Spaghetti

Today we(my sister, the grand-dog and I) went to Mom and Dad’s and cooked Spaghetti for them. My sister really did a lot of the cooking this time. We talked about how this recipe may just be the first recipe each of us learned to cook. I really can’t remember cooking anything else before this recipe. This is a recipe my parents would let us start cooking after school and before they got home from work. I even prepared it for a 4-H cooking contest. The contest was favorite meals and you had to display a table setting too. Maybe that is part of the reason I love dishes and setting the table. This sauce is from a very old Betty Crocker cookbook. In fact the book naturally opens to this page and it is stained with sauce. It is a thick, very red, tomato sauce. I have never had anything else like it. This is what defined spaghetti to me as a child.

Shown with Garlic Texas Toast
sister's idea and Dad approved

Spaghetti

Adapted from: Betty Crocker

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2 - 15 oz cans tomato sauce

2 – 12 oz cans tomato paste

15 oz can large black olives, undrained

2 envelopes of spaghetti sauce mix with mushrooms

3 cups water

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf

Salt and black pepper to taste

16 oz dry spaghetti

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and green pepper until meat is brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except spaghetti and cheese. Cover; simmer 1-1/2 hours, stirring sauce occasionally.

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Serve meat sauce over hot spaghetti; pass Parmesan cheese.

Cookbook page

Linking to:
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Childhood Favourites (or favorites)