Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce with Garlic & Basil

Hello and happy fall!

If you read my blog you already know this—I’m Italian, and I love pasta. While I’ve been making my own homemade noodles for about a year, I’ve been hesitating on the sauce. Who wants that mess? You have to peel tomatoes and the juice splashes everywhere, etc. The list goes on. Or so I thought. Turns out I was wrong. Yes, it can be messy to make your own sauce, but it’s not that bad and it’s totally worth it. I never should have hesitated. I now LOVE making my own Simple Homemade Marinara Sauce with Garlic & Basil.

Not only is it way healthier to eat, but it makes your entire home smell amazing and it tastes so much better than that stuff from the jar. There is nothing better than the mix of fresh-snipped basil and ripe tomatoes with a splash of olive oil. There is a reason pasta marinara is a household staple, and it’s not just because it’s a cheap, quick fix. It’s really good, too. Pasta marinara is so simple, yet when you get a realllllly good noodle with an impeccable sauce, there’s just nothing better for a crisp, cool night!

My garden has been producing an overwhelming amount of tomatoes so my partner and I are hurrying to make sure none of our homegrown tomatoes go to waste. With a half dozen jars of salsa under our belt, we moved onto canning the following marinara sauce recipe.

Go ahead and give it a try. Let me know what you think!

Cheers and happy eating!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

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Recipe: Potato Gnocchi

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Hello everyone!

I’ve always loved Italian food. The smell of sauce cooking, the warm, filling qualities of the meals. ahhh… Pasta! Plus, I’m Italian, and I grew up eating pasta in all its forms. Since the fall, I’ve been trying to make various pastas from scratch, but one I was avoiding was gnocchi.

Why avoid gnocchi? Well, it’s hand down my favorite pasta and always has been. And I simply did not want to mess it up, or let myself down. Luckily, gnocchi is—dare I say—easy to make! And easy to make vegan!

Making gnocchi for the first time took me less than two hours, and it was absolutely scrumptious. It was probably the best gnocchi I’ve ever had. It was that good! The dough was pillowy, yet still dense enough to be chewy. The fork ‘rolling’ technique did the trick, and the pasta sauce stuck on the gnocchi in the best way.

I know spending a few hours making pasta isn’t feasible most nights of the week, but for that special occasion or on the weekend it’s well worth the effort! Give this simple three ingredient gnocchi recipe a try!

Mangia! Mangia!

Jocelyn

* Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own!

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Recipe: Vegan Homemade Pasta Dough

lasagna_2Hello everyone,

Over the holidays, my partner and I did a lot of binge watching. You can relate, right? One of our new favorite videos is Pasta Grannies on YouTube.

The premise is simple. A British woman goes around recording Italian grannies making pasta. So simple, yet so entirely addictive to watch!

I don’t have any memories of my grandparents making pasta from scratch from my childhood, but my mom does. She told me all about how her childhood Sundays were a full day of rolling out gnocchi and simmering sauce. I suppose watching Pasta Grannies is comforting and helps me feel more connected to my Italian side. Plus, I was happily surprised that many of the pasta recipes they used were vegan.

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Traditional, but vegan, Pizzelles

Hello everyone,

FullSizeRender_5You may have guessed that my kitchen is rather small based on my photos and crafty use of angles. That means I am a strong advocate against kitchen appliances that are single use. I can justify a Vitamix Blender because I use it all the time – for soups, for chopping nuts, for baking, etc. However, I do not own a toaster because all it does is toast, and I can do that on my 2-Burner Reversible Griddle. (Side note, at first I was deeply opposed to getting a griddle, but I have to say, we use it all the time. I love it! It makes sautéing veggies a breeze, and is perfect for grilling sandwiches, too).

Well, all that didn’t stop me from finally cracking and purchasing my very own pizzelle iron, specifically the Cuisinart WM-PZ2 Pizzelle Press (which I highly recommend! It’s non-stick, works well, and is cost effective!).

I come from an Italian family so when I think about cookies that are a staple at every wedding, holiday event, graduation party, etc., I think of the pizzelle. I can still smell the anise oil cooking out of the pizzelles at my grandma’s house. Continue reading “Traditional, but vegan, Pizzelles”