Friday Friend Recipe #338-Nicole's colorful spaghetti sauce

 

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook? I once had about 50 of my closest friends and family (from all over the county) on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends. At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 21 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday. (plus so much more....)

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? Said, "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to recipe #338

Nicole's 

Colorful Spaghetti

Spaghetti Sauce #24

As the Handyman says:  we've tried a lot of different spaghetti sauces.  Does he have a favorite so far?  Yes, he does.  But I'll wait till the end to tell you which one it is.

It's hard to narrow it down to one tho---because they are all spooned over (Or mixed in with) pasta and there is no going wrong with that combination.

This recipe seemed a little different from the others, but it was really good.  IF you like peppers.

And this brings me to the last of my friend Nicole's recipes for the Friday Friend Cookbook.

She only turned in 2.

You can see her other one here:  Just click right here.

On to a Nicole story.  (Nicole and her son Ian with our friend Betty.   You might recognize Betty from being in some of Ashley's recipe posts.   You can see them here--again just click right here.

Betty never sent in her own recipes, and she is a wonderful cook.  Oh well, what's a girl to do?)

So here we have Nicole and her son Ian and Betty.  It is an early 7:30am, cold November morning, getting ready for the Turkey Trot.

We all did it, every Thanksgiving.  It's a good way to begin the day. 

Nicole and Betty also helped at the registration desk.  This might have been the first Winnemucca Turkey Trot ever.

Nicole has always been involved in Health You programs.  And then COVID hit and she ended up being hired by the county to keep all the stats on every COVID related.  Every. Single stat.  That you could every think of.

In the past couple of years, my friend has been dealing with some of her own health issues and keeps a lower profile. 

But before that she was involved in many of the 5k's for non-profits around the area.

The Turkey Trot was for Alzheimer's.

She helped with Color the Mucc (a color run), which raised funds for a high school scholarship program. 

And the Lorena Smith Bengoa "Run, Ride or Walk for the cure"  (a local cancer foundation)

I don't have many photos of Nicole at the races but this one above.

was taken at the Lorena Bengo race in 2014.

People who participated in the race?

My daughter-in-law Jessica, my friend Robbie Milton  (she her posts here. Just click) and her son's partner, Tami.

Lovely ladies all.

And look!  Once again, Betty sneaks in!

I miss my friend Nicole's sweet face.

I'll have to suffice by eating her cookies and making her spaghetti. 

And then this is it for Nicole.  No more recipes.

As I told her a few posts earlier, it's sad to say goodbye. (to my friends in this format. 😏)

So, friends, My friends!  This is recipe, #338

out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now)

2023 will be the year!!

(Although I'm slow going)

Then what will I do?

Friday friend recipe number 336 and 337, MEGAN’s chicken, saltimbocca and baked zucchini

 

I must get this done!  At least to prove something to myself if not the Handyman...

 because...

...about 22 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."

The Handyman/Mayor, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings us to one of my favorite sisters-in-law, Meghan Stone's Baked Zucchini and Chicken Saltimbocca 

These were both really great.  My photos are not.

Saltimbocca is a traditional Italian dish that dates back to ancient Rome. The name saltimbocca literally means "jump in the mouth" in Italian, which is fitting given its delicious flavor.

So in other words, don't be swayed by my photos of the saltimbocca--just make it and taste it. It will jump in your mouth!

When I was little, I didn't think I liked zucchini.

I was wrong.

And again-- since I am getting closer to the end, these are the last recipes of Meghan's that I'll be posting.

We're saying goodbye.

(the Handyman just walked by, and I said (with tears in my eyes) --we're saying goodbye to Meghan now and he said WHY? I said--it's her last recipes in the FF Cookbook.)

Here is the Handyman's youngest brother Mike and his beautiful wife Meghan.

The story?  Ohhh, the story!

As you know I've saved a few answers from the Friday Friend Forum of years ago. (some I probably shouldn't share - yikes)

But here I go, giving Meghan's answers to life's pertinent questions.

Once I asked about Homecoming--

She said: I always liked school dances. Prom.  Homecoming, winter formal.  The Best Homecoming year was when I was a Pom-Pom girl and there was a flurry of activities and rallies leading up to the big game and dance.  I am sure the worst wqas probably my Freshman year--the Jr/Sr Prom.  I liked a Junior. He was taking someone else to the dance.  He did not know I liked him.  Found a friend to let him know and we started dating after that and he was my boyfriend all through high school. 

Me:  Well, it's a good thing it didn't last past high school--otherwise you'd be with someone else's family!!

And then once I asked about Voodoo.  I asked if you could use a Voodoo doll to hurt someone, who would it be?

She said: Voodoo...in reality, no, but in fantasy land, where this question was written...ANYONE who crosses the path of my kids or husband--POKE POKE!!

