A Decorative Ribbon Bulletin Board You Can Make in an Hour

Our second bulletin board

I'm spending the week in Dedham, Mass. with my son and daughter-in-law but the real bonus is getting some quality time with my two grandsons. Unfortunately they were both under the weather this week but it afforded the perfect opportunity to do a craft project that was on my list: making a ribbon bulletin board. I thought I'd make one for each of them for their bedroom and another for the kitchen area. They were willing participants.

I made a quick trip to A.C. Moore in Dedham to pick up some supplies and then a stop at Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts to get half yard pieces of fabric and some quilt batting.

This is an easy project part of which children as young as three can participate, though mostly in the gluing area. They chose their colors and the pattern of ribbons and glued the decor in place. The boys are 5 and 3 years old.

The supplies are minimal and it's a great project to recycle some old or unused craft items if you have them. I wasn't at home so I bought everything new but I'll list some alternative materials as we go along.

These bulletin boards are perfect for children because no tacks are needed when completed. Photos, drawings, party invites slip snugly into the pockets formed by taut criscrossing ribbons and it's easy for them to maintain. I also like these bulletin boards because you can easily coordinate them to any room. I built mine on blank stretched canvases because I like the natural hanging bracket that the wood frame creates. All you'll need to hang is two nails or screws in the wall and the bulletin board will balance nicely on them. The canvases are also lightweight, another plus.

We made three today and they each took about an hour (maybe less on the third because by then we were all 'pros'). I'll list the supplies and give step-by-step instructions that relate to the accompanying photos.



The third bulletin board

 Supplies:
16 x 20 inch stretched canvases (or recycled old canvases, old cork bulletin boards with the frame removed. You could use plywood but the final product might be a bit heavy)
2-3 color rolls of grosgrain ribbon (I used half inch and three-quarter inch mixed for a nice effect) total about 3 yards for each bulletin board.
1/2 yard of fabric
I package quilting batting
Staple gun and staples
Aleene's tacky glue
Large buttons, foam sticky cut outs, pom poms, flat backed rhinestones or anything you might have around the house that might work as a decoration.
Picture hanging kit.

 

Directions

• Cut a piece of batting about 2 inches wider than the canvas or bulletin board that you are using. Using the staple gun fold it and secure it around the front and sides to cover, leaving back open. The batting should be tight.
  

  • 
• Cut a piece of fabric to the same size. Cotton, corduroy, thin wool or linen work best. Use a staple gun to secure the front and sides of fabric positioning over batting. Make sure the fabric covering is taut and wrinkle free.

• Position ribbon in place on the diagonal about three inches apart starting with center adding 2 inches on each end of ribbon. Cut all of the ribbon and then put aside.
• Starting in one direction, staple center ribbon in place on back of canvas, then place and staple others in place. Staple center in place in other direction. Continuing until all ribbons are tightly secured.
• Staple center points where ribbons intersect, then turn canvas over and using a flat screwdriver, press sharp edges downward. If you're using cork, the staple will inbed itself and you can eliminate this step. Trim ribbon edges if needed.

• Now you're ready for the final decorations. Using a collection of buttons, pom poms, foam press-ons ... whatever, put a small drop of glue over each staple. Position decoration on top in whatever design you choose.
• Dry overnight before hanging.

March Begins: The Month of St. Patrick, Lent and March Madness; Potato Soup Is The Perfect Antidote to a Lingering Winter

In my family, the potato is 'king'.

In fact, there's a story about one child (who shall remain nameless) getting an extra helping of the satisfying spud by selling her vote to watch a TV show that everyone didn't agree on.

With our name being McDermott, you might assume that our love of the potato has something to do with being Irish but I was surprised to learn that the potato originated 7,000 years ago in the Andes of South America. The Andean climate was austere and the soil poor but the durable root vegetable proved its toughness by thriving in those rough climes. It wasn't until the 1500s that the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in Peru. Much later that same century the potato made it's way across the ocean to Spain.

