Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Food 'n Flix (and Friday Friend Recipe #42 --Spaghetti Sauce#3: Secret Ingredient Sauce)


I have never participated in Food 'n Flix before. This is a first for me, but what a fun idea!

Food 'n Flix is a group of bloggers who get together every month to watch a movie, and then head into the kitchen and mix up something inspired by the flick. 

There is always room for another pillow in front of the tellie, and another chair around the table. So if you're a blogger who wants to join in the fun, please feel free to jump in at any moment.

February's Flick is chosen by The Lawyer's Cookbook, and she has chosen Lady and the Tramp.


I just happen to OWN Lady and the Tramp -- on VHS,  no less!  And this past weekend I had my grandkids, who are 5 (and a half.  Let's not forget the  half), so I told them I had to watch the movie and then we would make spaghetti.
They agreed.
I had to sit in the 'grandkids' room and lay on the bottom bunk with the 2 of them (twins) all over me, while watching this classic flick.
While it is dated, it is still, well,  a classic and I love it.
Like an old Bogart and Bacall movie.
Your classic jerk turned hero.
The love of a good woman makes you want to be a better man and all that.

Sadly, Lady and Tramp wasn't my grandchildren's favorite (1955 animation  can't compete with Frozen or Batman's special effects), but for me, it's still a great romantic comedy.

I didn't veer far from the tree by sticking with spaghetti and meatballs.
Classic movie, classic dish.
(and hopefully all the other Food 'n Flix bloggers aren't sighing and saying, really?  She couldn't get any more creative than THAT?)

All in all, it was a fun afternoon,  (except when we all thought Trusty was dead -- sorry, spoiler alert! -- but thankfully he wasn't. That was very sad) watching the movie and making a great pasta classic.
We did try a little slurping the noodles at dinner time too!

I am hoping to participate in Food 'n Flix every month this year.
It was fun, and it'll be fun to see what everyone else comes up with.
I'm sure they are much more imaginative than I.


I also had another idea in mind when I made this --
-- my idea was to mark off another recipe in my Friday Friend Cookbook.
Laura's Spaghetti and Meatballs!
We had to, just HAD, to have meatballs after seeing this movie, and Laura's spaghetti did!
Read on....




Friday Friend Recipe #42: Secret Ingredient Sauce-- Spaghetti Sauce #3

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.
What is the Friday Friend cookbook:   I have about 50 of my closest friends and family on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends (from all over the county).  At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 15 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.
AND,  we contributed recipes for a cookbook.
Which brings me to this... recipe #41

Laura's
Secret Ingredient Sauce



The most important thing to me, in doing this countdown of my Friday Friend Cookbook is just remembering all the while that it's true -- 
Friends ARE the most important ingredient in the recipe of  Life!!

I don't usually make meatballs when I make 'my' spaghetti sauce, so this one was kind of fun to eat. 
The Handyman was SO HAPPY that this sauce is completely homemade --he's not a sauce from a jar fan.
Except I had to be honest, the meatballs came in frozen form from the grocery store.  I splurged and got good "Italian" frozen meatballs tho ~hahaha~



Secret Ingredient Sauce
Laura Gunter
Elko, NV

Brown 1 inch meatballs in olive oil. Remove and add chopped onion ( 1/2 to a whole), chopped celery (1-2 stalks), 1 large and 1 small can tomato sauce, 1 small can stewed tomatoes.  Season with oregano, Italian seasoning, add garlic powder or fresh garlic, salt and pepper.
Secret ingredient?  2 spoonfuls of sugar.
Add meatballs.
Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.




Now comes my favorite part.
The part where I get to tell a funny story and or fact about this Friday Friend.
But this time --  it's a BRAND NEW Friday Friend (to my posts anyway).
It's Laura!
My good friend Laura Gunter!
We've been friends for just about  34 years.
I have 3 boys, she has 3 boys.
We went to the same church when we lived in the same town.
We had dinner parties together.
Taught Sunday School together.
Once, we even had babies on the same exact day.
In the same hospital.
Same doctor.
2 little baby boys, just lying there in bassinets.
Taken to the nursery to get a bath at the same time.
Would have been so easy to mix them up.
Hmmmmmm.....

Here is a recent photo of Laura and her husband Tony!



Here is a picture of Laura with 2 of my boys.
(Laura is the Easter Bunny)
(You don't think I'd let it get away without a funny photo of her, do you?  She didn't turn in that many recipes!  This could be my only chance!)


And look!!
Whose baby is whose?
We honestly think they were switched at birth!!
Tyler is hers, Dustin is mine.
We think.


Now all grown!
(with pretty wives)







Here's how the story goes:
I was a week over due.
Laura was due in 2 weeks.
Laura and her husband Tony were at my house on a Saturday morning.
My water broke.
They took Lucas, my son, home with them.
Handyman came home -- went to hospital
Labor 2.5 hours  (I don't see what the big deal is??  About labor, I mean)
Had baby boy, Dustin.
Called to tell Lucas he was a big brother.
Laura asked "what room are you in?"
I said  "why are we going to be roomates?"
She said  "I think so..."
Handyman runs to get our son, their son.
They (Laura and Tony) come to hospital.
They hang in labor room/delivery room for a few hours  (see?  What's the big deal people??)
Come out with little Tyler!
I got to see him first!   Before he was even cleaned up much.
(it was a small hospital, so I could walk the hallway and hang out waiting for them.)

TA DA!!
Bros by different mothers?
Switched?

Who the heck knows?!

It's just been a great story our whole lives!  Or rather our sons whole lives.


Seen here with their older brothers!



(GEEZ, they were cute kids!)

one more funny fact:
Laura and I are both the grandmother of TWINS!
It runs in someone's family!!
 

pictures of all 3 boys
brothers.



The top pic is grainy 
(long story, but it is what it is for now -- my home computer is down and I can't access my photos)
but nice looking boys.
Not sure any of them look alike tho.

Now, the bottom pic?
Triplets?
Nah... just Laura's boys.
They ALL look alike!
Perhaps the one on the right is not really mine after all.



That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

If you want to meet all of my  Friday Friends and read their stories

See you next time.

PS I only went to one of the weddings.  I mean only one of the weddings of the ones who were switched in the hospital.  And for the record, it isn't the one  whom I gave birth too....
....HE eloped.
Without me.
Can you imagine that?






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