ME:  But my favorite answers of hers, were her little quips when I asked a food question.  She ran a catering business for quite a few years, and she is great cook, so they always struck me as funny.

I once asked about the famous, legendary, one and only, first and foremost Diner Foods--the open-faced hot roast beef sandwich. 

She said:  Not a fan...even au jus.  I need a toasty roll, quick dip and shovel it all in.   I prefer bread stuffing on the bottom of the roast beef and gravy pile, that I could dig.

Christmas eve dinner, once upon a time.

Meghan:   I am making spinach salad, and supposedly in charge of the roast (!!??)   My mom is having cracked crab and cold shrimp--with minestrone and spinach salad.  I am doing the salad and the minestrone....and maybe the shrimp.  So, my mom is doing crab. 

Should I just throw this hunk of meat in the crock pot and call it good?

And on eating alone:

The only time I eat alone is when the kids are at school...a lot of times I don't eat till lunch and then may dine out or grab something (UNHEALTHY) to go.

I'll have the leftovers from the night before for breakfast. 

*******************

I know that wasn't really a Meghan 'story', just great memories for me.

The way I met her was thru emails.  We became fast friends over the internet. LOL   And then she became family and then we met in person!

These are some of my favorite people/family members ever. They are adorable.  Just look at them!

So, friends, My friends!  These are recipes, #336 and #337

out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now)

2023 will be the year!!

(Although I'm slow going)

Then what will I do?

You can check out all of Meghan's recipes here.  Just click it.

Friday friend recipe number 335

 

My Friday Friend Cookbook Countdown #337

I think this is my strawberry pretzel dessert (or salad)

and you know all the whys and wherefores of this countdown, right? Homemade cookbook, friends contributed, Handyman said I couldn't/wouldn't do it, I'll show him, yadda yadda yadda....

...and the rest is cookbook history!

Just remember, the countdown is not all about pretty food and food design---it's about the people and the stories.

And (the most important thing) proving my husband wrong--and that I can and WILL make every recipe in this cookbook.

I have this entered in the FF Cookbook as a dessert.  Barbara Brown (the publisher aka typist of the original) entered it as a salad.

You be the judge.

Both are yummy!

Click here to see her recipe.

Here is mine:

As you know already, I adore my sisters-in-law.  I am lucky that way. Especially since I have a gazillion of them-- or maybe only 13.  Seems like a gazillion. 

And since this is my recipe, I can 'spotlight' anyone I like, right? (no need to answer, because I'm going to do what I want)

Sylvia didn't enter very many recipes in the FF Cookbook, but you can see what she did here.  Just click.

But since I'm saying "goodbye" to everyone, I thought I'd say,

 so long/farewell to her too. One of my absolute favorite sisters-in-law.

My brother Kevin, Sylvia and my nephews, Jason and Jeff.

They were attending a family reunion on Guam when this photo was taken.

And my funny story?

Well, I was working in a school library in Los Banos, California and one of the new teachers and I were visiting--he was from Guam--and he asked my sister-in-law's name, I said Sylvia Delgado (her mother was a Fujikawa) and he said, I think I know them. They had a band.  Her dad and uncles.

I was shocked--and I knew, I just knew he was wrong. I said no, I don't think it's the same family.   I had never heard about this musical side of Sylvia's family before, and she had been in our family for about 7 years by then.

When I called her later, I found out that they did indeed have a band, and they made an album or two.  Also, she had gone to school with the teacher.

Fast forward 15 years and I'm at a funeral in Winnemucca, Nevada and the priest is from Guam (and you know, as common ground for conversation, I say so is my sister-in-law).  Well, guess what? Soon the priest is telling me about this band in Guam--the Delgado Brothers. 😊

I asked my sister-in-law if she had a copy of the album. and She sent me this picture. 

from Sylvia:

so, this was their first album-Para si Juan. In English, the literal translation for John.

The album was dedicated to their brother John, the first in the family to pass away.

My dad is the farthest on the right.

from the left on the tree: my uncles, Joe, Gus, Tony and in front my uncle Jess.

They got a local sponsor who knew a recording company in the Philippines. So, my parents and aunts and uncles would fly to the Philippines to record.  They made two more albums, a Christmas album and another one.  I only have this copy.

My mother would say "it's a small world" because of the coincidence of me running into the teacher and the priest (that sounds like the start of a joke--a teacher and a priest walked into a bar....)

I told her to find that Christmas album, lickedy split!  And to tell her boys this story about the band, about this part of their family history before they have to hear it from a teacher and a priest!

And that is my Sylvia story.

The end.

Because this is goodbye.

So, friends, My friends!  This is recipe, #335 out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now)

2023 will be the year!!

(Although I'm slow going)

Then what will I do?