Three decades later the potato had finally spread to the rest of Europe and eventually made it's way to Ireland but not until the 1790s. The Irish adopted the rugged veggie because of it's ability to produce abundant amounts of nutritious food in poor soil and because of this success the population of Ireland exploded in a very short time. In the 1840s, a disease caused by a fungus devastated the potato crop and the repercussions changed Ireland forever. Starvation and emigration cut Ireland's population by half.

With Lent approaching, potato soup is a hearty, satisfying, meatless meal to prepare as our cold, snowy winter evolves into spring. This recipe is very easy and can be made ahead and frozen. We enjoyed ours with homemade buttermilk biscuits. Check the Sunday, Feb 20th post (Cream of Asparagus Soup) for that recipe.

Potato Soup
4 yukon gold potatoes and two red potatoes (the red potatoes were thinly sliced and added just before serving)
1 1/2 cup of buttermilk
1 cup Whole Milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 stick unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium to large onion, peeled & quartered ( I left this out, not having an onion available but would definitely add this in)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. Sea Salt or to taste
1/2 tsp. finely ground black pepper

• Peel and chop potatoes into bite-sized chunks and place into medium-sized stock pot. Add buttermik, milk and chicken stock.
• Add stick of butter, allow to melt.
• Add chopped celery, onion, chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper. Stir until well blended.
• Cook on low or simmer until potatoes are soft. DO NOT allow soup to boil.

Live Blogging The Oscars From Dedham, Mass.; Wrapped In A Blanket And Sweats, I Critique Hollywood's Hottest Stars

Published from time to time 
during the evening.

7:00: Red Carpet Segment. Red is the color of the evening.

Loved Anne Hathaway's (right) Red Valentino and the traditional tuxedos worn by Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush
Gwyneth Paltro in Calvin Klein: dress A-plus, hair...eh??

Christian Bale is British? I didn't know that! He looks like the Fonz tonight.

Scarlet Johannson, didn't love the purple lace dress.

Jennifer Hudson looked amazingly skinny in her tangerine dress by Versace. Jealous!

James Franco had a one-on-one live interview and looked extremely nervous.

Love GMA host Robin Roberts look.

Blush dresses are also pretty popular: Halle Berry (below, left)  in Marchesa and another Halle, Halle Steinfield (young actress from True Grit) in a tea length blush gown.

8:30: Opening movie was fun but I think if they'd burst onto the stage in the time machine car, it would have worked better. Hathaway, lovely in bejeweled white gown, first of many dress changes.

8:42: The awards start. Tom Hanks (nice tux) announcing Art Direction winner: Alice in Wonderland. Acceptance speech gets a 5 out of 10.

Cinematography winner: Inception
Acceptance speech: 9 out of 10

8:51: Kirk Douglas (looking very old, did he have a stroke?) with a cane, awarding best supporting actress award.
He's very funny!!
Winner: Melissa Leo from the Fighter
Acceptance speech: Rambling and emotional. Curses. Time's up!

9:01 Justin Timberlake and purple dress lady
Best animated short film winner: The Lost Thing
Acceptance speech: Nice and fast.
Best animated feature film winner: Toy Story 3! yea!
Acceptance speech: Nice and fast too.

9:12: history segment introduces Josh Brolin and Xavier Barden in truly awful
Tuxedos awarding Adapted Screenplay award
Winner: The Social Network
Acceptance speech: too long, piano playing him off.....
best Original Screenplay: The King's Speech
Acceptance speech: Fabulous!

9:20: Anne sings. Not bad.

9:25: Helen Mirren and Russell Brand, too funny!
Awarding best foreign film: In A Better World from Denmark
Acceptance speech: sweet and short, wait....it's getting longer

9:29: Reese Witherspoon looking very 'angle dickenson' like
Awarding best supporting actor: christen bale from The Fighter
Acceptance speech: funny, longish.... I'm still confused by the accent!

