

I just spent the last 5 hours in the kitchen! Phew! Spaghetti sauce and waffles from scratch! Such a random combination of separate goodness! :)

A good friend of my husbands had given us a huge box of very large tomatoes that had some bad spots in them. On top of the tomatoes I had bought, and the ones Great Grandpa sent home with us. Here I am knee deep in tomatoes and you can only make so much salsa. I always remember my grandma making spaghetti sauce once a year with all her over ripe tomatoes.

So my niece and I piled into the kitchen and started the task of peeling/seeding tomatoes. This was a tedious process, after the hour of doing so we finally had the +/- 12 cups of tomatoes ready to go! By this point we were up to our elbows in tomato juice and my poor counter top was dripping with overflow juices. We need not mention my sink. I was PRAYING it would not clog my drain or garbage disposal. I tried to get it all in that trash but sometimes it's not possible.

Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

2 T. olive oil

2 Large onions chopped (I used 4 baseball sized onions)

1 bell pepper, chopped 

2-3 cloves of garlic (I used 3T. of the diced garlic from the deli section)

12 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and seeded

3 - 6oz cans tomato paste (I used the Italian variety)

3 T. sugar

1 T. salt (to taste)

1 t. pepper

3 T oregano

3 Bay leaves

Heat olive oil at the bottom of a large pot, add onions, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until tender and onions are clear. Reduce heat to simmer and add all other ingredients one at a time stirring well after each ingredient. Cook for 1 hour - 1.5 hour.

I'm hoping this sauce freezes well since we just had spaghetti on Friday. However, I couldn't make it the first time and not eat some of it! So the niece and I had bowls of left over spaghetti with fresh sauce on top! It was a little chunkier than I prefer so I will probably blend it a bit after thawing it.

Then the waffle obsession of my children! Since last Monday I have made 6 batches of waffles. 3 of which were eaten last week and 3 made today. I do believe with my kids turning into waffles I should invest in a larger, more efficient waffle iron, because really making waffles for the last 3.5 hours makes me want to go buy Eggos from the store. & let's face it, my kids wouldn't care. But what mom can do that when your 3 1/2 year old tells you "mom, you make the best waffles EVER!" So here is my infamous waffle recipe.

Mom's Best Waffles EVER

2 eggs

2 c. flour (i use 1 c. all-purpose and 1 c. whole wheat)

1 3/4 c. skim milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 T. sugar

4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. vanilla extract

Cinnamon to taste (I just dump, no measuring here!)

Preheat waffle iron. Wisk eggs well in large mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. (I use my wisk on the hand mixer for this step or it could take me all day when making more than 1 batch) Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray (I use Pam and just a light dusting will do). Start by filling the center and use a rubber spatula to spread to the sides (fill in with extra batter if needed). Cook until a golden brown.

Make extra and cool completely and freeze! Or throw them in the fridge. Either way throw them in the toaster to reheat! My kids love these with peanut butter and sugar free syrup!

Don't forget to enjoy your Spaghetti Waffles! :)