Three meat spaghetti sauce

So you maybe wondering about the title of this blog. The making of Macaroni. (I might have forgotten to mention that Macaroni is my online screen name.) For me it has two meanings. One is the obvious cooking reference, as pasta was one of the first things I learned to make. It was and still is a staple of our diet!

But more importantly, I have found cooking to be very therapeutic. It is such a great outlet for me and what comes out of it is usually an awesome dinner for Eric and I. I feel like I have found a new piece of me. Would it be silly to say that cooking completes me??? I love that I can take the most basic ingredients and compose an intricate meal. So the making of Macaroni is really about me finding me. I am redefining who I am, as a woman, as a mother and as a wife. I am so lucky to be able to stay at home with my daughter and really get to know her. And at the same time, getting to know me, and what makes me happy.

Lets break the intensity here, and jump into what I plan on doing. My hope is to be able to cook daily. I would love to use this as my recipe box, complete with cooking instructions and final reviews. If you use one of my recipes (and by "my" I mean ones I have found, not created) please let me know your opinions!

So here is my recipe of the day, courtesy of July5Bride on the Nest.

Three Meat Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste
2 jars (4.5 oz each) sliced mushrooms, drained. (I always substitute fresh mushrooms, but I just eyeball the amount when I do that)
1 cup chopped pepperoni
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP Italian seasoning
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

In soup kettle, cook beef, sausage, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, drain. Stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, mushrooms, pepperoni, parmesan, sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Yields 11.5 cups.

Freeze in serving size portions. To reheat, thaw in fridge overnight, heat in saucepan.

I omitted the mushrooms, sorry not a fan. And added a tsp of crushed red pepper for some heat. One teaspoon was a bit much, next time I will cut back to half a teaspoon and also leave out the pepperoni. No need to cause a heart attack, two meats will do! Also, I probably will add more crushed tomatoes for a bit of a thinner sauce.

We really enjoyed this sauce and will definitely make it again. Hope you enjoy it!