9:40: Anne is back in a grey gown (i like!!)and introduces Aussies Hugh Jackman and
Nicole Kidman
Best original score winner: The Social Network
Acceptance speech: Perfect

9:45: Scarlett Johannson and Matthew McConeghy introduce nominees for
Achievement in sound winner: Inception
Acceptance speech: good one
Achievement in sound editing winner: Inception
Acceptance speech: perfect

9:54: Marisa Tomei (left) introduces nominees for tech awards, awarded earlier this week.
I like her short hair. Dress: not so much

9:55: Cate Blanchette ( don't love the dress) announces awards for achievement in make-up
Winner: The Wolfman
Acceptance speech: nice and short, perfect.
Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Acceptance Speech: reading it, really?? Boring, hopefully short. Lose the black gloves,

10:00: Historical Movie Music interlude. Kevin Spacey can sing!! Pres. Obama makes a taped appearance to announce he loves 'As Time Goes By', from Casablanca , our wedding song.
Best Original Song:TBA

10:11: Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhall announce award for Best Documentary Short Films Winner: Strangers No More
Acceptance speech: good short inclusive speech
Live Action Short Film winner: God of Love
Acceptance speech: fast talker but too long!

10:16: Anne wears a flapper style long dress.

10:17: Time waster, putting music to movies that didn't have music. Clever but unnecessary.

10:19: Oprah Introduced not loving the dress or hair.
Announces outstanding documentary winner: Inside Job
(Note: Waiting For Superman was not nominated allegedly because it was perceived as anti-union)
Acceptance speech: gets political, give me a break!

10:27: Anne introduces Billy Crystal, standing ovation. What does that mean?
Historical moment: Trip down Bob Hope memory lane.

10:31: Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr., funny repartee
Introduces award for achievement in Visual Effects
Winner: Inception, winning lots of tech awards
Acceptance speech: uh, oh, lots of people on stage. Not too bad, only two spoke.
Achievement in Film Editing. Winner: The Social Network
Acceptance speech: Hug. Cute. Good speech.

10:41: Anne is back in a fabulous red dress.
Two more best song nominees introduced by Jennifer Hudson.
Gwyneth Paltrow (right) looks like Mary Travers from Peter, Paul and Mary.
Best Song Winner: Toy Story 3
Acceptance speech: funny, humble. Good one.

10:52: Celine Dion in a segment about stars who passed this year. Halle Berry pays tribute to Lena Horne, who also died this year.



IT'S GETTING LATE

11:01: Anne back in royal blue, really nice dress!
Hilary Swank introduces Kathryn Bigelow (last years winner) who announces Best Director winner: The King's Speech
Acceptance speech: man love? What about Helena Bonham Carter? Hmmmmmm. Closes with. 'mum' talk.

11:05: Annette Benning introduces award for lifetime achievement in film, taped previously.
Kevin Brownlow, Francis Ford Coppola, Eli Wallach. Standing ovation, well deserved.

11:11: Jeff Bridges introduces nominees for Best Actress winner: Natalie Portman, no surprise, probably well-deserved, not having seen the film.
Acceptance film: Humble, emotional, a bit long.....


11:19: Anne introduces Sandra Bullock, last years best actress winner announcing for
Best Actor winner: Colin Firth (left) 
Acceptance speech: Classic! A bit long....but I could listen to him forever.

Coming back for best picture award and the PS 22 Chorus (right) from Staten Island!! Could they be on any later??

11:31: Ok Anne dons another dress....maybe too much already? Not loving this one. Stephen Spielberg introduces best picture of the year. Kind of telling since they use the 'speech' as the soundtrack for all of the ten nominated movies.
The winner: The King's Speech
Acceptance speech: Perfect. It's good to be king.

Finally:  the Staten Island singers......best part of the show. 
OK, I'm prejudiced.

