Happy Holidays Laimewads!

I LOVE this time of year and one of the things I get most excited about is not the Christmas goose, but my Dad’s spaghetti! It was the Laime family tradition that this pot of love be bubbling away all day on Christmas eve, filling our house with the smell of awesome. Then, when we returned home from Christmas eve mass, we’d each get to open one gift from under the tree and enjoy platefuls of my Dad’s delicious spaghetti.

I’m so grateful for this tradition - my sister now makes the spaghetti every Christmas eve and it really makes me feel like my parent’s wonderful spirit is with us through the holidays.

So… here’s the recipe! * Note: my dad usually just made it, no recipe required, but my genius sister has managed to get this down in recipe form and I think she nailed it. It really is unlike any other spaghetti sauce I’ve ever tasted…

Ron Laime’s Spaghetti Sauce:

1 white onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 1/2 clove garlic

2 large 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 bottles of red wine - 1 for cooking, 1 for chef lubrication

herbs - italian seasoning, garlic salt, salt, pepper, basil, oregano

1 1/2 lb beef (optional)

table sugar - to taste, probably 1/3 to 1/2 cup.

olive oil

In a big ass pot, saute pepper and onion in garlic and oil for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. add all the tomatoes and wine and herbs and some of the sugar. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a perky simmer for a 1/2 hour. At this point, you can add the beef - in our house, because I’m veg., my dad would put some of the sauce into a smaller side pot to continue cooking and add the beef to the big ass pot so we had two going. Simmer this mix for a few more hours hopefully - the longer the anticipation the better. Season to taste using the sugar, herbs, and salt/pepper.

** Amendment/update for meat eaters - please see Anna-Marie’s (my sister’s) comment below!

Serve over thick spaghetti, with hot crusty bread and big slabs of butter. Eat yourself into a food coma, but not before you put out milk and cookies for Santa!

Please post your food traditions/recipes in the comments!

xox

elizabeth