What Happened???

I'm not sure how mentioning to my Mom that if her expert gardener friend had any extra tomatoes 

I would like some turned into this

and this

and this

and this

Yikes!!!

But I now have a freezer full of my favorite homemade Marinara Sauce.  I made eight batches of this stuff in two days.  Needless to say my kitchen floor is a little sticky.  My friend Jeanne shared this recipe with me a few years ago and normally I don't justify all this cooking for something I can get on sale at 75 cents a can, but this is worth it.  So if you have a few tomatoes you don't know what to do with, enjoy!

Marinara Sauce

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium yellow onion, finally chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 lbs fresh plum tomatoes, chopped (about 8 cups) (though I had juicer tomatoes so I cut back on the juice)

2 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup slivered fresh basil or minced parsley (or a combo of both)

3/4 cup tomato paste

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like it hot)

In large pot heat oil over moderate heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute 5 minutes or until tender.  Add everything else and bring to a full boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Uncover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove bay leaf and enjoy.  I add an extra step and let it cool and then process it in the blender so there are no chunks.  If you have a family that doesn't mind a few chunks then an immersion blender will work to get it smaller.  If you want it thicker then add more tomato paste.  Package it in ziplock bags and store in freezer.

I think two days later my house still smells like onions and garlic, but it was worth it.