Ricotta Cake: A Palatable Pastiera That Reminds Me of My Mother-in-Law, Brooklyn and All Good Things About Easter

I had a lot of ricotta cheese left over this week from making my homemade manicotti and I decided to try Ricotta Cake, a dessert usually popular around Easter. I know, I'm rushing the holidays again (only the warmer weather ones, I swear!!) but my not-so-great experience with ricotta cheese and the cannoli is still fresh in my mind. I figured if I gave this a try early on, I might perfect it by Easter and can bring it for a dessert to my sister-in-law's house for the holiday. (though if she reads this, I might be uninvited!!)

So once again, leafing through my old Martha Stewart Living magazines (April, 2003) I came across a recipe that was exactly what I was looking for. This is not a cheesecake, no crust is involved, but a moist, light cake with a slight cinnamon flavor that actually is called a 'pastiera' in Italian circles.

My mother-in-law who was Italian introduced me to a lot of Italian baked goods and it was a learning and growing process for me since some of the flavors were not to my liking (anisette comes to mind!) but she did make a version of this cake at Easter and I became a fan right away. I remember the savory scent of cinnamon coming from her oven in Brooklyn and the lemony color of the cake as it was placed on the dessert table.

I made some changes to the recipe and as a result, the cake was probably more moist than it should have been. It smelled amazing while baking and tasted great. The substitutions I made were small but the rice substitution probably was the reason for the extra-moistness. I'll be sure to use the right ingredients next time around. Just a note: I looked up the recipe online yesterday as I was cooking (having misplaced the hard copy version) and I was dismayed to see a bunch of negative comments posted on the recipe page about this cake. So it was with a some trepidation that I awaited the final product. My fears were misplaced. Except for the wetness of the cake it was pretty close to perfection. Give this one a try.

Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
Serves 8
1 quart whole milk (I substituted 1%)
3/4 cup arborio rice (I used Minute Rice, eek!!)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I used vanilla extract. Where do you get a vanilla bean?)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Unsalted butter, for pan
All-purpose flour, for pan
3 pounds fresh ricotta cheese, drained 3 hours or preferably overnight (don't forget this step) 
3 large whole eggs plus 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Strawberries, blueberries or raspberries for garnish (or a combination of all three)

Directions

• Bring milk to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in rice, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla bean (or extract). Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until rice is very tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 30 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Cover; let cool, stirring occasionally. Discard vanilla bean(eliminate this if you used extract).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, combine the rice mixture, ricotta, whole eggs and egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Pour into prepared pan. Bake until golden on top and almost set in the center, 65 to 70 minutes; cover with foil if starting to brown too much. Transfer pan to a cooling rack.
• When cake has completely cooled, run a knife around edge to loosen. Gently remove ring; transfer cake to a serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve berries.

Carrot Soup Redux; I Give Another Recipe a Try For This Deliciously Healthy Vegetarian Fare

The newest Carrot Soup 

My husband and I had carrot soup this summer on our first night in Ireland and we've been dreaming about it ever since. I made one version in September not long after we returned from our trip. I decided to give another recipe a try just to taste the difference, or to see if there even was one. I'll compare the recipes and repeat the first one as well.

When we were kids we ate a lot of carrots - happily. Our mother and grandmother made their case intimating that our ridiculously straight hair would curl and that carrots would improve our eyesight. That was all the encouragement we needed being adoring fans of Shirley Temple and her glorious string curls and glass-less eyes. It was all a ruse but one that I used on my own family as well, also 'blessed' with lifeless hair. I should note that my hair situation hasn't changed since childhood and that I wear glasses! It could be worse. The 'real' benefits of eating carrots are many and so much better than having curly locks...really!

Carrot is a root vegetable that actually originated in Asia. One stalk contains carbohydrates, protein, a very small amount of fat, calcium and iron. Also, it is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and thiamine. It's main claim to 'healthy fame' is that carrot is an excellent source of beta-carotene, actually the highest amount of beta-carotene among the list of vegetables we eat every day and as such has an outstanding role in cancer prevention. Research shows that people with lack of beta-carotene are more likely to have 2 times higher risk of cancer than normal people and it's wise to eat an appropriate amount of carrots every day to prevent cancer.

Chinese doctors agree that the sweet carrot is good for the health of spleen and stomach. It is also believed to improve impotence (lower sexual drive), sexual dysfunction, night blindness, (maybe that's where the eyesight claim came from??) and long term cough besides strengthening kidneys.

So off I went in search of another carrot soup recipe and I came across one that seemed different enough to give me a comparison. This one is from the Moosewood Cookbook, 1977 edition. Moosewood is a collectively owned business that has grown from a small health food restaurant to become a large and diversified company. The restaurant located in Ithaca, New York, has been opened since 1973. A link is provided for their impressive cookbook collection available through Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=moosewoods+cookbooks&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=3531931007&ref=pd_sl_3pa40k0var_b

Carrot Soup
from the 1977 edition of Moosewood Cookbook
Ingredients
2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
4 cups stock or water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)
3-4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds (I used almonds)

Choose one:
1 cup milk
1 cup yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey
1/2 pint heavy cream ( I used this one)
3/4 cup sour cream

Seasoning choices:
2 pinches of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon dried mint, dash of cinnamon (I used this one)
1 teaspoon each of thyme, marjoram and basil
1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions

• Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you are using it) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool to room temp.
• Saute the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear. You can sprinkle in a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the onions. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice.
• Puree everything together in a blender until smooth (I deviate from her recipe at this stage. I dump the sauteed onions, garlic and nuts into the pot with the cooked carrots and use an immersion blender to puree. It saves dishes and energy).
• Whisk in one of the dairy products. As I mentioned in the beginning, I often leave this step out until I'm just about to eat a bowl of soup. I'll stir in a little milk, a spoonful of yogurt or some cottage cheese just before serving (and just after reheating, if I'm using the microwave).
• Garnish with toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.

Carrot Soup from September blog.

My original carrot soup recipe:

Carrot Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots peeled and cut into small pieces
i small onion minced
6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped parsley minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup capers
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and cloves and sauté until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups broth. Cover and simmer until carrots are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Remove cloves from broth and discard. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to same saucepan. Mix in lemon juice, dijon mustard, capers and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin to desired consistency with more broth. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Whisk cream in medium bowl just until slightly thickened, about 10 seconds.
• Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle cream over. Top with parsley.

My opinion:
The new recipe had a nice consistency (I think it was the addition of almonds) with a slightly nutty (again the almonds) flavor. I added more nutmeg to the recipe than originally noted but it was a thick, rich soup and very easy to make. I liked the choices this soup gave.

The original soup was more tangy but just as rich. I noticed liquid separation when I served the soup back in the fall and had to keep stirring to eliminate that.

Azzedine Alaia: Couturier To The Stars

The pink Alaia dress worn by Kelly Ripa..

Watching Live With Regis and Kelly yesterday, I spotted a pink dress that was high necked and fitted. I didn't see the opening of the show where Kelly walks onstage so I was unaware of what the whole dress looked like. It appeared to flare out a bit and I was intrigued enough to try to find the dress afterwards. Logging onto the the Live Website (where I don't think I've ever ventured) I noticed a feature called 'Kelly's Fashion Finder' http://www.dadt.com/live/fashion-finder.html...aha, this was going to be easy!

It was. In a strip running at the bottom of today's fashion story was a photo of the pink dress. I clicked onto it and the designers name appeared at right; Azzedine Alaia. The name was unknown to me proving that I have a lot of fashion left to learn, apparently he's been dressing the rich and famous for many years and lists our fashionable First Lady as one of his admirers and customers.

After focusing so much on dresses from the Fall Fashion shows last week, I was also pleased to find a designer who truly loves a dress like I do. I like the fit, the ruffles and the length of his clothes.

Michelle O. at the Nato Conference...

Searching for a bit of information about him I summarized the following from a Wikipedia entry.

Azzedine Alaia was born in Tunisia in 1940. His parents were farmers but he had a twin sister and a French friend of his mother who inspired his love of fashion. He began studying sculpture in Tunis where he learned about the human form helpful to him as he progressed toward fashion design. After graduation, Alaïa began working as a dressmaker's assistant an was so talented that he began dressing private clients. He moved to Paris in 1957 to work in fashion starting at Christian Dior as a tailor, but soon moved to work for Guy Laroche for two seasons. He moved up and around Paris over the years gaining experience and dressing well-known clients and produced his first ready-to-wear collection in 1980. The rest as they say...is history.

...and at the American Ballet Gala.

So besides Kelly on TV, Michelle Obama wore Alaia's formal black knit sleeveless dress with a ruffled skirt to a NATO dinner in April of 2009. Also that year, she wore an Alaïa dress to the American Ballet Theatre Opening Night Spring Gala in New York breaking the tradition of American First Ladies wearing styles by American designers to official public events. French First Lady Carla Bruni also wears Alaia as does Gwyneth Paltrow,Heidi Klum,Jennifer Aniston,Jessica Simpson,Katie Holmes,Megan Fox and Victoria Beckham....I mean who's left?

Dresses are in the $1000-$2500. range.

I Try Bolongese Sauce And Homemade Pasta: Is There An Award For Honorary Italians? (Er, That'd Be Me)

I know I'm not Italian but I've eaten in enough Italian restaurants over the years to at least earn an honorary title. I thought I knew most of the dishes, at least the most common ones, and I've made quite a few over the years. Today, I though I'd try Bolognese Sauce which I thought was regular red sauce mixed with chopped sirloin. Surprise! It's way more than just a mere meat sauce.

My other plan today was to make my own pasta. With purcased semolina flour and the barest of recipes, I set out to make manicotti stuffed with a mix of ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, topped with the bolongese sauce.

Making pasta wasn't that hard. I followed the instructions on the package of Hogson's Mills Semolina flour http://www.hodgsonmill.com/about/  and not having a pasta machine, I got a great upper body workout rolling out the dough to a very thin consistancy. I chose manicotti mostly because I didn't need to make thin cuts of pasta (though I did so with the extra) and was pleased with the results. I also didn't have a pasta drying rack but my multiple pants hanger, covered with parchment paper, worked just as well.

The bolognese sauce was another matter though it turned out great in the end but what I thought was a simple mix of meat and sauce turned out to be more involved than that. In fact, when the sauce first came into being in Bologna, Italy in the 5th century, tomatoes weren't even in the recipe. What is standard, is the mix of ground meats: pork and veal and the inclusion of milk in the sauce. I used neither and I thought it came out fine. I based my recipe on the one below from the Luna Cafe in Portland, Oregon. I've included their website because it was a good one and you can see the changes I made. Here is my adjusted Bolongnese Sauce.

My Unauthentic (But Nevertheless Delicious) Bolognese Sauce

¼ cup cold-pressed (extra-virgin) olive oil
2 large onions, chopped (4 cups chopped)
2-3 stalks of celery finely chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped (1 cup chopped)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (2 tablespoons minced)
2 teaspoons dried crumbled basil
2 teaspoons dried crumbled oregano
1½ pound ground beef
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry red or white wine
four 14½-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes in juice
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons sugar, if necessary
¼ cup minced fresh parsley

Directions:

• In a large stovetop casserole, heat the olive oil, and sauté the onions and carrots over medium-low heat until softened but not browned, about 15 minutes.
• Add the garlic, basil, oregano, and continue cooking without browning for 2-3 minutes.
• Raise the heat and add the ground meat. Sauté, stirring and crumbling the meat, until the meat is well browned.Drain any excess oil from the skillet.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce to almost no liquid.
• Add the wine if using and reduce by half.
• Add the tomatoes and simmer slowly, partially covered for about 45 minutes, until most, but not all, of the moisture has evaporated.
• Taste, then season with salt, pepper, and sugar if necessary.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

Makes 4 cups sauce.

http://thelunacafe.com/italian-bolognese-sauce-ragu/